Zambia Agribusiness Society

A bumper tomato crop comes with early season planning. Getting tomatoes off to a strong start will almost guarantee a great yield next summer. Here are easy steps to an outstanding bumper tomato harvest: 1. Seed Sowing Time Tomato seedlings are tender and easily fall prey to disease, pests, and unpredictable changes in weather. Starting tomato seeds indoors is a good strategy. Sow tomato seeds in a seed starting mix 6 to 8 weeks before you plan to transplant them into the garden. Transplant tomato plants into the garden after the last frost in your area. Check with a nearby garden centre for the average last frost date in your area and then count back 6 weeks—that’s a safe time to sow tomato seeds indoors. 2. Sowing and Growing Indoors Sow two tomato seeds per pot; that way you will hedge your bet. Tomato seeds germinate at 75°F; you can use an electric seed starting mat to regulate the temperature or set your seed trays atop the refrigerator. Once the seeds are up, don’t let

The desire to inspire and prove to her own local community that they could earn great money even with their small farms prompted Mary Wangui to venture into poultry farming and defy the common thinking about agriculture and self-employment. Mary says that it was high time people, especially the youth and women, thought beyond formal employment and sought greener pastures in business and agri-business ventures which guaranteed more freedom and great returns. She reckons that the people in her area do not own big farms, a factor that led many of its residents to disregard farming as a business. Compared to their neighbouring districts. It is for this reason Mary is calling on her fellow community members to venture into poultry farming, which she says, she needs little space to rear and guarantees a ready market. Instead of running to seek employment which is rarely available, our people should start thinking beyond formal employment through job creation. When I myself was employed, I ea

Introduction Groundnuts have over the past centuries been a celebrated favourite legume in Zambia. Groundnuts generally can be grown in most soil types however climatic conditions and soil nutrients have a huge bearing on the yield output. Groundnuts in Zambia can be grown for both commercial purposes and domestic purposes. The commercial production is further classified into two separate markets which are the vegetable market and the food processing market. The Peanut butter manufacturing industry is the most popular for the latter. This guideline seeks to equip growers to be able to efficiently grow groundnuts. Commodity competition is now based on cost more than ever hence the need for Zambian growers to obtain a low production cost. Climatic requirements Temperature Groundnuts require a high temperature and a frost-free period of about 160 days. They will not reach optimum maturity for a marketable yield to justify commercial production in areas with fewer heat units during

1. I am losing about half of my tomato crop because of fruit rot. Sunken round spots develop over the ripening fruit. The spots enlarge rapidly in warm weather. What can be done? Answer : There are a number of tomato fruit rots. The majority, including anthracnose which you apparently have, can be controlled by staking the plants or using a tomato cage in the spring and mulching with grass clippings or leaves, to get the fruit off the damp ground. In addition, spray at seven to ten day intervals using maneb, zineb, captan or a multi-purpose vegetable or tomato spray containing one of these fungicides. Follow the manufacturer’s directions. These materials will also control the common and destructive foliage blights. Spraying should generally start when the first fruit clusters are the size of walnuts. 2. The older and lower leaves on my tomato plants are spotted, turning yellow and dropping off. I’m afraid the fruit will sun scald. What sprays do you recommend? Answe r : Tom

Ms. Rajareega at her farm in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu seen manufacturing the botanical pesticide. Organic practices avoid investment in costly chemicals. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that in the past 4 - 5 decades there has been an excessive dumping of chemical toxins on the soil. As a result the soil has become barren and ground water toxic, in many places. Contrast this  with organic inputs that are safe, nontoxic, and cost much less. For example, if using chemical pesticides and fertilizers for growing a crop in a hectare works out to about Rs.6, 000 - 7,000 the cost of growing the same crop using organic inputs may come to only about Rs.500 – Rs. 1,000, according to Ms. Rajareega of Raasi organic farms at Muthupatti village in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu. Lower cost Even if some critics say that organic farming cannot provide the same high yields as chemical farming, the organic farmers argue that at least their land is safe; that they have not inve

Author Adam Pellegrini  discusses the findings of his new Journal of Ecology article – “ Frequent burning causes large losses of carbon from deep soil layers in a temperate savanna .”  Find out more about how fire frequency can impact carbon storage and root biomass in deep soil layers. Fires are dramatically changing in frequency and intensity, due to shifting climate and altered land use across the globe. Changes in fire can have dramatic effects, for instance altering plant cover and animal populations. So when we think about fire effects on ecosystems, we often are drawn to the striking changes aboveground. However, changes aboveground are only part of the story. Fire also causes many transformations belowground. However, the difficulty in measuring belowground processes and the slow processes influencing soils has limited our understanding of belowground fire effects. Aerial overview of three plots of the fire manipulation experiment. The large middle area (below the wetland) is

The following article details about how to grow groundnuts. 1. Utilisation Groundnut is a readily available source of protein, oil, vitamin E and several other mineral elements. The groundnut crop also replenishes soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation. It is a source of cash for many farmers and its haulms and straws can be used as animal feed. 2. Land Preparation Land preparation must be done early enough (July or August) to allow decomposition of residues before the growing/rainy season. Residues should be buried under and the soils be ploughed deep (25 - 30cm deep) to achieve looseness for pegs to easily penetrate. Make flat topped ridges (beds) spaced at 75cm apart. 3. Planting Plant with the first effective rains (approximately 25 - 30mm). Make a groove 5 - 6cm deep on the middle of the ridge, drop a single seed every 15cm (75cm x 15cm x 1cm). Cover the groove firmly to ensure rapid and uniform emergence. 4. Seed  Use about 35kg/ha. 5. Weeding Weed at least twice dur

Planting trees around a poultry farm is an underrated cultural practice that has numerous beneficial effects on the birds and the environment. Trees are wonderful components of the earth; they do not only sustain life through the provision of air for all living things, but trees also serve as a shield that protects living things from environmental hazards. Tree planting can make poultry farming more productive than management envisaged. Irrespective of the system of rearing chickens you adopt, be it deep litter or battery cage system, trees can greatly improve the productivity of your birds. Let me give you some hints: Most of the disease pathogens of poultry diseases are aerosols, that is, they are mostly present in the air. The presence of trees around your chicken farm will help to absorb these pathogens and keep your chickens safe and healthy always. Climate change is another factor that has become worrisome. Change in climate is having huge