DES EXPERTS BRÉSILIENS DE LA FRUCTICULTURE CONSEILLENT LA NAMIBIE

Le Brésil et la Namibie sont deux pays radicalement différents tant du point de vue de la situation géographique que de la taille de la population. Ils entretiennent cependant une collaboration bilatérale dans de nombreux domaines. Le Gouvernement namibien a accordé la priorité à la fructiculture dans le cadre d'un programme de diversification de l'agriculture, et à sa demande, deux missions ont été envoyées sur le terrain par l'Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuària (EMBRAPA) en Namibie, dans le cadre du Programme d'experts pour la CTPD/CTPT. Deux agronomes brésiliens spécialisés en fructiculture se sont rendus en Namibie pour aider les habitants du nord du pays à mettre en valeur la production de leurs vergers. Le Brésil, premier producteur mondial de fruits frais, encourage fortement le développement de la fructiculture, principalement pour l'exportation. La première mission brésilienne a surtout porté sur des expérimentations en champ sur le long terme. Lors de la seconde mission, concentrée sur les cultures de fruits tropicaux et subtropicaux, des conseils ont été donnés sur l'introduction et l'amélioration génétique d'espèces fruitières tropicales et sur l'établissement de pépinières et d'installations expérimentales pour la multiplication des arbres fruitiers. Les experts ont aussi réalisé plusieurs autres activités: établissement d'une pépinière irriguée pour la production de manguiers greffés et de jeunes plants de papayes; introduction d'un dispositif appelé «bouteille-piège» pour suivre les attaques des mouches des fruits; fabrication d'un outil manuel simple pour la cueillette des bananes, et démonstrations de techniques de taille et de greffage. Les missions des experts brésiliens ont fourni un cadre rationnel pour le développement de la fructiculture dans le nord de la Namibie.

EXPERTOS BRASILEÑOS ASESORAN A NAMIBIA EN FRUTICULTURA

Brasil y Namibia son países muy distintos en términos geográficos y tamaño de población, sin embargo colaboran bilateralmente en muchos campos. El Gobierno de Namibia dio prioridad a la fruticultura como parte de un programa para diversificar la agricultura y solicitó los servicios de expertos de la Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria (EMBRAPA) en el marco del Programa de expertos CTPD/CTPT para asesorarlos. Dos ingenieros agrónomos de Brasil expertos en fruticultura visitaron Namibia para ayudar a los pobladores del norte del país en el desarrollo de su propia fruticultura. Brasil es el mayor productor mundial de frutas frescas y apoya el desarrollo de la fruticultura, principalmente para la exportación.

La primera misión brasileña a Namibia se concentró principalmente en experimentos agrícolas de campo a largo plazo. La segunda misión se concentró en el cultivo de frutas tropicales y subtropicales, y asesoró sobre la introducción y reproducción de frutas tropicales y sobre el establecimiento de almácigos e instalaciones experimentales para la diseminación de árboles frutales.

Los expertos también establecieron un almácigo irrigado para árboles injertados de mango así como semilleros de papaya; introdujeron un mecanismo llamado «la trampa de la botella» para estudiar el ataque de las moscas de la fruta; construyeron un instrumento de mano simple para la recolección de bananos; y demostraron métodos de poda e injerto. Las misiones de los expertos brasileños proporcionaron un marco sólido para el desarrollo de la fruticultura en el norte de Namibia.

BRAZILIAN EXPERTS ADVISE NAMIBIA IN FRUITCULTURE

Brazil and Namibia lie within different continents and are separated by the Atlantic ocean. Brazil, the largest country in Latin America, covers an area of 8.5 million square kilometres and has an estimated population of 160 million. Namibia, on the southwestern tip of Africa, has only 10 percent of Brazil's area and a little over 10 percent of its population. Despite these differences, the two countries share a common desire to better the lives of their people by tapping their complementary skills and resources.

Brazil is the largest world producer of fresh fruits, and development of the country's fruitculture, primarily for export, is strongly supported. Agro-ecological conditions in northeastern and central Brazil and northern Namibia have many similarities. The fruitculture technologies from Brazil are easily transferable to Namibia.

The Namibian Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development (MAWRD), has decided to accord agriculture a high priority and has recommended improved research, implementation of technology and crop diversification. To assist the government efforts, two experts from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, EMBRAPA) were fielded to Namibia under the TCDC/TCCT experts programme for four months each. EMBRAPA coordinates agricultural research in Brazil and has a network of research centres.

The first Brazilian mission focused primarily on long-term agricultural field experiments. The second mission concentrated on tropical and subtropical fruit crops and advised on the introduction and breeding of tropical fruits and other crops and on the establishment of nurseries and experimental facilities for fruit-tree propagation. The mission organized meetings for information dissemination and conducted training courses on orchard organization. It also brought to and collected from Namibia germplasm representing important genetic resources to improve future breeding programmes and crop diversification efforts of MAWRD.

The results achieved through the missions illustrate how technology transfer can be facilitated through the willingness and resolve of the parties involved. The following are a number of the areas in which the two Brazilian experts transferred their skills and expertise to the Namibian technicians and farmers.

• At Mannheim Research Station an irrigated fruit-tree nursery was established to produce and keep grafted mango trees and papaya seedlings, and more productive and water-conserving methods of irrigation were put into use.
• A device called the trap bottle was introduced to monitor fruit fly attack. The device, made from a used plastic cooking oil bottle filled with sugar syrup, is simple but effective; it reveals the first onset of fruit flies by trapping them inside the container.
• A simple hand tool for picking bananas was constructed by the experts at the research stations. This tool helps farmers cut the bananas from the trees more quickly and efficiently, with less waste and damage to trees.
• The missions introduced pruning methods for mango aimed at ensuring the retention of precious nutrients in the branches and promoting early flowering, as out-of-season fruit commands a better price. Improved grafting techniques were also promoted to produce better-quality trees and to rehabilitate old or diseased trees.
• Demonstrations on the correct method of sowing fruit-tree seeds to ensure maximum germination were given for the members of the Namibian foundation Woman Action Development and for the technicians of the Mannheim and Bagani research stations.
• The TCDC experts held seminars and attended MAWRD agronomy meetings where technological data and the results of the new practices were presented and discussed.

The missions of the Brazilian experts have provided a sound framework for fruitculture development in northern Namibia. 



Brazilian TCDC expert Francisco Ricardo Ferreira assisted in germplasm introduction in Namibia
Francisco Ricardo Ferreira, expert brésilien de la CTPD participe à l'introduction de matériel génétique en Namibie
Francisco Ricardo Ferreira, experto brasileño en CTPD, colaboró en la introducción de germoplasma en Namibia