Today, we are sharing an email from a dear online friend from the UK, Graham Knight (biodesign@graham.plus.com), whose generosity and desire to empower bottom-of-the-pyramid demographics in the continent, have won him tens of thousands of friends across Africa.
Hopefully, all the political parties vying for power and campaigning across the nation for the December presidential and parliamentary elections, will take a look at the many simple poverty-eradication ideas available at: biodesign.wiki spaces.com - and use them to help transform rural Ghana into a prosperous part of our homeland Ghana.
Suffice it to say that some of us would take the loquacious Mahamadu Bawumias more seriously, if they committed their parties to taking away all land held by Chiefs in trust for their people - and pay compensation for same with long-term government paper which can always be discounted for cash by those Chiefs - for a nationwide land redistribution initiative to alleviate rural poverty and boost agricultural production in Ghana.
Those lands would then be parcelled out to landless families across the country, who either currently farm other people's lands as tenant farmers, or want to start farming on their own lands but cannot afford to purchase land because they are poor.
Farmers would pay for such land in kind painlessly, simply by supplying public educational institutions, government hospitals, the military, police and prisons with foodstuffs at mutually agreed affordable prices, for say twenty years.
Is it not instructive that our nation's educated urban elites never talk about taking over and redistributing land held in trust for their people by Chiefs so that all landless Ghanaians desiring to farm can do so without having to pay upfront for such land?
And if interest-free loans are given to farmers to have those newly-acquired lands mapped and formally registered for them by LandMapp (+233 (0) 30 397 6152), would that not provide them with secure titles to those lands?
Is that not a far better way to spend some of our oil revenues, instead of frittering it away by dishing out a million dollars to each district annually - which will only end up in the pockets of well-connected greed-filled crooks - as some politicians are threatening to do if elected to power in the December polls?
Would previously poor and landless farmers owning land with land title certificates not truly transform Ghanaian society - by alleviating rural poverty and making it a more egalitarian country in the process, I ask?
Is that not a far better way to utlilise our oil revenues than allowing designer-suit-wearing thieves-in-high-places to purlion that too from the national treasury - in order to send their already sky-high net worth into the stratosphere? Hmm, Ghana - eyeasenm o: asem kesie ebeba debi ankasa.
Please read on:
''WORM FARMING - AA & MALARIA - MOBILE PHONES - PUMPKINS
We now have a long list of people interested in starting a worm farm.
This is easy in some SSA countries and very difficult in others!
Send a message if you want more info.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE NEXT SMALL FARMER WHO WE CAN FUND TO START A DEMONSTRATION WORMERY!
ARTEMISIA
Seeds of A Afra have recently been posted to several people.
Remember sometimes packets take several weeks to arrive.
MOBILE PHONES
This message below reminded me to mention that smartphones
are now getting quite cheap!
I bought a small smartphone directly from Aliexpress for about $30!
Almost perfect! Even with import duty it might not cost much more?
Ask for info
"Dear Graham,
I would like to say "thank you" for introducing me to farm radio
network barza.fm@farmradio.org.
In their recent articles I have enjoyed going through Bamboos in Zimbabwe and Mobile phones used in soil fertility testing communication via SMS.
I am laughing at myself as I can see that at times we lose opportunities. If bamboos can grow up to 20 m/yr in Kenya then our regions could look different by now even if they would grow 3 m high/ yr.
The soil testing app in the Mobile phones is another step to making agriculture easier for a common man. I hope this will reach my country soon. Good health.
Nelson Moyo, Anamed Malawi."
But soil testing needs a proper organisation!
PUMPKIN GROWING
IT HAS BEEN RECOGNISED THAT PUMPKINS NOT ONLY PROVIDE GOOD FOOD
BUT SURVIVE UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS, UNLIKE MANY PLANTS
Growing Pumpkins on a commercial scale is slowly becoming popular among farmers in many parts of Uganda.
Traditionally, almost every househol has one or two pumpkin plants in the backyard, mainly for domestic consumption.
Pumpkins are grown across the country mainly for domestic use with the balance being sold for cash.
Varieties of Pumpkin
There are over seven varieties of pumpkins in Uganda. The common ones
include:
* Sweet Cream
* Bala
* Dulu
*Onziga
*Sunfish
* Sugar Pie
* Anderina
Uses of the Pumpkin
* The young leaves make tasty vegetables when steamed.
* The fruit can be prepared in a number of ways as food or sauce or soup.
* Pumpkins can be processed into both fresh juice and wine.
* Pumpkin seeds are also said to be natural aphrodisiacs for both men and women and they promote prostrate health among men. They reduce digestion disorders and stomach acidity.
* Young pumpkins are effective in de-worming children and also help in fighting malnutrition.
* They can serve as animal feeds.
* The seeds can be roasted like groundnuts and seasoned with Salt.
* The pumpkin flesh can also be processed into flour that can be used to make cakes and other confectionery products.
HOW TO GROW PUMPKINS
Pumpkins can be grown in almost any part of Uganda.
* Growing Pumpkins requires a space which receives direct sunlight forat least six hours daily in order for them to do well.
* A single trailing plant can grow as long as 30 feet, sending out many vine shoots all along the way.
* While Pumpkins usually keep low to the ground, they grow where other plants might never venture.
* The huge leaves of the pumpkin plant can serve as floating mulch that holds down weeds and keeps the soil moist.
