Curated Content

Colocasia esculenta L. Schott belongs to the family Aracea and is grown for its edible corms as a staple food throughout subtropical and tropical regions of the world. Amadumbe (the Zulu name for Colocasia esculenta) is consumed by and holds an important place in the diet of local rural people in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Three Amadumbe phenotypes were evaluated for their nutritional qualities. Like all known tubers, the locally grown Amadume contained high carbohydrate levels, adequate protein and low lipid content. Essential fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic) were identified as components of the Amadumbe lipids. Amadumbe was generally low in mineral content, apart from potassium and magnesium levels that were relatively high. Some anti-nutrients (protease inhibitors, lectin, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, oxalates, phytates, cyanogens and saponin) present in Amadumbe were also identified and quantified. The anti-nutrient levels were generally low and thus may not pose an immediate effect on the health of consumers. Reduction of the anti-nutrients through processing (cooking, frying, roasting) was observed to enhance the nutritional value of these tubers. However, their presence suggests that a steady consumption may lead to toxic levels. Two proteins (Al and B2) with a-amylase inhibitor activity, and a steroidal saponin (gamma-sitosterol) were extracted and partially characterised. The a-amylase inhibitors were extracted and partially purified through ammonium sulphate precipitation and chromatographic fractionation on diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-Sephacel and Sephadex G-100. The molecular weights of the two inhibitors were estimated to be 17 000 and 19 000 dalton, respectively. The inhibitors were fairly heat-stable, with optimum activity at 40° C? pH 6.0. Both inhibitors showed activity against mammalian a-amylases, but were devoid of activity against fungal amylases. Inhibitor A also showed activity against plant amylases. The steroidal saponin extracted from Amadumbe was characterized through TLC, HPLC, GC-MS, IR and NMR spectroscopic analysis and identified to be gamma- sitosterol, an isomer of beta-sitosterol which is known to have a variety of high biological activity. Studies of the effect of beta-sitosterol on absorptive and digestive enzymes in Sprague-Dawley rats revealed that oral administration of beta-sitosterol had no apparent gross or microscopic lesions in the liver, kidney or small intestine. The administered p-sitosterol significantly decreased serum aspartate aminotransferase (ALT) and alanine aminotransferase (AST) levels. Na+/K -ATPase and intestinal disaccharidases activities were also significantly reduced in beta-sitosterol fed rats. These results do suggest that even though Amadumbe is a neglected crop in South Africa, it is a highly nutritional crop; the consumption of it could be beneficial to diabetic and hypertensive patients.

Biodiversity Community Network  (BCN) project promoted landrace crops and varieties that are drought tolerant, and resistant to common pests and diseases, which also survive in the harsh environment and heat stress of the Zambezi-Gwembe valley and the Luangwa valley. The crops that the project focused on were Sorghum, Pearl millet, Cowpea, Bambara groundnut, Cassava and Sweet potatoes.

Conservation agriculture (CA), with its main tenets of 1) minimizing soil disturbance, 2) maintaining residue on soil surface and 3) mixing/rotating crops has been promoted and adopted, to varying degrees, across the globe. It is estimated that eight percent of all arable land is under CA management . While commercially applicable (e.g., Australia, Brazil and the United States), CA has also received attention as a ‘pro-poor’ strategy for ameliorating smallholder agricultural production and a means of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Thus far, research on CA in southern Africa has primarily focused on the factors associated with adoption and agronomic outcomes based on field research in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In contrast, Lesotho - a small, landlocked country surrounded by the Republic of South Africa - has received relatively little attention despite its decades-long struggle with severe soil erosion. The extremely high rate of erosion has not only resulted in the proliferation of gullies and the degradation of soil fertility but has also contributed significantly to food security concerns and long term decline in staple crop production. As a result, nearly a quarter of the population is currently in need of food assistance to survive. The average maize yield in Lesotho is stagnant at approximately 400 kg per hectare per year or 95 % less than the typical maize yield in the United States. This research uses household survey data from over 430 households in Botha Bothe district in northern Lesotho to determine the effects of adoption on households in terms of socio-economics and food security and to briefly highlight the potential drivers of and ways to counteract disadoption. This district is of particular interest because different methods of CA (mechanized and manual labor) and technology dissemination (through government-led Extension service and non-governmental organizations) are being deployed concurrently. Results suggest that household demographics, input availability and familiarity with CA all influence its adoption in the short and medium term.

