The AGCO Agriculture Foundation (AAF) announced a new partnership with Self Help Africa (SHA) to implement a sustainable poultry production project that will contribute to enhanced food, skills, income, and nutrition security of smallholder farming communities in Chongwe District of the Republic of Zambia.

The official project launch event took place at the AGCO Future Farm Zambia on Thursday, November 5, 2020, with 50 stakeholders in attendance from across the Zambia poultry and agricultural industry, government officials, journalists, farmer cooperatives, poultry associations, and community leaders, including representatives of the Chongwe District’s Royal Highness Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II.

The poultry industry in Zambia is mostly dominated by small-scale farmers who depend on poultry as a social safety net, especially vulnerable households. Given the growing demand for poultry protein and global commitment towards the improvement of animal welfare, it is pivotal to develop tailored projects and initiatives that address key issues and provide sustainable solutions to hunger and nutrition among marginalized farming communities.

“We understand the urgent need to support small-scale farmers in Zambia so that together we can improve production and address existing food and nutrition insecurities. Our foundation is thrilled to partner with Self Help Africa to implement a sustainable approach to enhance the knowledge, skills, and practices of smallholders. Empowering the producers to improve their livestock management operations for economic and nutritional benefits will also highlight animal welfare practices for better treatment of farm animals across the value chain,”

says Metti Richenhagen, Managing Director, AGCO Agriculture Foundation.

The AGCO Agriculture Foundation’s funding is geared towards increasing the productivity, skills, nutrition, and income of 100 poultry farmers in the Chongwe district of Zambia and 50 female poultry farmers from the identified women’s groups.

“Supporting small-scale farmers to end hunger and poverty in rural Africa remains our key focus, and we are excited to work with the AGCO Agriculture Foundation to strengthen this zero hunger commitment. With the prevalence of hunger and nutrition insecurity in the targeted Chongwe district, which has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are optimistic about the timely intervention the project will bring towards sustainable poultry production,”

says Elia Manda, Zambia Country Director, Self Help Africa.

The project will be implemented in conjunction with the AGCO Future Farm in Zambia to provide training support for the project beneficiaries.

“Our agricultural training facility will play a key role to facilitate knowledge and skills transfer for farmers on best livestock management practices required to boost productivity and income. We will work with our Grain & Protein business unit to support selected farmers on improved animal welfare and livestock management operations,”

adds Kalongo Chitengi, Senior Manager, AGCO Future Farm.

Source: AGCO

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“Animal health is extremely important in contributing to sustainable development goals and economic opportunities in Africa. Access to medicines and technology will help farmers raise healthier animals and secure a more productive and sustainable food supply and income, which is critical to the economic development of the region and well-being of its people.”

said Rob Kelly, President International Operations at Zoetis.

As one of the most rapidly developing regions in the world, sub-Saharan Africa is also home to some of the largest livestock populations in the world – and the highest density of livestock keepers with the lowest productivity per animal. With the COVID-19 pandemic, healthy livestock are more essential than ever to rural smallholder communities because of the role they play in achieving food security. This is especially true in areas of high animal and human disease incidence.

Hundreds of millions of doses of animal health products distributed and diagnostic services more widely available to farmers

One of the initiative’s focal areas is to increase access to an expanded range of high-quality livestock medicines and disease solutions. Through dedicated regulatory activities, there are now 65 new veterinary products commercially available in addition to the Zoetis diagnostics portfolio in A.L.P.H.A. countries, which is a crucial component of sustainable development in the animal health sector. Hundreds of millions of doses of animal health products have been distributed in A.L.P.H.A. countries since the start of the initiative allowing access to quality medicines and increased productivity of smallholder farms.

Presently, the A.L.P.H.A initiative has developed and upgraded facilities of nine diagnostic laboratories across Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania in collaboration with strategic private and public partners. These labs are fully operational and are serving local farming communities to diagnose the most common diseases of poultry and cattle;  ensuring correct and responsible use of veterinary products (which  helps to reduce drug resistance); mitigating  losses from incorrect disease treatment, and  ultimately safeguarding effective outcomes for farmers and their livestock. When selecting local partners, one criterion is their ability to offer diagnostic services in a sustainable manner, without future dependency on grant funding. A further six laboratories are undergoing set-up to commence diagnostic service provision in 2020.

Continuing training through virtual channels and ensuring inclusion of women

In collaboration with the University of Surrey (UK), the initiative conducted studies to identify training needs of veterinary professionals in Ethiopia and Uganda to address training gaps through customized solutions. By providing training on animal nutrition, disease detection and other animal health issues, the A.L.P.H.A. initiative continued to support training of local stakeholders through a Train-the-Trainer approach, which resulted in estimated reach of almost 400,000 people trained to date. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, A.L.P.H.A. trainers adapted traditional training to online versions and webinars.

“Online training in sub-Saharan Africa are very successful. Our customers generally have smartphones with access to digital platforms, which allows them to maintain learning continuity. We recently participated in an Instagram live broadcast on the responsible use of antibiotics, an initiative very welcomed by our network, including young professionals,”

said Dr. Adah Ogwuche, Field Veterinarian (A.L.P.H.A. Nigeria).

As women play a very important role in the region’s smallholder farms, A.L.P.H.A. works to ensure gender balance and inclusion of women in all trainings to transform the livestock sector for wider societal impact. Whilst currently achieving around a 40% participation rate of women, Zoetis is committed to aiming for equal gender participation in our educational programs.

Foundation for enhanced veterinary protocols through “LabCards” and pooled vaccinators program to establish sustainable practices

A new digital app and diagnostic portal called “ LabCards” was recently launched in A.L.P.H.A. countries to ensure detailed tracking in the field and timely feedback of diagnostic results. The app facilitates sample data collection, results processing, and communication back to the attending veterinarian or para-veterinarian. 

“In rural Africa, paperwork can be cumbersome and testing feedback is slow. With LabCards, when a lab test is performed the results are immediately shared with veterinarians, who can quickly prescribe relevant treatments and follow-up on the progress with the farmer. This tool, which we describe as “animal health in your pocket” brings value for farmers and veterinarians as it helps to improve health management of the farm.”

said Francis Kalule, Diagnostics Manager (A.L.P.H.A. Uganda).

To help extend vaccination which prevents disease and increases the overall health of animals, the A.L.P.H.A. team launched a pilot in Tanzania where vet paraprofessionals help manage vaccine education, storage and administration for farmers in communities.  This new entrepreneurial program helps not only enhance biosecurity measures on farms in facilitating access to quality medicines and technical experience, and it also supports employment of young people.  More than 100 farms in Tanzania have benefitted so far, and the model will be rolled out to other countries in 2020.

“LabCards” and the pooled vaccinator program support the key pillars of the A.L.P.H.A. initiative: Veterinary Medicines & Services, Diagnostic Networks, and Training & Education. These fundamentals will make a positive difference for smallholder farmers in Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Unique in our approach is the sustainability angle which is essential to encourage a mindset shift in the livestock sector towards entrepreneurialism and ownership. Empowerment of the farming and veterinary sectors is critical to enable sub-Saharan Africa to meet the rising productivity needs of the region in a sustainable manner.”

concluded Dr. Gabriel Varga, Regional Director Sub-Saharan Africa at Zoetis and lead of the A.L.P.H.A. initiative.

Source: Zoetis

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Proven design

Coffee Express harvesters have been manufactured by Case IH for many years, and are well-proven in other markets around the world. Now they are available to coffee growers across Africa one of the world’s most important coffee-growing region.

The machines incorporate a pair of vertical rollers, revolving at up to 0.5 turns/minute, which are fitted with nylon fingers to gently remove the coffee cherries, minimising the risk of plant damage. The rollers are fitted with 1,248 fingers which are 576mm long and 480 fingers which are 520mm long, a blend that provides the best levels of harvesting performance and minimum crop and plant damage. As well as rotating, they vibrate to gently loosen the cherries, with an innovative hydraulic brake system allowing the level of vibration to be altered on the move. The distance between the two rollers can be adjusted by 80mm according to plant size and plant age.

Retractable ‘fishplates’ at the base of the rollers allow the base of each bush to pass gently but firmly through the machine, and gather the cherries for transfer, before horizontal augers equipped with adjustable-speed leaf fans transfer them, via vertical chain-and-flight conveyors, either directly to the unloading conveyor or via an optional 2,000-litre storage hopper, which means a tractor and trailer does not always have to be present and stopping is unnecessary.

The self-propelled Coffee Express 200 is powered by an MWM three-cylinder engine producing 55hp, supplied by a 75-litre diesel tank. Ground drive is hydrostatic. Operating at a harvesting speed of 0.4-2.0 km/h, the machine can work in crops of up to 3.9m high, on average consuming 5.0 litres of diesel per hour.

Coffee Express 200 operators benefit from an air conditioned cab that also features an adjustable-position steering column and fully-adjustable comfort seat. Key machine operations are easily conducted via a multi-function joystick on the operator’s right.

Source: CNH Industrial News

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