* A farmer can sow four to five seeds and space them. One can soak the seeds for a night before planting and this will soften the outer shell and make sprouting easier and faster.
* When they are two months old, the plants are pruned of any excess leaves. In case they are attacked by pests, a mixture of red pepper, tobacco and animal urine can be applied. Animal urine is more potent if it is kept for a fortnight before use. Options for artificial pesticides include durbsban 4E, cooper fungicide, indofile m45 and UREA.
HARVESTING
Harvesting starts 90 to 120 days about three to four month from the date of planting. The harvested Pumpkins can be stored for between eight to 36 weeks if they are not disposed of immediately.
HTTP://FORTUNEOFAFRICA.COM/UG/PUMPKIN-GROWING-IN-UGANDA/
PRACTICAL ACTION SAYS."A BIG GLOBAL REVOLUTION TOWARDS MORE SUSTAINABLE
FOOD SECURITY, BETTER NUTRITION AND THE ERADICATION OF EXTREME POVERTY THROUGH THE RECLAMATION OF OTHERWISE UNUSABLE LAND"!
Ask for pumkin seeds!
Graham K
biodesign.wikispaces.com
We now have a long list of people interested in starting a worm farm. This is easy in some SSA countries and very difficult in others! Send a message if you want more info.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE NEXT SMALL FARMER WHO WE CAN FUND TO START A
DEMONSTRATION WORMERY!
ARTEMISIA
Seeds of A Afra have recently been posted to several people. Remember sometimes packets take several weeks to arrive.
MOBILE PHONES
This message below reminded me to mention that smartphones pare now getting quite cheap!
I bought a small smartphone directly from Aliexpress for about $30!
Almost perfect! Even with import duty it might not cost much more?
Ask for info
"Dear Graham,
I would like to say "thank you" for introducing me to farm radio network barza.fm@farmradio.org.
In their recent articles I have enjoyed going through Bamboos in Zimbabwe and Mobile phones used in soil fertility testing communication via SMS.
I am laughing at myself as I can see that at times we lose opportunities. If bamboos can grow up to 20 m/yr in Kenya then our regions could look different by now even if they would grow 3 m high/ yr.
The soil testing app in the Mobile phones is another step to making Agriculture easier for a common man. I hope this will reach my country soon." Good health.
Nelson Moyo,
Anamed Malawi.
But soil testing needs a proper organisation!
PUMPKIN GROWING
IT HAS BEEN RECOGNISED THAT PUMPKINS NOT ONLY PROVIDE GOOD FOOD
BUT SURVIVE UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS, UNLIKE MANY PLANTS
Growing Pumpkins on a commercial scale is slowly becoming popular among
farmers in many parts of Uganda. Traditionally, almost every household
has one or two pumpkin plants in the backyard, mainly for domestic
consumption.
Pumpkins are grown across the country mainly for domestic use with the balance being sold for cash.
Varieties of Pumpkin
There are over seven varieties of pumpkins in Uganda. The common ones
include:
* Sweet Cream
* Bala
* Dulu
* Onziga
* Sunfish
* Sugar Pie
* Anderina
Uses of the Pumpkin
* The young leaves make tasty vegetables when steamed.
* The fruit can be prepared in a number of ways as food or sauce or
soup.
* Pumpkins can be processed into both fresh juice and wine.
* Pumpkin seeds are also said to be natural aphrodisiacs for both men
and women and they promote prostrate health among men. They reduce digestion
disorders and stomach acidity.
* Young pumpkins are effective in de-worming children and also help in
fighting malnutrition
* They can serve as animal feeds.
* The seeds can be roasted like groundnuts and seasoned with Salt.
* The pumpkin flesh can also be processed into flour that can be used
to make cakes and other confectionery products.
HOW TO GROW PUMPKINS
Pumpkins can be grown in almost any part of Uganda.
* Growing Pumpkins requires a space which receives direct sunlight for
at least six hours daily in order for them to do well.
* A single trailing plant can grow as long as 30 feet, sending out many
vine shoots all along the way.
* While Pumpkins usually keep low to the ground, they grow where other
plants might never venture.
* The huge leaves of the pumpkin plant can serve as floating mulch that
holds down weeds and keeps the soil moist.
* A farmer can sow four to five seeds and space them. One can soak the
seeds for a night before planting and this will soften the outer shell
and make sprouting easier and faster.
* When they are two months old, the plants are pruned of any excess
leaves. In case they are attacked by pests, a mixture of red pepper,
tobacco and animal urine can be applied. Animal urine is more potent if
it is kept for a fortnight before use. Options for artificial pesticides
include durbsban 4E, cooper fungicide, indofile m45 and UREA.
HARVESTING
Harvesting starts 90 to 120 days about three to four months
from the date of planting. The harvested Pumpkins can be stored for between eight to
36 weeks if they are not disposed of immediatel
HTTP://FORTUNEOFAFRICA.COM/UG/PUMPKIN-GROWING-IN-UGANDA/
PRACTICAL ACTION SAYS: "A BIG GLOBAL REVOLUTION TOWARDS MORE SUSTAINABLE
FOOD SECURITY, BETTER NUTRITION AND THE ERADICATION OF EXTREME POVERTY THROUGH THE RECLAMATION OF OTHERWISE UNUSABLE LAND"!
Ask for pumkin seeds!
Graham K
biodesign.wikispaces.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment