Zambia Agribusiness Society

Carrots are among the oldest vegetables in the world, and they have a rich history of cultivation and variation. They originated from wild carrots that were usually purple with white inside, and they had a woody and bitter taste. They were first domesticated in Asia around 900 AD, where farmers bred different colours of carrots, such as yellow, red, white, and black. However, some sources claim that carrots were cultivated earlier in ancient Persia or Egypt. The orange carrot that we consume today was developed in the Netherlands in the 17 th century by crossing yellow and red carrots. It had a sweeter and juicier taste than the other varieties, and it became a symbol of the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange. The orange carrot was widely exported to other countries in Europe and beyond. Some of the earliest orange carrots were called Long Orange or Horn Carrots. Carrots are now grown all over the world, and they come in many different types and colours. Some of the most comm

As every  chicken  producer can attest,  keeping the birds  in optimal  health  is  a  finicky task, and failure can lead to serious losses. 1. Put clean water in the right containers/drinkers You can also use a large flat bowl or container, but put some rocks in it so that the young chicks don’t drown. Remember to change the water every after 6 hours to keep fresh water running – many poultry diseases are carried by dirty water. 2. A safe enclosure Although chickens can wander about the farmyard during the daytime, they should have a safe place to sleep at night. You can easily make a chicken hutch out of wooden poles and chicken wire, with a corrugated iron or thatch roof. Build it on slightly sloping ground and dig a drain around it so that it does not get flooded when it rains. Put perches or branches inside for the chickens to roost on, as they often get sick if forced to sleep on the ground. Providing perches and cleaning away bushes and long grass around the hutch

  The humble carrot is a great example of how a single species can express itself in many different ways. The humble carrot is a great example of how a single species can express itself in many different ways. The wild species from the Middle East from which carrot is derived is barely more of a root than a parsley plant and like many modern vegetables started as a medicinal herb. The oldest barely domesticated forms show increasing root size and a wider variety of colours, including white, yellow, orange, red, purple and black. As the crop was taken outward to Europe and Asia its diversity of forms increased, with roots the size of a man’s arm to tiny round shapes. The final push toward industrial salad types saw plants with rapid growth and high fertiliser response under perfect conditions (regular watering and perfect sandy soil) allowing crops of tender and mild tasting roots suitable for munching straight from the bag to be churned out year round. For a long time I suspected thi

Carrots are vegetables which are eaten raw or cooked. It is an emerging high value crop; very rich in vitamin A which is what gives it the characteristic bright colour and sweetness good to be used in some fruit-like roles. When grated, they can be used in cakes, carrot puddings, blended in jams and other fruits. It has a demand in both small scale use and processors like canneries and dehydration firms. Ecological Requirements ·    Carrots do well in cool to warm areas. The roots are very sensitive to high soil temperatures. ·     Deep, loose loam soils which should be well drained and with a pH of 6 to 6.5. Poor drained soil encourages prevalence of bacterial diseases. Heavy clay soils give low quality, malformed and twisted carrots. ·        Altitude of 500m above sea level. Varieties Carrot varieties can be categorized into two fresh market and processing (canning) varieties. The common varieties are Nantes , Super Kuroda, Oxhart and ​ Chantney ​ . Planting Carrots are usually s