Monthly Archives: August 2017

Diseases Wreak Havoc in Cassava Fields in Africa

Posted on by

NAIROBI, KENYA – In Africa, demand for the cassava plant has grown significantly over the years. The continent produces 60 percent of the crop in the world. But the crop is drastically declining in East and Central Africa due to diseases that reduce production.

More than 160 million people in east, central and southern Africa depend on cassava as a stable food and a source of income.

Production of the crop has significantly dropped due to the cassava mosaic and cassava brown streak diseases.

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], the brown streak disease is worse since it affects the root of the crop. These two diseases are creating havoc in Africas agricultural lands.

Improvements necessary

The acting head of the FAO in eastern and central Africa, Luca Alinovi, said the agency has invested to improve the situation in the African fields, but it is not getting better.

Doing right or wrong on cassava has a huge impact on the food security of the people in this region, has such a relevance in our daily lives that we tend to forget it because it appeared in a kind of technical discussion. And I want to bring to your attention that, although it is a technical issue it requires knowledge and requires research, said Alinovi.

The head of the European Union Rural Development and Agriculture program in Kenya, Dominique Davoux, said that over the years the cassava diseases have evolved, and there is need to invest in research to fight the diseases.

We supported the cassava initially, there has been [a] stop in the support, the research slugged [lagged] behind, and the disease reinvented itself [and] propagated again. We have to re-address the issue, said Davoux.

The FAO says a minimum of $100 million is needed to support clean farm production, disease surveillance and research, and market and micro-finance development across the cassava production chain.

Experts warn failure to do so means the cassava disease likely will reach Nigeria, the biggest producer of cassava in Africa.

Finding Your Agriculture Jobs Online

Posted on by

When we are searching a job, the most important thing before all steps is the clear objection. And today, there are variety kinds of ways to find jobs, people can go to the job fair as tradition, while searching jobs on line is becoming more and more popular, In the past few years, Internet has emerged as a major source for people looking for jobs in any field. There are thousands of agriculture jobs posted all across the internet. Among all jobs today, agriculture has emerged as a major destination for growth-oriented job opportunities. A large number of individuals are searching for it.

Well, the opportunity seems attractive, but in fact searching for agriculture jobs is a daunting task. This is because the recruiters are usually located at different parts of the globe, it makesdifficult for the individuals to get access to a large number of agriculture jobs. What’s more, because there are various employer jobs and they are not posted anywhere, so it is a plan to search for those employer jobs.

Different to other jobs, the job titles of agriculture career is based on experience and education level. A good job website usually can help you to find the hidden agriculture jobs that exist all over the Internet. At any particular moment of time, there are thousands of jobs get posted all online. In order to find information about these entire job postings, take the help of a professional job site for you. We say Internet is amazing because we can be linked to all kinds agriculture jobs and other related jobs. Internet make the job searching extremely easy that individuals can get access to jobs posted anywhere. Recruiters in the agriculture field fall into different categories such staffing, retained search, permanent placement, and temporary placement. The various job positions under agriculture field may include Agriculture Credit Analyst, Agriculture Associate Buyer, Agriculture Manager, Production Supervisor, Food Processing, Agriculture Clerk, Senior Agriculture Analyst, Audit Manager, Agriculture Assistant, and Agriculture Supervisor.

All in all, finding a agriculture job by Internet is a trend. There are many advantages of it. But the job hunter should also careful when select the career because there are also many fake information on the Internet. Hoping everyone could find a satisfying work.

The Uses Of Interactive Maps For Crop Management For Agriculture

Posted on by

Agriculture and its benefits are various and with the advancement in technology there are many tools and methods that can improve the methods of agriculture. Scientists have been using satellite remote sensing technology or flash maps with the aim to enhance water balance and farming yield appraisal on a huge geographical scale throughout the world. Therefore the current sensing algorithms being utilized have become so reliable and accurate that it provides detailed crop information for precise agriculture management to improve crop health and production with the availability of several high resolution maps and satellite sensors.

