Zambia Agribusiness Society

Basically, chillies are most important and worthwhile commercial crop that plays a vital role in the world economy since it is a widely grown spice among all the spice crops. Usually, they are also known as “chili pepper” throughout the world. Generally, this crop is mostly grown to obtain the fruits to use them as a major ingredient of many kinds of curries, chutneys, and also as a culinary. They are used as a spice, vegetables, sauces, condiments, fruits and in preparation for various pickles. Chillies are so popular that they are being used by everyone, all over the world. These are mostly eaten for their excellent spicy taste and flavoured pungency. The active element “Capsaicin” one kind of alkaloid present is chillies is also extracted from them and is used as a medicinal ingredient. Currently, commercial chilli farming is pretty successful and anyone can earn an excellent profit with instant income because there is always a great demand in the local and international market....

  Aquaculture also known as aquafarming is the world’s fastest-growing food industry. The rise in demand for protein and the ever-increasing human population accounts for the growth of the aquaculture industry. According to Allied Market Research, the 5 major aquaculture market is expected to reach $87.6 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2018 to 2025. The 5 major aquaculture markets are the U.S.A, Europe, China, Russia, and Japan. Although the beginning of aquaculture was 4000 years ago, the industry is still young and growing. It has much to learn from livestock farming and tackle several challenges such as disease control, low-impact production, feeds, and nutrition. However, advanced technology has extended a helping hand. The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) has opened lucrative opportunities to improve efficiency and maintain the health of aquatic organisms. Along with IoT, here are 5 major innovations that are on the verge to disrupt the aquaculture in...

Under ideal conditions, chickens will lay an egg once every 24 to 26 hours. Hens might take a short vacation from laying eggs and the reasons range from life stage to when the sun rises and sets. Some of these reasons are natural while others can be fixed with simple changes. It’s up to us as flock raisers to solve the mystery of why farm fresh eggs might be missing from the nesting box. First, confirm your hen isn’t hiding her eggs and creating a nest outside the coop. Then, before you go looking for an egg thief, here are five factors to consider that can affect egg production: 1. Daylight The first and most common cause of decreased egg production is light hours. Hens need a minimum of 16 hours of daylight to sustain strong production. Without supplemental light, they may naturally stop laying eggs due to a hormonal response as the days get shorter. Hens lay best when provided at least 16 hours of day light, whether natural, artificial or a combination of the two. Some flo...

There are different ways, you can earn from agriculture without owning a farm or even physically being present on the farm. These are: 1. Know the agricultural market prices of food items from different towns or countries (supply + demand). Know what people want and supply it. Buy the food items from places where it is sold cheaply and sell it in places where the food items are demanded highly, thus sold more expensively. 2. Solve farmers’ problems. For instance, many farmers cannot tell fake seeds from genuine high production seeds. Provide the best seeds, pesticides and insecticides. 3. Train farmers in 5 skills required to run a successful agricultural business. The 5 skills that each farmer needs are: Group management, savings and financial management, basic business and marketing, technology and innovation, natural resource management for sustainable production. 4. Buy raw produce from farmers and add value to it. For instance buying ripe bananas, oranges, tomatoes; us...

Many people think that for you to be successful in poultry farming you have to start with a thousand chickens. Don't be fooled. The likes of the late Nelson Muguku, the Kenyan chicken billionaire started with less than 10 chickens. It all boils down to passion. Do it with passion. Let money come second. You can multiply your stock quickly using only 3 hens. This is for the small-scale farmers who have small sizes of land, live in town or low income earners. Start by doing this using only 3 hens: 1.     Once the first hen shows signs of brooding give it one unfertilized egg from hybrid chicken to sit on. 2.     Once the second hen also shows brooding signs give it one unfertilized egg from a hybrid chicken to sit on. 3.     When the third hen now shows signs of broodiness give each bird 10 to 12 fertilized eggs to sit on but remember to remove the unfertilized egg you had earlier put for the two hens. Using this method you will be ...

It is the desire of everyone to succeed in farming. Many are the times we celebrated the success and not the process that led one to succeed. I will share with you principles that have worked for me in farming to the level I am at, from the  backyard garden  to a farm. This didn’t happen overnight, it took me 5 solid years of learning and experimenting, failures and hardships. But one thing was clear that one day I will reach where I want to be; my vision was so clear. I could see into the future and it always helped me even work harder. Here are some principles that helped me: 1. Knowledge: I value knowledge, knowledge is power, practical knowledge I mean. I do research and experiments just for me to know exactly what to do. I consult from people who know more than I do. If it’s paying I pay because I know what I want. I at one time paid K2500.00 to learn for 8 hours. I have invested in books and mentorship. 2. Focus: You must have heard of people who have moved f...

1. In the dust bath : Charcoal or wood ash added to your chickens' dust bath helps to suffocate parasites such as mites, lice, fleas and ticks. 2. As a feed supplement : It has been observed that animals in the wild will gnaw on charred branches and stumps after a forest fire. Charcoal works as a laxative and detoxifier, flushing toxins out of the body. It will also help expel internal worms to some extent. Calcium is the most abundant element in wood ash, but it's also a good source of potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Adding wood ash to your chicken feed in a 1% ratio can improve lay rates, extend laying periods and will also reduce the smell of the chicken droppings. Ashes obtained from hardwoods like cedar, oak and maple have five times as many nutrients as softwoods like pine and balsa. 3. As a wound healing agent : Wood ash possesses antibacterial qualities which can prevent an open wound from becoming infected and also works to stop bleeding quickly, mu...