Between 1987-2007 much of Northern Uganda was engaged in a civil war that left the rural nation closed off to development and investment. It also left the population with a serious food insecurity issue. Now USDA’s Food for Progress Program, along with The National Cooperative Business Association-Cooperative League of the United States of America International (NCBA-CLUSA) and Mercy Corps are teaching small farmers in the area farming techniques to increase their yields.

Ugandan farmers like Grace Opono have implemented farming techniques that have helped her double her yields in just two seasons. Now Opono has also created a second income by providing tilling services to her neighbors. She can also afford to educate her kids and still has income left over to reinvest in her land.

The Food for Progress Program is being administered by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service to help developing countries expand their agricultural sectors. It’s one of 19 countries that are part of the President’s Feed the Future Initiative to improve food security globally through the development of crops like maize, coffee, and beans.

According to the USDA:

Farmers showed off their fields of tall maize stalks, which had flourished despite a delayed rainfall because the technique allows the topsoil to retain more moisture. More than 4,244 farmers have realized increased yields and are now sharing their knowledge and training with over 55,000 more growers.

Food for Progress and Mercy Corps are also working with Postbank to provide microloans to small farmers in the country. USDA’s Lindsay Carter spoke about some of the farmers:

“I had the opportunity to hear from a group of female farmers who had just taken out their second agricultural loan from Postbank. They paid off their first loan after using it to buy improved sesame seeds, which gave them a larger harvest and more earnings.”

What do you think of the USDA Food for Progress Program?

Related on EcoSalon

Sustainable Aloha at Maui’s Organic Lavender Fields

Growing Cities Will Make Urban Farming Your New Obsession

Why is Rural America Going Hungry?

Image: Department of Foreign Affairs

The post USDA Farming Techniques Improve Ugandan Crop Yields appeared first on EcoSalon.

One-third of our world’s growing fields rely on the European honeybee, the type of bee kept by beekeepers in western countries. But according to a study conducted to solve the mysteries of CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) honeybees are dying of infections that are difficult to identify and cure.

Research highlighted in Scientific American finds there are many possible contributing factors but no single culprit in the deaths of colonies. Bees suffering from CCD appear to be infested with multiple pathogens (including a newly discovered virus) and solving the problem may require “taking better care of the environment and making long-term changes to our beekeeping and agricultural practices.”

As I’ve described in past posts on CCD, many of the varieties of super foods and fruits and vegetables we consume –  apples, blueberries, broccoli and almonds – are greatly at risk as they require bees to flourish. The study reports that even before the onslaught of CCD, farmers watched their honeybee populations diminish because of a number of ailments.

While colonies have always collapsed, the drop in 2006 was major. The population was estimated at around 2.4 after the disorder took out colonies in large numbers, reducing the overall population to half of what it was in 1949. The losses got worse in 2007 and 2008. So much attention has been focused on this issue that there even is a website devoted entirely to CCD news, opinions and research.

SciAm says the concern now is not the extinction of our friend the honeybee but rather the disappearance of the skilled bee keeper.

“If beekeepers’ skills and know-how become a rarity as a result, then even if CCD is eventually overcome, nearly 100 of our crops could be left without pollinators and large-scale production of certain crops could become impossible,” states the report. It says we would still have starchy staples like corn, wheat, potatoes and rice, but much of the important and nutritious food we consume today we become “the food of kings.”

Here are a few major points from this important research:

• Millions of beehives worldwide have emptied out as honeybees mysteriously disappear, putting at risk nearly 100 crops that require pollination.
• Research is pointing to a complex disease in which combinations of factors, including farming practices, make bees vulnerable to viruses.
• Taking extra care with hive hygiene seems to aid prevention. And research into antiviral drugs could lead to pharmaceutical solutions.

Image: Kuribo

The post Solving the Mystery of Our Vanishing Bees appeared first on EcoSalon.