CIP is a web interface that integrates two important information sources into one easy to use interface. The first important source is a climate database that stores and manages queries to a large suite of observational climate data as well as projections of future climate. The second important source of information is an extensive collection of guidance documentation that facilitates the best use of the climate data, it’s interpretation and, importantly, resultant actions. The philosophy guiding CIP is that data is not information and as such only has value when well interpreted and correctly used or applied to appropriate problems.

CIP is targeted at a wide range of users. CIP has been designed to be easy and intuitive to use so as to provide easy and simple access to various climate information. However CIP has also been designed to offer important features such as data downloads that suite users more familiar with climate data. It is our hope that as CIP develops, and you the user provides us with feedback, we will continue to satisfy the needs of a wide range of users.

Agriculture in Namibia plays a critical role in the formal and informal economy supporting 70% of the population directly or indirectly through employment and income generation. The agricultural sector in Namibia contributes over 10% to the GDP of which 75-80% can be attributed to livestock farming. The livestock industry accounts for 90% of all agricultural production in Namibia with approximately 60% of households owning cattle, including nearly 40% of poor households. Crop production activities in Namibia are limited, mainly due to the arid climate and low rainfall patterns. Rain-fed crops include pearl millet, sorghum and maize are the most dominant crops grown in Namibia. The average yield for these crops ranges from 24.7 ton for pearl millet, 72,438 for maize and 14,819 for wheat. The dependence on rain-fed agriculture increases the vulnerability of farming systems and predisposes rural households to food insecurity and poverty. However, the reduction in crop yields will have devastating impacts on food security at both national and household levels. Under the current conditions, the agriculture sector in Namibia needs to grow by 4% a year to meet the food requirements for the expanding population. In light of these challenges, Namibia needs to adapt its agricultural practices and increase the resilience of livelihoods to be able to withstand the challenges posed by climate change to sustain development and growth of the country.

In many parts of southern Africa, agricultural production is stagnant or even in decline, particularly in subsistence and smallholder agriculture. The reasons are many and debatable, but include lack of suitable inputs for production, environmental constraints and degradation, inadequate agricultural infrastructure, external shocks including volatile markets, and social stresses such as the impacts of HIV/AIDS and growing poverty. As an additional stressor, increasing climate variability and climate change are impacting on agricultural livelihoods since resource-poor farmers are unable to cope with multiple stressors or adapt to climate-related risks. The Kingdom of Lesotho is a typical example of a country considered highly vulnerable to climate-related challenges: as one of the least developed countries (LDCs), it is over-reliant on rainfed agriculture for food production and has a large poor rural population engaged in subsistence farming, which is relatively undiversified.

This poster gives a brief description of what is a bio pesticide, its benefits and the most common ones currently under evaluation for efficacy under the Seychelles condition.

Aims: To determine differences in maize yields, optimal nitrogen (N) rates, and profitability on contrasting soil types and no-till and till management.
Study Design: Randomized block design field trials involving no-tillage and tillage practices were conducted on contrasting soil types (vertisols and inceptisols) to investigate the effect of N fertilizer rates on maize (Zea mays) grain yield.

Place and Duration of Study: Mohale’s Hoek District, Maphutseng, Lesotho over the 2012/2013

The Adaptation Network will be offering a series of training courses during 2016 that aim to cater to for different levels of adaptation knowledge and practice. The courses provide a broad foundation that  enable practitioners, officials and activists to gain greater insight into climate science and facilitate effective adaptation processes for members of vulnerable communities.

Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) describes agricultural practices, approaches and systems that sustainably and reliably increase food production and the ability of farmers to earn a living, while protecting or restoring the environment.

CSA aims to build the food and nutrition security of the rural poor so that farm families have access to enough nutritious food at all times, even in the face of a changing climate.

CSA practices enable farming communities to:

sustainably and reliably increase agricultural productivity and incomes;

adapt and build resilience to extreme weather events and a changing climate; and

where appropriate, contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and concentrations.