According to the data collected by FOA, almost 70 percent of freshwater resources is used for crop production. Therefore it is necessary to optimize the right use of water resources and yet increase agriculture production with the global population continuing to grow at a high rate. The agricultural resources are however the most dynamic and renewable natural resources. Therefore reliable, comprehensive and timely information on the agricultural resources is very necessary for countries who’s main economy lies in agriculture. Sometimes, there are agriculture surveys conducted throughout the nation to gather information and the statistic on livestock, crops and rangeland, also including other agriculture resources with the help of these advanced satellite remote sensing technology and maps.

Satellite images through these maps can show variations in organic m matter sand the drainage patterns. The soil higher in organic matter can easily be differentiated from the lighter soil which has lower organic content. So flash maps and the satellite image date has the potential to provide real time or live analysis for big areas of attributes of growing crops that can really help in making timely management decisions which may affect the outcome of the current crop. The technology is so advanced that the satellite images and maps can even import graphics or fields of the agricultural land to offer better crop management. These maps can even create custom regions which can indicate what crop has been currently planted in the region. If you have your own agricultural land, it lets you add additional details as well to show your farming information such as the target harvest time or the last time or next date to apply insecticide.

Moreover the satellite imagery maps analysis for agriculture management and production also allows for
Quantitative green vegetation assessment
Accurate and fast overview
Tree grading
Underlying soil characteristics

This remote sensing satellite imaging and maps is however an evolving technology with the potential to contribute to studies specific to land cover and change detection just by globally making comprehensive evaluations of several human and environmental actions as possible. These changes would thereby influence policy and management decision making. The maps and satellite image date also enables direct observation of the land surface at repetitive intervals and so lets mapping of the extent and assessment and monitoring of storm water runoff, crop health, air quality, change detection environmental analysis, irrigated landscape mapping, energy savings, yield determination, carbon storage and avoidance and soil an fertility analysis.

Agriculture Playing Important Tole In The Life Of People

Posted on by

India is a land of traditions and beliefs. Indian tradition is very much found of scriptures and mythology and also of art & literature, painting & folklore. India is the country where 60% of the wealth comes from farming. Agriculture and farming are the only two aspects which gives the Indian farmers health and wealth. It plays a very vital role in the economy of the country as it is the only practice which the farmers can do as it can be done on large as well as on small scale.

The word agriculture is short but its need is very vast as it plays a great role on different aspects of our lives. It provides the foundation through which people survive through the provision of food to both humans and their animals. Without agriculture, chances of survival would be minimal as both people and livestock would die out of starvation. As a result of this, agriculture has gained interest among many people, ordinary, policymakers and even researchers due to its important contribution to humanity.

Farming is done in three different categories such as Primitive Farming, Intensive Subsistence Farming, and commercial Farming. As the name suggests primitive subsistence farming is done on a small piece of land with the help of the small farming tools such as hoe and digging sticks including the family members as the labours and sometimes the community members play the part of the labours. Intensive Subsistence farming is done on high intensive area and a huge land with the help of the huge labour intense and high doses of biochemical fertilizers with the help of spraying machines and with the advanced agriculture tools and machines for the higher productivity. Commercial Farming uses the higher doses of fertilizers, high yielding variety seeds, pesticides and insecticides for the higher productivity

Agriculture industry is the basic need for many other industries such as food industry, ecosystem, and the main which is economic sector. Any country in the world that wants to be stable must provide its citizens with the food supplements. Through the different agricultural practices that are there, agriculture is the main source through which countries are able to feed their people. Through crop and livestock production, we are able to get food which is rich in nutrients needed by our bodies. As a result of agriculture, people are able to live free from deficiency diseases.The extent of destruction is influenced by the activities going on in a particular ecosystem. As population grows, more land and forests are now being cleared to create space for agricultural activities.

