Dar es Salaam — Thousands of farmers in western Kenya are successfully battling the invasion of a deadly parasitic weed called Striga, dubbed the ‘violet vampire’ because of its beautiful violet flowers.

The Integrated Striga Management in Africa (ISMA) Project has supported their efforts by introducing several options to eliminate the weed from their fields.

A recent study from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) availed to East African Business Week in Dar es Salaam said as a consequence, farmers are enjoying higher yields of their number one staple, maize.

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Millions of people could escape poverty, hunger and environmental degradation if countries put more effort into promoting agroforestry, an integrated approach combining trees with crop or livestock production, FAO said today.

The agroforestry sector is a significant source both of local commodities such as fuelwood, timber, fruit and fodder for livestock as well as global ones such as coconut, coffee, tea, rubber and gum. Almost half the world’s agricultural land has at least 10 percent tree cover, making agroforestry critical to the livelihoods of millions.

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A new hot pepper processing facility has opened in Entebbe, Uganda, targeting northern growers for supplies.

This will ensure new market opportunities for growers in the North, who will be expected to cultivate and dry the pepper to sell it to the company for processing. Farmers will be brought into the project via the North East Chilli Producers Association.

According to NECPA Chairperson Helen Acham, the association has over 466 associations of pepper producers, with each group comprising of about 13-60 members.

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THE amount of rice produced in Kilombero and Rufiji valleys is expected to triple from the current 500,000 tonnes to 1.5 million tonnes by 2015.

Records show that the demand of the rice in the country is much higher than the supply as evidenced by the current prices in most local markets.This indicates that a kilo of rice is sold at between 1,800/- and 2,200/-.

Speaking during a two-day rice stakeholders’ workshop in Dar es Salaam, the coordinator for the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT), Dr Mary Shetto, said that Tanzania had every required factor including favourable environment to lead in rice production in Eastern and Central Africa.

“We want to see farmers producing rice in amounts that would surpass local consumption needs enabling Tanzania to be a notable exporter of the globally popular cereal,” Dr Shetto said.

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“It is wise for countries to make informed choices of strategic commodities to promote in specific zones”

The economic development prospects of African countries are bright. The International Monetary Fund projects that growth is expected to average 6 percent in 2012, with strong indications that the continent is poised to experience a boost in economic growth between now and 2020.

Africa’s population will reach 1.4bn by 2020, by which point four out of every ten citizens will be residing in urban areas, with a sizable middle class of about 30 percent. These developments, if properly harnessed will bring along greater opportunities for the continent.

The growing number of consumers, with relatively higher incomes than today, will require more and higher quality value-added foods and products. The increasing demand for processed agricultural products will require adding value to farmers’ outputs.

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