Tag: Africa
There is certainly no doubt about the fact that civilization not only in the United Kingdom but in fact all around the world started with agriculture. After our ancestors started focusing on agriculture for their livelihood and earning, human society as a whole was changed afterwards forever without any measure of speculations for sure.
As a result of agriculture, villages as well as towns developed along with an overall better understanding of art, science as well as knowledge which continued to improve since then with every passing day.
Even, now, the 21st century with all the technological developments and advancements all around the globe cannot deny the importance of agriculture. Given below are few important points which will help you better understand the importance of agriculture and farming:
a. In the current hi-tech age of globalization and developments in all fields of life, people still rely on agricultural products in a variety of ways such as nutrition, source of energy, fiber and so on.
b. Another highly significant point as far as the importance of agriculture is concerned is that it is a major economic driver. It is equally important for individual livelihood, poverty eradication as well as overall growth of the state. According to a survey, it contributes between 40 to 80% of the gross development product of majority of the countries located in the continent of Africa.
c. Moreover, one cannot also deny the fact that agriculture also contributes a great deal towards a healthy biosphere.
d. Real food security can only be ensured with the help of agriculture even in today’s modern world without any question.
The above mentioned points are few of the many factors that clearly indicate the importance of agriculture even in the current age of developments and advancements. In case, you still need to know more regarding the importance of agriculture, then UK Business Directory is surely one such platform where you can get awareness regarding any issue and can further broaden up your horizon for sure.
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.