Zimbabwe’s blueberry production doubled to 7000 tons in November 2023 in line  with the Horticulture Development Council (HDC)’s forecast.   HDC now predicts that horticultural production in the country will treble in 5 years.  Paving the way for that prediction, wheat production has already shot up to 468,000 metric tonnes. The tobacco harvest has garnered 300 million kilograms in 2023, part of...

Farmers in the Maghreb have embraced the use of drones to conserve water amid drying up wells. This machine-learning technology has come in timely fashion across North Africa, whose nations are now among the 33 most water-starved, globally. Tunisia, which is currently experiencing long-term drought, could save 30% of conventional water use in orange orchards via drones. Farmers already practicing the technology are priding on...

At a time when food systems contribute 31% of greenhouse emissions, climate advocates are seeking redress at the COP28 summit in Dubai.  Joao Campari, head of the World Wildlife Fund’s food practice section said that food systems consume almost the entire global carbon finance. “We need to implement food systems approaches throughout COP28,” he said. The greenhouse reduction target is a 1.5-degree...

Six major pork plants in the U.S. have received an extra 90-day trial period using the controversial accelerated production method.  The previous trial was to have ended November 2023 but for the timely intervention of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Reuters reports that the extension revives a Trump-era law that ended in 2021 on food safety concerns via a court ruling. Since...

Australia’s beef and mutton have attracted a significant price tumble just ahead of a possible El Niño summer.  Aussie beef cattle have been netting a meagre A$ 2.20 ($1.46) a kilo since October 2023. This is a 150% drop from the 2021 high of A$3.50 ($2.12) per kg. For sheep, producer rates have fallen from the A$6.50 ($4.31) peak of 2021 to A$4.50 ($2.98)...

Farmers in Mindanao island in the Philippines will receive governmental seeds and fishing gear following the 6.8-magnitude earthquake of November 17, 2023 that disrupted their agricultural livelihoods. The Department of Agriculture began the mitigation process by distributing vegetable seeds, banana sprouts and coconut seedlings on November 28.   Currently, 1000 banana stocks are up for distribution as well as 1000 hybrid...

One of the most productive alfalfa states in the United States, Arizona, is facing intense groundwater shortage from foreign alfalfa-growing leases.  The state prides in its above-average 8.2 tonnes per acre yield while the national average is 3.5 tonnes per acre.  Most of the water scarcity has hit Cochise county, at the centre of whose alfalfa plantations are three firms from the Middle-East.  Locals have...

A Lincolnshire canning factory has canned the first ever baked beans from haricot beans modified for the British climate. A multi-year genetic modification process made them suitable for local soil and climate. The first harvest took place in September 2023 on a Lincolnshire county farm, with Princes factory getting the initial consignment. This is good news as Britons consume 2 million tins...

Amid infrastructure woes couple times in 2023, South Africa has managed flat returns in citrus exports, 1% above 2022’s returns. According to the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA), national citrus exports clocked 165.1 million cartons in 2023. This was 5 million cartons shy of the over 170 million that CGA had projected for the 2023 calendar.  The shipment quantity is...

The grain harvest in South Dakota is almost over, with sorghum 90% complete according to USDA data of November 20, 2023. The crop, which many farmers have already rated ‘good’ is behind by 9% the harvested volume of November, 2022. The delay owed to high moisture levels during spring sowing, though farmers still planted their crop between June 1 and September 30....