Features Risks and opportunities for agribusiness in Mozambique   There are many opportunities for foreign agri-entrepreneurs in Mozambique, as stated by the Dutch government and Wageningen University & Research Centre. Journalist Andrea Dijkstra visited foreign farmers and entrepreneurs in the field. “Mozambique is not for the faint-hearted.”  Foreign investors are lining up for Mozambique’s enormous coal reserves and recently discovered offshore gas fields possibly turning the country into the fourth largest gas producer in the world. “But the country also […]

Features Risks and opportunities for agribusiness in Mozambique   There are many opportunities for foreign agri-entrepreneurs in Mozambique, as stated by the Dutch government and Wageningen University & Research Centre. Journalist Andrea Dijkstra visited foreign farmers and entrepreneurs in the field. “Mozambique is not for the faint-hearted.”  Foreign investors are lining up for Mozambique’s enormous coal reserves and recently discovered offshore gas fields possibly turning the country into the fourth largest gas producer in the world. “But the country also […]

Features “Cassava can unleash Africa’s agricultural potential”   Dutch company DADTCO has developed a mobile factory providing a solution to the problem of cassava roots perishing during transport over long distances in Africa. Connecting small-scale cassava farmers to the industry might transform cassava into a commercial crop.  Although cassava is one of the most widely grown crops in Sub-Saharan Africa it’s hardly been grown commercially due to the fact that the roots already start to spoil 48 hours after harvesting. […]

Features Kenyan farmers deal with climate change   While many countries in Africa are suffering from increasing droughts, heat waves and floods, farmers are finding ways to overcome these effects of climate change. The dazzling equatorial sun scorches over the bare fields of Makueni, southern Kenya. However, in the middle of this arid landscape lies an almost surrealistic green oasis with neatly constructed terraces covered with spinach, tomato and melon plants and impressive papaya and mango trees. This is the […]

Features Wine opportunities in East Africa   Thanks to urbanization and the emerging middle class, wine is gaining popularity in East Africa, offering opportunities for entrepreneurs. The sun is shining brightly, though a cool breeze keeps it from getting too hot. Surrounded by rolling hills covered with rows and rows of grape vines, it is like being in France. But we are not even in Europe. We are paying a visit to the winery of French beverage company Castel in […]

Features Boosting commercial farming in South Africa   Even though a growing amount of South African land is being transferred from white into black hands in recent years, becoming a commercial farmer is quite a struggle. A mentor system and accompanying machinery pool are being set up to improve the situation. While fields are almost being scorched in the hot sun, a widespread irrigation system sprays water over thousands of green plants. Due to the history of apartheid in South […]

Features Cage fish farming gains ground in Africa   Cage fish farming is gaining popularity in several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Victory Farms in Kenya, for example, now produces an average of 200 tonnes of fish per month. “The productivity of cage fishing is enormous.”  Hundreds of square frames made out of pipes and blue barrels are floating in Lake Victoria, in the green, hilly bay near Roo village, in western Kenya. Attached to these metal constructions, giant closed nets […]

Features Off-grid solar systems save lives   In isolated, off-grid communities, SOLAR-POWERED innovations are improving livelihoods, boosting economic opportunities and even saving lives. IN MANY health facilities in rural Sub-Saharan Africa, doctors conduct emergency surgeries with lights from their mobile phones, women give birth in the dark without necessary medical equipment and babies are at risk of dying because there’s no reliable power to supply oxygen concentrators. In the hospital, you often didn’t have access to oxygen cylinders. So the […]

Features In Kenia zijn kamelen de nieuwe melkkoe   Door klimaatverandering wordt Kenia droger.Keniaanse veehouders stappen daarom over op kamelen. De dieren kunnen lang zonder water en leveren goed betaalde ‘supermelk’. Een schroeiende zon en eindeloze dorre vlaktes. Op het eerste gezicht is er verder weinig te bekennen in de velden bij Isiolo, een provinciestadje zo’n vijf uur ten noorden van Nairobi, de hoofdstad van Kenia. De lichtbruine kamelen van Mariam Maalim (45) vinden er echter toch wat te eten. […]

Features A web of conflicts in oil-rich Jonglei   One and a half year ago the South Sudanese acquired their independence. The eastern province jonglei, however, is still the scene of heavy violence. Rebel leader David Yau Yau is fighting the South Sudanese army, which, however, is not the only conflict situated in the province.   Bor/ Pibor – Any moment we can again be attacked, sighs Daniel Akau Garang (32) while he rubs a cow with impressive horns with a […]