Trimble GreenSeeker Handheld Crop Sensor

The Trimble GreenSeeker handheld crop sensor is a simple farm management tool that can be used to assess the heath or vigour of a crop in order to make better nutrient management decisions on your farm. The GreenSeeker crop sensing system helps farmers to effectively and precisely manage crop inputs on the go by applying the right amount of fertilizer, in the right place, at the right time.

The GreenSeeker instantly take readings of crop’s health. Readings can be used to make non-subjective decisions regarding the amount of fertilizer to be applied to your crop, resulting in more efficient use of fertilizer—a benefit to the farmer and the environment.

Minimizing the effect of Tuta absoluta in Nigeria through Tray and Lamp Technology

Tuta absoluta is a larva of moth known by the common names tomato leaf-miner and South American tomato moth. The pest (Tuta absoluta) was discovered in South America in 1912 where it ravaged many farms before it spread to Europe and then to Asia and now to East and West Africa.

The larva feeds voraciously upon tomato plants, producing large galleries in leaves, burrowing in stalks, and consuming apical buds and green and ripe fruits. It is capable of causing a yield loss of 100%.

It has the ability to destroy a whole tomato farm within 48 hours. It is also very difficult to control as it has a high mutation capacity with the ability to develop a resistance to insecticides.

Legislation of Agricultural Development Plan; A panacea to agricultural stagnation and policies somersault in Nigeria

Agriculture is the largest employer of labour in Nigeria employing about 30 percent of the population on full time basis and about 50 percent on part time basis. Before the discovery of oil, Nigeria used to be a major player in the global agricultural market as the country was the world’s largest producer and exporter of groundnuts and palm oil in the 1960s.

Nigeria has comparative advantage in agriculture, with 35 percent arable land, abundant fertile soils, a population of about 200 million people, ample and reliable rainfall, uncountable agrarian communities,   moderate sunshine etc.  Despite these comparative advantages, the huge potentials of the sector is yet to be tapped and as such,  agriculture remains largely underdeveloped making small holder farming form large percentage of the sector.

Loss of Agro-biodiversity – A serious threat to Food and Nutrition Security in Africa.

Agro-biodiversity or agricultural biodiversity is a subset of biodiversity that encompasses all of the genetic resources (plant genetic resources, animal genetic resources, microbes and pollinators genetic resources) related to food and agriculture. Agro-biodiversity includes all the varieties of crops, livestock breeds, fish species, soil microbes and pollinators (bees, insects, etc.) including all of their wild relatives that support agricultural ecosystems and productivity.

Africa, which is home to more than 50 000 known plant species, 1 000 mammal species and 1 500 bird species, is increasingly experiencing major losses of its large and diverse heritage of flora and fauna to genetic erosion.

Aligning to the realities of Climate Change through Climate Smart Agriculture

Climate refers to the weather conditions prevailing in an area measured by assessing the patterns of variation in temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological variables over long periods of time.

Climate change by definition is therefore a large scale and long term shift in the statistical distribution of these weather patterns. Of all the long term changes in weather pattern, increase in temperature has attracted a global attention.

The earth contain greenhouse gases namely Water-vapour (H2O) Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Ozone (O3) and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

When sunlight reaches the surface of the earth, some of it is absorbed by the greenhouse gases and are then redirected back towards the earth to warm it. This process is called greenhouse effect. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would be would a very cold place much than it is now and life would be difficult.

Dwarf Carica papaya…the real farmers delight

Dwarf Carica papayas are hybrid pawpaw fruits-bearing plants that grow to height less than 10 feet. Some varieties are between 5-7 feet. There are different varieties of dwarf carica papaya which include Red Royale, Lunar, Sinta, Vega, Chara, Mikaili, Mimosa, Maradona, Waimanalo, Red lady etc.

Thailand dwarf hybrid pawpaw generally called Red Royale is now being marketed in Nigeria by East-west Seeds Company, An Asian Company that has through intensive breeding programs become a market leader by selling premium quality hybrid and open pollinated seeds for all major tropical vegetable crops in Africa. The company does not sell Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

Greenhouse Technology in Nigeria

Greenhouse technology is the unique technique of providing favourable conditions to the plants. This technology has just one purpose, which is to provide and maintain a growing environment that will result in optimum crop production at maximum yield. 

This method apart from creating a favourable growing environment for crops also protect the plants from adverse climatic condition (such as cold, wind, precipitation, excessive radiation, extreme temperature, etc.) and from insects and disease. Greenhouses range from simple low cost wooden structures to galvanized and computerized greenhouses. 

Smart Farming…….Data Driven Farming with ZENVUS

Farm data collection and analysis has been helping farmers in developed countries to manage their farm operations better. The more information they have, the more they can make decisions tailored to their farm’s specific needs. The information obtained can help farmers identify efficiencies that lead to higher productivity and profitability, lower input costs, and optimized fertilizer use.

To help farmers in Nigeria with data collection and analysis, a Nigerian company, First Atlantic Semiconductors & Microelectronics has introduced 3 products, ZENVUS Smartfarm and ZENVUS Yield and ZENVUS web app. While the ZENVUS Smartfarm can help farmers eliminate guesswork in farming by knowing when, how and what to plant. The ZENVUS Yield enables farmers to be ahead of outbreaks of diseases, pests etc thereby making farming a real business.

Reducing Post harvest Losses of Agricultural Produce through Modern Controlled Atmosphere by Kehinde S.Jimoh

The Problem

Colossal post-harvest losses of fresh farm produce remain a daunting challenge to farmers in Nigeria due to inadequate storage and processing facilities. Every cropping season, farmers in Nigeria labour to produce various food items in large quantities but majority of these food items are lost due to inadequate storage and processing facilities and this also result in huge fortune losses to the farmers. 

Wastage of agricultural produce at farm gate and losses in the market places especially fruit and vegetables is a recurring challenge Nigerian peasant and mechanised farmers have been battling with. In fact, Nigeria loses about 40-60 per cent of farm produce annually to lack of storage and agro-processing facilities.

Maximizing the potentials of Urban Farming in Nigeria and Reducing Farmers/herdsmen clashes through HYDROPONICS

Plants grow through a process called photosynthesis, in which they use sunlight and a chemical inside their leaves called chlorophyll to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. There's no mention of soil anywhere and that means plants can grow without it. Hydroponics is the method of growing plants without soil, using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent. 

A couple of years back, botanists discovered that Soil works as a reservoir for things like nutrient material and also as a medium by which the plant may strengthen itself, so, when the water supplied to plants already has the needed organic material, and plants are secured or even suspended by other method, then soil becomes unnecessary.