Declining soil fertility, increasing weed infestations and a lack of income-generating opportunities are serious constraints to the establishment of sustainable cropping systems and livelihoods in the forest margins of Bolivia. Systems which allow farmers to progress: from unsustainable, migratory (shifting) slash, and burn agriculture to more sustainable and stable farming...

The preservation of fruit and vegetables by simply sun drying is practised widely throughout arid and semi-arid regions, for example in Uganda. The use of low-cost solar drying technologies can significantly improve product quality. This provides practical opportunities for developing small-scale enterprise, particularly in rural areas, and creates employment for...

Maize is the most important staple food in Eastern Africa. But yields on smallholder farms are often very low, typically just one quarter of what could be achieved. In a good year, using improved varieties with good management, recommended amounts of fertilizer and effective control of pests and diseases could...

Hides and skins are of very little economic and commercial value if they are not well preserved. Particularly in Uganda, Lango Farming System, most hides and skins which are produced, go to waste due to poor preservation practices. Improved methods and advice on how to preserve hides and skins of...

Hand-jab planters are popular amongst small-scale farmers. They are the primary means of sowing seeds under no-tillage for most farmers. The implement is also suitable for filling in gaps after crop germination. There are many different models of jab planters from different companies. The operational principles are however similar. The...

Improved citrus varieties are not resistant to soil borne pests and diseases. However, they can be successfully grown if grafted on resistant rootstocks like rough lemon. Rough lemon is quick-growing, drought-resistant, shortens maturity period and is resistant to pests and diseases.

The holistic gardening project in Emuhaya, Western Kenya, is attracting local and international acclaim. Bio Gardening Innovations (BIOGI) is equipping smallholder farmers to break away from monocultures and create thriving, overflowing “food forests” on their farmland. Maize, the staple crop of Vihaga and Kakamega counties in Kenya, is harvested twice a...

Control of Foreign Fishing (CFF) explores options available to coastal states. It seeks to find the optimal combination of fee level, surveillance expenditure, and magnitude of legal penalties to minimize the risk of illegal fishing and maximize the benefits accruing to the coastal state. It provides an economic model that...

The commercialisation of traditional processed products from cassava, such as fufu, potentially offers new opportunities for income generation to rural households in Nigeria, Ghana and other parts of West Africa. Several options exist for the commercialisation of fufu, including the production of a shelf-stable product? This minimises the use of...

The preservation of fruit and vegetables by simple sun drying is practiced widely throughout arid and semi-arid areas, for example in Uganda. The use of low cost, solar drying technologies, can significantly improve product quality thereby providing practical opportunities for developing small-scale enterprise, particularly in rural areas, and creating employment...

This practice describes how Calliandra tree can be planted and grown in Uganda. First starting by seed collection and pre-treatment, then construction of seeds bed, seed sowing, and finally filling of polyethene pots with soil.

The queen bee is the sole reproductive female in the honey bee colony. That’s why the queen is very important to the colony due to her main task of laying eggs. If the queen's ability to lay eggs is disturbed, a new queen is needed for the colony. This technology...

The honeybee suffers from diseases. In many parts of the world, research is underway for means of combating or preventing them. However the African bee industry is in its infant stage and not much research has been carried out on bee diseases in Africa. It is believed that some of...

Most fish farmers believe that a fish is a wild animal. They think that once put in pond water, it will survive naturally without adding any food supplement. This has resulted in pond fish taking a long period to reach a reasonable size. Most farmers add manure like cow dung and...

The practice of using bees to pollinate fruit crops is as new as the beekeeping industry in most parts of tropical Africa, although the practice has started in a few places in northern and southern Africa. This technology describes how farmers could utilize bees for pollination for their advantages via...

Root starch production is a long-established industry that has seen little development in recent years. In developing countries it has been estimated that five million tonnes of starch are produced annually in developing countries, half of which is produced from cassava representing a major market for small-scale root crop growers....

The preservation of fruit and vegetables by simple sun drying is practiced widely throughout arid and semi-arid areas, for example in Uganda. The use of low cost, solar-drying technologies can significantly improve product quality. This provides practical opportunities for developing small-scale enterprises, particularly in rural areas, and creating employment for...

Fish is important for good nutrition and fishery activities generate income and employment. However, industrial and intensive fishing and also wrong fishing methods deplete fish stocks. In Uganda, the major fishing activities are on Lake Victoria, one of the African great lakes and the second largest in the world. These...

Highest grades of cassava starch are processed from freshly extracted starch. In many cassava processing factories, extracted starch is stored in tanks under wet conditions during the peak harvesting period (two to five months). Long-term storage of cassava starch under wet conditions results in adverse quality changes which reduce the...

Mukene, also called Dagaa or Omena, is found in Lakes Victoria, Kyoga and Nabugabo and in the Victoria Nile. It is among the three most important commercial fish species in Lakes Victoria and Kyoga. The mukene fish is fished by light attraction. Compared to gillnetting, light fishing is relatively new...