Issue #42

Hello to all!

This week, we are thrilled to welcome 18 new African subscribers to the FRW community. New subscribers include Lamoussa Robgo from Radiodiffusion-Television du Burkina in Burkina Faso; Solange Tshiloz from Radio Tele Deogracias in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Charles Haskins from Sudan Radio Service in Kenya; teacher trainer Simeon B. Mawindo, Marvin Hanke from the Story Workshop, and Hestern Banda from Salephera Consulting Ltd, all from Malawi; Gnouma Keita from Radio Nationale du Mali; Adeshola Ayuba Ayinde from Lagos State University in Nigeria; and Gordon Naidoo from Open Learning Systems Education Trust in South Africa. We also welcome nine new Tanzanian subscribers who recently participated in training through the African Farm Radio Research Initiative.

One of our newest correspondents, Sawa Pius, has been busy covering conferences on bananas and honey in Eastern Africa. This week, he brings us a second report from the International Banana Conference held in Mombasa, Kenya, looking at the re-emergence of indigenous technology for managing banana pests. (To see Sawa’s first report from Banana 2008, go to: http://farmradio.org/english/weekly/2008/10/27/1-rwanda-processing-bananas-changes-lives-in-rwanda-by-sawa-pius-for-farm-radio-weekly-in-mombasa-kenya/.) Look for Sawa’s article from Honey Trade Expo 2008, held in Kampala, Uganda, in next week’s FRW. And see this week’s News in Review section for more stories of interest to farmers and fishers!

We also bring you a special report from CTA’s international seminar on climate change and sustainable agriculture, held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Jean Paul Ntezimana, from Radio Salus in Rwanda, and Gladson Makowa, from the Story Workshop in Malawi, were sponsored to attend the event after winning the CTA-Farm Radio International scriptwriting competition on African Farmer Adaptations to Climate Change. Both journalists provide us with their reflections on the event – and the future of scientific reporting on climate change – in the Farm Radio Action section of this week’s FRW.

Happy reading!

-The Farm Radio Weekly Team

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African Farm News in Review
1. Kenya: Indigenous technology fights banana diseases (by Sawa Pius, for Farm Radio Weekly, in Mombasa, Kenya)

2. Africa: South Africa’s president says biofuel crops must not crowd out food (BuaNews, Business Day)

3. East Africa: Fishers and scientists back seasonal fishing ban for Lake Victoria (New Vision)

Upcoming Events

-November 17-28, 2008: Virtual Forum on mobile telephony in rural areas

Radio Resource Bank

-African Press Organization offers a database of press releases

Farm Radio Action

-Journalists reflect on climate change seminar

Farm Radio Script of the Week

-The importance of making soup

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Small scale farmers in western Kenya have brought back indigenous knowledge to fight pests such as the nematodes that affect local bananas. The farmers use ash, hot water, and the local green vegetable Crotalaria ochroleuca, called mitoo in the Lughya community. This helps to reduce their use of chemicals, promote organic agricutlure, and increase farm production.

Habakku Khamala is a farmer from Shibuli village in Kakamega district. He wards off nematodes by treating banana suckers with hot water. The roots of the sucker are chopped off almost completely. Then water is boiled and left to cool until it is lukewarm. The base of the banana sucker is then dipped in the lukewarm water for 20 minutes. Mr. Khamala says this suffocates and kills any nematodes without harming the plant itself.

Spreading ash around the stem of the banana is another way to kill nematodes. Mr. Khamala explains that, when it rains, the ash sinks into the soil, killing any nematodes.

Another method involves the indigenous vegetable Crotalaria ochroleuca, popularly called mitoo in the Lughya community of western Kenya. Mitoo is said to contain a poison that kills nematodes on contact. Farmers clean around the banana stem and plant mitoo in this area. The vegetable is readily available and a good source of nutrients.

A collaboration between scientists from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology has worked to promote these indigenous technologies. The scientists visit farms in the morning to inspect the fields, helping to identify friendly insects and manage pests.

Mr. Khamala stresses that these low cost methods of managing nematodes are not new. They have been used in the area for ages, dating back to a time when his ancestors grew healthy bananas. But now the methods are increasing in popularity, as modern farmers learn that they work well.

Indigenous technology field schools help to spread the word. There are now more than 800 such schools in the Kakamega, Bungoma, and Busia districts – each with 24 farmers.

Click here to see the notes to broadcasters on indigenous knowledge

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South Africa’s president has raised concerns that the continent’s arable land is being taken over by multinationals for biofuel production. Kgalema Motlanthe recently highlighted the issue while addressing African leaders at the first Extraordinary Summit of the African Peer Review Forum in Benin.

Corporations are moving into the continent, buying large tracks of land, and establishing plantations and factories for the production of biofuels, Mr. Motlanthe stated. He was particularly concerned that land in major grain-producing countries is being diverted into biofuel production. This may lead to less land being available for food production, the president added.

