| Anancy, the CTA Virtural Resource Center is a web portal providing numerous information resource materials on agricultural and rural development. It compiles the Centre technical publications, proceedings, policy briefs or rural radio materials. |
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| Latest Publications |
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| Crop Production and Protection (Rural Radio) |
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Radio Programme on how Small-scale Farmers can Market their Produce
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Marketing is becoming increasingly important for small-scale farmers than ever before. Most of the cooperative unions which used to provide outlets to markets for small-scale farmers are no more. There has also been a growth in urban markets, with farm produce making it to the big towns and cities where they fetch better prices. Farmers would also want to have access to good export markets so that they can have better returns for their produce. But how can small-scale farmers take advantage of these opportunities to market their produce? In this radio programme we are going to look at a number of suggestions for small-scale farmers to assist them, for example in making decisions about what to produce, who to sell it to, how to increase its value, and ideas for solving problems with transport and communication.
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| Crop Production and Protection (Rural Radio) |
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Radio Programme on how to Control Stemborers in Maize and Sorghum
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Stemborers are dangerous insect pests in Uganda. They are capable of destroying a great deal of the maize and sorghum plants. Crops between 3 to 5 weeks old are at a higher risk of attack by the Stemborer caterpillar. Stemborers are notorious for killing or stunting corn rows next to fences, grassed waterways, and conservation terraces. How do stemborers get into your maize or sorghum crop? It happens when moths lay eggs on the plant. The eggs hatch in about two to five days. The freshly hatched caterpillars migrate towards the central shoot where they first feed on the tender leaves for sometime. Later on they bore into top internode and move downwards. In case of younger plants, the growing point gets badly damaged resulting into the drying up of the central shoot.
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| Crop Production and Protection (Rural Radio) |
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Radio Programme on how to Identify and Control Major Cassava Diseases on your Farm
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Many plant diseases are caused by very tiny living things called pathogens. Pathogens are so tiny that you cannot see them even with a naked eye. Examples of pathogens are viruses, bacteria, and fungi. When a pathogen attacks a cassava plant, it multiplies and spreads inside or on the plant. As it spreads, it destroys the plant. The plant will show signs (symptoms) of attack. Damage symptoms of major cassava diseases appear on the leaves, stems, and storage roots or tubers of the plant. Cassava diseases are recognized by their symptoms, such as discoloration of leaves, “sores” on the stems, and discoloration of storage roots.Some other diseases which you may notice in cassava are caused by non living things. Examples of such diseases are wilting due to drought and poor plant growth because of poor soils.
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| Crop Production and Protection (Rural Radio) |
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Radio Programme on how to Increase Harvests through Good Soil Ferlitiy Management
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Good soil fertility management ensures that the soil can actually provide the nutrients in sufficient amounts at all times during the growth of plants. Soil fertility in many parts of Africa, however, is declining. Africa’s consumption of fertilizers is the lowest in the world and organic matter that could, to some extent, replace fertility, is often burnt and soils left bare to the degrading effects of the sun and the wind. How can farmers increase their harvests when their soils are poor?
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| Crop Production and Protection (Rural Radio) |
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Radio Programme on how to overcome Banana Weevils on your Farm.
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Banana is a very important crop not only in Uganda, but all over the world. It is the world's fourth most widely-grown food crop after rice, wheat and maize, and the most important food staple in many other countries in Africa. In recent years, banana productivity in Uganda has been decreasing due to pests and diseases, declining soil fertility and socio-economic factors such as inadequate labour and marketing problems. Most banana workers in Africa are women, a trend which may be increasing due to migration of males in search of work. It is important that women especially listen carefully to this radio programme.
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