MICROVEG PROJECT IN THE NEWS IN CANADA
The garden isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence
Almost everywhere on Nigeria’s rural lands, colourful, varied, and nourishing vegetables grow in abundance. This is the case with worowo, a green plant with large bitter leaves that are delicious once cooked; amaranth, recognizable from the cluster of red grains emerging from between its leaves; or the fluted pumpkin, a large green gourd with pale flesh.
However, Nigeria’s indigenous vegetables—those that grow naturally in Nigeria—are not popular fare in the countryside, and even less so in urban areas, explains Osun State University agronomics professor Odunayo Clement Adebooye. Urban populations consider them to be unrefined. “Their perception,” he explains, “is that these vegetables, because they grow in the bush and are picked wild, are food for the poor.”
So what do urban gourmets prefer? “Exotic” vegetables that are imported into Nigerian agriculture. But these options, such as cabbage, lettuce, and cucumber, are far less rich in nutrients and more difficult to grow than wild plants. Click here to read more (on IDRC | CRDI website)
REFERENCE: Bouchra Ouatik, Québec Science (June 01, 2016), The garden isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. https://www.idrc.ca/en/article/garden-isnt-always-greener-other-side-fence
Improving food security and livelihoods for rural West Africa
Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa face daunting challenges: from high fertilizer costs to unstable rainfall patterns and poor soil quality, growing more food isn’t easy.
And it is vital for ongoing food security that the area continue growing crop production, which currently increases by about 1 per cent a year. The region’s population, by contrast, is increasing at a rate of 3 per cent a year. And good soil is at a premium, limiting what land can sustain long-term agriculture.
University of Saskatchewan scientist Dr. Derek Peak, along with an international research team, is harnessing the brightest light in Canada to help determine best practices for the area, and to test the long term effects of current agricultural techniques.
“If you can integrate these advanced techniques with good quality field work, you can make more informed decisions,“ says Peak. “The rationale behind our project was really about improving food security and improving livelihoods for rural people in Africa by providing more sophisticated fertilizer recommendations.” Click here to read more (on CLS website)
REFERENCE: Victoria Martinez (August 03, 2016), Improving food security and livelihoods for rural West Africa. http://www.lightsource.ca/news/details/improving_food_security_and_livelihoods_for_rural_west_africa
