Agriculture: Africa’s once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

Across many emerging economies, rapid industrialisation and urbanisation is placing strains on the world’s food resources. For example, as the Chinese diet changes towards including more meat and moves towards parity (in calorific and compositional terms) with diets of developed countries, an area the size of the UK will need to be farmed, just to

10 Reasons Africa’s Food And Agriculture Industries Are Failing

Africa is naturally blessed with lush forests, incredible wildlife, gorgeous mountains and beautiful waters. Nonetheless, its food and agriculture industries are suffering. You know this from the dozens of TV commercials you see asking for donations to help feed the residents of Africa, or to help organizations teach African farmers how to better farm their

Is Nigeria Losing $2.75B To Chinese Poultry Smugglers?

May 23, 2015 Dr. Ayoola Oduntan, the President of the PAN, said in an interview at the 2015 Poultry Summit, held in Lagos, that out of the 8.8 kilograms of chicken consumed on average by Nigerians daily, approximately 6 kilograms are coming from smuggled sources. The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) says Nigeria loses about

How companies can mitigate their African supply chain risks

Africa’s agricultural resources are the backbone of multi-billion dollar industries and support the businesses of many global companies. The continent is a large producer of crops such as tea, coffee, chocolate, cotton and leather. But sourcing these raw materials is a challenge due to poor infrastructure, erratic weather conditions and limited use of technology that

Rare African plant signals diamonds lurking under the surface

May 13, 2015 The discovery has already yielded several large specimens, with prospectors hoping to find more If a plant recently discovered in Liberia is as picky as it appears, then diamond hunters may have just had their job made much easier. Geologists have identified Pandanus candelabrum, a thorny, palmlike plant, which seems to exclusively

Farmers Fight Real Estate Developers for Kenya’s Most Prized Asset: Land

May 13, 2015 Vegetables grown in the lush soil of this quiet agricultural community in central Kenya’s fertile wetlands not only feed the farmers who tend the crops, but also make their way into the marketplaces of Nairobi, the country’s capital, some 150 km south. Spinach, carrots, kale, cabbages, tomatoes, maize, legumes and tubers are

Nigeria Seeks To Boost Investment In Agriculture, Diversify Economy

May 3, 2015 Nigeria’s agriculture ministry has attracted $8 billion in foreign investment and aims to boost that to just over $10 billion by 2015, the country’s minister of agriculture said this week. Akinwumi Adesina told The Wall Street Journal that the country is seeking to boost investment in agriculture as part of a drive

Opinion: Do People Care About Fair Trade, Ethical Consumption?

April 3, 2015 The Fairtrade Foundation recently reported that sales of its products are falling in the U.K. as shoppers turn to discount retailers that stock fewer of the pricier Fairtrade goods. In response, the charity is loosening some of its certification standards, according to a SciDev.net report in AllAfrica. Fair trade is a social movement to help