Zambia Agribusiness Society

The adoption of a healthy lifestyle is increasing with growing health concerns and rising awareness among the population. The health and fitness market across the globe registers a decent consumer base shift towards healthy dietary alternatives. Consumers are looking for products that provide energy for a longer duration and have high nutrient value, thus increasing demand for energy bars in the market. The rise in demand for convenient and healthy energy-providing food products is driving the organic energy bar market. The consumption rate of high protein bars is more among bodybuilders, fitness enthusiasts, and athletes as they need to replenish their lost energy. The increase in preference of consumers for organic food variants and the rise in popularity of snack bars provides lucrative market opportunities for the global organic energy bar market. The competitive city life, disturbed work-life balance, and busy schedules make it quite challenging to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Th

Maggot farming is highly profitable and sustainable. Margot farming has become popular because of the high level of protein they produce in human and animal dietary. Maggots evolve from flies. They are fly larvae, usually from the common housefly. When flies lay eggs, the eggs hatch into maggots before they metamorphoses into flies. Maggots are also called grubs and can grow between 4 to 12mm in length depending on their stage of growth. Some maggot range from an off-white colour to a light brown, though some can be yellow or reddish colour. Maggots or larva metamorphose from flies. The fly of this larva are from black soldier fly. The black soldier fly (BSF) is a harmless fly and does not transmit diseases unlike the house fly. The high cost of animal feed is a major challenge for farmers. Research has shown that maggot meal of black soldier fly can be an excellent replacement for fishmeal or soybeans meal which are the main ingredient in animal feed. Maggot meal can be blended

5-point checklist showing the signs of internal parasites on goats Most goats suffer from worms. Worm infestation may contribute to low growth rates and death from other diseases due to worms causing malnutrition. Young goats are more susceptible. It is worth observing and noting what worms are present in all goats slaughtered for sale and all goats which die. This will enable you to know what worms are common in the area and make sure appropriate remedies are chosen. Different remedies treat a different selection of worms. Generally, most will treat roundworm and milk tape worm but not all will treat liver tape worm, nodular worm or liver flukes. A way to check for worm infection in live goats is to check the inside of the eyelids and mouth. If it is very pale, almost white instead of pink, heavy worm infestation is suspected. You can also check the manure for signs of worms though not all are visible without a microscope. If you have access to a microscope you can check regularly for

Last week we discussed management of newly born piglets . The discussion today is a continuation but focused on management of weaned piglets. Weaning is the process of stopping the piglets from suckling the sow. This is done by removing the sow from the farrowing unit or removing piglets from the sow unit to their new pen. Weaning is the most stressful process to piglets and if not handled well, chances of losing them are very high! This is because: 1. Change of Diet: There is change from liquid to sole dependency on solid diet. When with their mother, piglets are used to a combination of both liquid (sow milk) and solid (Barbistar safe creep feed) diets. A piglet hardly consume 500g of creep feed from its introduction at 6 days to weaning. Therefore less solid food is consumed during suckling. Weaned piglets will be more interested in water in the first few days before good appetite for solid food is developed. This is why providing a consistent access to clean and fresh water

Our maize field has started tasselling already. This maize field was started up by irrigation and the rains have supplemented it. Seen in the pictures is a late maturity maize field. Below is a brief guide: 1. Seed Requirement per Hectare 20 - 25kg of seed is required to cover a hectare. 2. Spacing Between the line 75cm - 90cm. Between the plants 20cm. Depth 3cm - 5cm. 3. Fertilization Basal-dressing: D-compound is applied at time of planting. 4 x 50kg bags per hectare. Top-dressing: Urea is applied when the plants are about 30cm or knee level. 4 x 50kg minimum. Urea is the source of nitrogen for maize. 4 bags of urea is the minimum to apply per ha. However, we apply more by doing a second dose as maize responds positively to nitrogen. This gives us better yields. 4. Weed Management Pre-emergence weed control: Apply your weed control chemicals immediately after planting. Spray within 3 days of planting. 5. Insect Management Very Crucial The

Mumararungu Diane checking a sick goat Goats are prone to a number of parasites, some more harmful than others. Good management can reduce the burden to below levels of economic damage but complete elimination is unrealistic to achieve. 1. Ticks     Ticks are perhaps the most common and most harmful parasites because they transmit diseases like heartwater and gallsickness. Ticks mostly concentrate on places with less hair; under the legs, under the tail and between the hooves and sometimes in the ears. They can also cause lameness and nasty sores. Which ticks are most common varies from area to area. Uncontrolled they can cause serious disease outbreaks. Regular dipping in a plunge dip or with a knapsack sprayer will control the ticks. A systemic dip will give better control if using a knapsack sprayer as it is difficult to ensure full coverage of the whole animal. You can also use pour-on formulations though they tend to be more expensive. It is possible to keep goats without dipping

  Are you thinking about where best to site your poultry farming business? Here are 10 critical factors to consider when choosing a location for your poultry farm. In almost any country in the world that you visit, you would find a huge market for poultry products because poultry products are regarded as healthy meals. Eggs for instance, are recommended to be eaten everyday as a source of protein. Poultry meat is also very healthy and nutritious; chicken breasts for instance contain lower cholesterol and is said to be good for weight management and control of heart diseases. The profitability of poultry business is not a subject for debate because it is already established that poultry farming is profitable. Whether you would make profits or not depends on how you run the business. One of the major determinants of profitability in poultry farming is site selection. You have to select a very good location for your poultry farm in order to succeed. Some of the important factors t