Mr. Motlanthe’s address reflected the concerns of many farmers’ groups and other civil society organizations. They fear that the growing demand for bio-mass to make biofuels could push food production off Africa’s most fertile lands.

The president said he was not opposed to biofuels in principle. However, in his opinion, biofuel projects should be part of land reform strategies driven by African governments and peoples themselves.

The production of crops for biofuels has raised considerable controversy in South Africa. Last year, the South African government announced that it would not allow maize to be used for biofuels. Within days, however, the government reversed its position under pressure from maize producers who see biofuel processing as a valuable new market.
Click here to see the notes to broadcasters on crops for fuel

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Walusimbi is a fisher at the Ggaba Landing Site on Lake Victoria, in south central Uganda. Over the years, he has seen the lake’s fish stock rise and fall.

On average, Lake Victoria’s stock of Nile Perch is on a steep decline. But Walusimbi remembers a time when stocks were higher. Ten years ago, when there was a ban on fish exports to Europe, fish increased in size and amount. Walusimbi feels that a seasonal fishing ban could achieve the same result.

A short-term ban on fishing was recently proposed at a conference organized by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization. The conference brought together fishers and other stakeholders from government and industry in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The decline of Nile Perch was at the top of the agenda.

According to the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization, the standing stock of Nile Perch has declined by more than 500,000 tonnes since 2001. During roughly the same time period, the number of fishers on the lake has increased by 50 per cent. More and more fishers are using outboard motors and gillnets to catch more fish.

The organization states that the level of Nile Perch has dropped below a point that allows for maximum sustainable yield. Ten fish-processing plants have closed as a result.

Isaac Mukobe works with the Fisheries Resources Research Institute. He said that a seasonal fishing ban would check over-fishing on Lake Victoria. According to Mr. Mukobe, there will be more fish on the lake once it is closed for the breeding season. A proposal for the ban will go before parliament.

Walusimbi knows that a seasonal ban will come at a cost for fishers who have no other source of income. But he believes it will be worthwhile in the long-run.
Click here to see the notes on season fishing ban

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In July 2001, Farm Radio International presented a “script” meant to provide ideas and inspiration for programs on indigenous knowledge, such as:
-How local rituals support sustainable farming practices in your region;
-Local farmers finding solutions to pest and weed problems;
-Indigenous soil fertility practices;
- Innovative methods to collect water;
-Traditional taboos against environmentally destructive practices, such as cutting trees in sacred groves and elsewhere;
-How the disappearance of local language affects local culture.
To see more on these ideas, go to: “The importance of indigenous knowledge” (Package 60, Script 1, July 2001): http://farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/60-1script_en.asp.

You may also wish to visit the example scripts provided in “Farmers and scientists work together” (Package 60, Script 2, July 2001), for more ideas: http://farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/60-2script_en.asp.

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Over the past year, FRW has published several stories about biofuels, each touching on some of the pros and cons of using agricultural land and crops for fuel production:
-“Burkinabe farmers say food comes before fuel” (FRW#34, August 2008)
-“Herders oppose controversial sugarcane project” (FRW#29, July 2008)
-“Campaign for biodiesel intensifies but farmers remain cautious” (FRW#7, January 2008)
-“The promise and potential perils of biofuels” (FRW#3, December 2007)

If you would like to research a local story on biofuel production, you may wish to ask some of the following questions:
-What do farmers in your area think about the idea of producing crops for biofuel production?
-Do farmers in your area currently grow crops which are locally transformed into biofuels for use on farms or in the community? If so, what is the local organizational structure that manages the fuel production?
-If a non-local company plans to open a biofuel processing plant in your area, how do farmers plan to maintain their food security while also producing crops for the plant?
-If there is already a biofuel processing plant in your area, are small-scale farmers contributing to production? How do they rate their experiences in working with the processing plant (e.g. support for proper harvesting and storage, prices for crops, etc)?

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Concerns about dwindling fish stocks in Lake Victoria affect thousands of fishers and others who make their livelihoods in the fish industry in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. They also reflect the larger concerns of those who work in fishing industries across the African continent and around the world – in both coastal and in-land areas – who are seeing their livelihoods threatened by over-fishing.

The theme of the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization’s conference was “Fish for the Future is everyone’s responsibility.” The organization works to promote the sustainable use and management of fish stocks in Lake Victoria.
For more information on the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization, visit their main website at: http://www.lvfo.org/index.php?option=displaypage&Itemid=103&op=page, or their conference website:
http://www.lvfoconference.org/.

The following links provide additional information on fishing in Lake Victoria:
-Uganda: “Lake Victoria is the country’s heartbeat”: http://allafrica.com/stories/200810090612.html
- “Rejuvenating the Fishing Industry in the East African Community”: http://allafrica.com/stories/200810090362.html
-The website for OSIENALA, or Friends of Lake Victoria, an NGO dedicated to the environmental restoration of Lake Victoria: http://www.osienala.org/.