Beekeeper Hat Fashion Or Function

Posted on by

So, I see that you are planning to take up beekeeping. Well, you are undertaking a noble occupation. The point is that beekeeping is very important for agriculture on the whole, and not just for honey production. As bees fly about and collect nectar from the flowers to produce honey and for their own food, they also pollinate the flowers which later turn into the fruits and vegetables that we eat. People rarely realize the important role that bees and beekeepers play in agriculture. With this said, beekeeping is also very dangerous and can even be fatal if you do not have the proper protective clothing when you tend your hives. The most important article of protective clothing is the beekeeper hat.

The beekeeper hat is a special hat that is made especially for beekeepers to wear when they tend their hives. The beekeeper hat is usually white in color and has a wide rim around it which spans about six inches outward. The hat also has a veil that drapes down from the rim. The rim is made form some rigid material that can hold the veil. The veil is made from a fine transparent netting that you need to be held away from your face. The veil is to be draped down from the rim and then are tied around the collar of your protective jacket.

Other protective clothing besides the beekeeper hat is also needed to keep the exposed parts of your body from being stung. The face is the most sensitive exposed part of your body, hence this is why how the beekeeper hat is worn is very important. The veil should never touch your face. This can allow for the bees stinger to penetrate the netting and sting you in the face. Furthermore, the bottom of the veil should be snugly tied around the collar of the protective coat to prevent bees from getting up under the veil and stinging you.

The protective coat and pants should all be light colors, preferably white. There is an important reason why protective clothing needs to be white. Dark colors can trigger defensive pheromones in the bees to make them aggressive. This is because most of the bees natural predators, such as bears, are all dark in color, either dark brown or black and furry. If you wear white clothing which is made of smooth material, the bees will not recognize you as a threat as much and therefore will be less aggressive.

The protective clothing should be loosely fitted and worn over other clothing to give you good protective layers of protection from bee stings. Furthermore, all seams of the protective clothing should overlap and snugly be fitted to keep bees from entering in under the clothing through the seems. You should also wash your protective clothing, including the beekeeper hat after tending the hive. You need to understand that as you harvest the honey, the bees will defend it and will at least sting your protective clothing. As the bees sting, the venom released from the stinger is not the only thing that is released from the stinger. As a bee leaves its stinger in your protective clothing, it will also release pheromones that will be on the clothing that will make the other bees be more aggressive when they sense them on your clothing.

The cricket suit can be a great alternative to the beekeeper hat and other protective clothing needed for tending the hives and harvesting the honey. The cricket suit is a rather new invention when it comes to protective clothing for beekeepers and makes it even more difficult for bees to get under the protective clothing through the seems. This suit actually looks like an astronauts suit with a hood and is all white. The hood of the cricket suit serves the same function as the beekeeper hat, but is of a different construction. The hood has a screen in front, allowing you to see what you are doing and has removable plastic rods that hold the hood outward and away from your face, hair, and the back of your head. The plastic rods can be removed from their sleeves simply by opening velcro straps and sliding them out of their sleeves. Then the hood can be washed with the rest of the cricket suit.

Furthermore, you do not need to tie anything with the cricket suit. The hood can be removed, allowed to hang back, or kept over the head by a zipper that fastens it to the collar of the suit. Where the zipper meets the end is sealed with a velcro flat to keep bees from entering through the hole. Furthermore, the rest of the cricket suit is a one-piece suit that is zipped closed in front. This provides for seamless protection from top to bottom. Best of all, you can adjust the cuffs of the wrists and ankles with velcro to make sure that the cuffs are snug and bees cannot get up through the sleeves.

Leather gloves may not necessarily be worn by seasoned veteran beekeepers who already have hands that are immune to the venom of bee stings, as a beginner, you should have them. They protect your hands from being stung when you reach into the hive to harvest the honey.

Whether you get the beekeeper hat or other the cricket suit, you definitely should look into getting good reliable protective clothing to wear while tending your hive. Remember, this protective clothing can save your live. This is especially true if you are allergic to bees. Even for normal people, being stung by a large number of bees can land you in the hospital for a few days, or can even be worse. So, remember, wear protective clothing!