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E-agriculture.org is a global initiative to enhance sustainable agricultural development and food security by improving the use of information, communication, and associated technologies. Virtual forums are one of the ways in which the initiative enables members to exchange opinions, experiences, good practices, and resources.

From November 17-18, 2008, e-agriculture.org will host a virtual forum on the topic of mobile telephony in rural areas. As organizers describe the situation: “Mobile phones are the success story of bridging the rural digital divide, bringing tangible economic benefits and acting as agents of social mobilization through improved communication. But what are the real challenges that face reaching rural areas, and what are some of today’s most beneficial applications that can help these rural communities, specifically regarding agriculture development.” This forum will examine the challenges that rural communities face in enhancing the benefits of mobile telephony, and look at some examples of interesting initiatives and good outcomes from around the globe.

For more information and to learn how to participate, visit: http://www.e-agriculture.org/18.html?&no_cache=1.

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The African Press Organization is a Swiss-based organization serving African and Western media. The organization hosts a database of press releases related to Africa, on such topics as economics, health care, and women’s issues. Press releases are available in English, French, Portuguese, and Arabic. The database allows the user to search press releases by country. It can be found online at: http://appablog.wordpress.com/newsroom/.

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From October 26-31, 200 people, including communications professionals, NGO leaders, and scientists from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific gathered in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso for a seminar hosted by CTA. The theme was “Implications of Global Climate Change for Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems in ACP countries.”

As the top two winners of the CTA-Farm Radio International scriptwriting competition “African Farmers’ Strategies for Coping with Climate Change,” Jean Paul Ntezimana from Radio Salus in Rwanda and Gladson Makowa from the Story Workshop in Malawi were sponsored to attend the seminar. They share their reflections on the experience below.

Jean Paul Ntezimana:

If I try to briefly talk about the CTA seminar in Ouagadougou, it is difficult to describe how very interesting this seminar was for journalists and other communication professionals.

We had many presentations, and all of them were so interesting to journalists. Some presenters talked about climate change – what it is, how it affects the world, and possible strategies for mitigation and adaptation. Let me give you some examples. A mitigation strategy: researchers have found methods to reduce the amount of CO2 produced by humans. An adaptation strategy: researchers encourage farmers to adopt crop varieties that are resistant to drought or floods. This information is really important for journalists, because they have to understand what they cover.

On the other hand, there were discussions about effective communication of environmental and agriculture issues. I was very excited when I heard researchers and NGO leaders talking about working with the media. It was agreed that researchers and policy makers should try to cooperate with media to disseminate information from their research. Let’s hope that these sources of news and programs reach us easily.

Gladson Makowa:

It has been a very busy week for both of us. It has also been the most memorable week for me as a radio person, because I was writing at least one article or report for a special daily magazine for the first time in my career. It was a learning experience.

The main issue discussed at the seminar was communication strategies, but we also learned a lot about biofuel. Biofuel is a new use for agricultural products that needs to be approached with care because it competes with food security. Representatives agreed to develop specific policies in their countries on how to approach biofuel before venturing into it. Dangers that Africa faces due to climate change – such as more droughts, more need for fertilizer, and better irrigation – were also discussed.

On the topic of communication strategies, there were complaints that there is much silence in the media on climatic change issues. We looked at why this is the case and how this situation can be changed.

The issues of rights and patents was raised, and it was suggested that these need to be looked into and revised, in order to reduce the limitations on disseminating scientific findings. It was also stated that the curriculum for journalists should be revised to include reporting on scientific information, and that primary school curriculum should be revised to include climate change issues. Community radio journalists, who are mostly volunteers, would benefit from training arrangements. Participants pledged to look seriously at the issue of funding, for example, for community radios.

We reporters were asked to specialize in a specific subject, for example, environmental reporting. Let us keep our fingers crossed that many things will come out of this seminar.

Look for an article by Gladson in next week’s Farm Radio Action section, further exploring the reasons for the media’s “silence” on climate change.

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Indigenous knowledge, also known as traditional knowledge or local knowledge, is the wisdom held and shared by the people in your community, and passed down from generation to generation. It can be knowledge about farming methods, medicine, technologies, the environment, the spiritual world, or anything else that is important to a particular community of people.

In our featured news story by Sawa Pius, we see how indigenous knowledge about pest management has helped Kenyan banana farmers to thrive and reduce their dependency on chemical pesticides. In this case, the traditional and effective techniques for warding off nematodes were generations old, but had fallen out of practice for some time.

Our featured script celebrates traditional knowledge, which one character describes as “those teachings and traditions that have helped our people live and survive.” Through a story about two sisters and their daughters, it reveals the importance of passing down traditional practices to the next generation.

You can find this script online at: http://farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/60-8script_en.asp.

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