Increasing agricultural productivity by promoting high-yielding and micronutrient-rich crop varieties has the potential to reduce poverty and malnutrition. However, getting these technologies into the hands of smallholders remains a challenge. This paper presents results from a randomised field experiment that uses rural primary schools as dissemination hubs for improved orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) vines and nutrition information in rural Tanzania and Uganda. Two years after the initial ...

Wet coffee processing leads to the generation of large volumes of wastewater, whose discharge to the environment leads to pollution of freshwater bodies. Kayanza is a major coffee growing area in Burundi with more than 40 wet coffee processing factories (WCPF) that discharge effluents directly to receiving water bodies without treatment. This study was carried out to assess the effect of coffee wastewater on the physicochemical properties of receiving waterbodies in Kayanza coffee growing ecological ...

everal studies have been conducted on shaded cocoa systems, but few of these have examined species-specific crown architecture of upper canopy trees and its influence on shade provision in cocoa agroforestry systems. In view of the fact that cocoa agroforestry is a recommended practice to drive cocoa production onto a climate-smart pathway, and given the role of upper canopy trees in the moderation of shade and light to the cocoa system, there is the need to understand the dynamics of upper canopy ...

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) has rapidly spread in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and has emerged as a major pest of maize and sorghum in the continent. For effective monitoring and a better understanding of the bioecology and management of this pest, a Community-based Fall Armyworm Monitoring, Forecasting, Early Warning and Management (CBFAMFEW) initiative was implemented in six eastern African countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi). Over 650 Community ...

Edible crickets are among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction of malnutrition. Globally, the sustainable use of crickets as food or feed is undermined by lack of information on the number of the edible crickets, the country where they are consumed, and the developmental stages consumed. Furthermore, lack of data on their nutritional content and the potential risks to potential consumers ...

Background Heterobeltiosis is the phenomenon when the hybrid’s performance is superior to its best performing parent. Banana (Musa spp. AAA) breeding is a tedious, time-consuming process, taking up to two decades to develop a consumer acceptable hybrid. Exploiting heterobeltiosis in banana breeding will help to select breeding material with high complementarity, thus increasing banana breeding efficiency. The aim of this study was therefore to determine and document the level of heterobeltiosis ...

The banana aphid, Pentalonia nigronervosa, is the sole insect vector of banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), the causal agent of banana bunchy top disease. The aphid acquires and transmits BBTV while feeding on infected banana plants. RNA interference (RNAi) enables the generation of pest and disease-resistant crops; however, its effectiveness relies on the identification of pivotal gene sequences to target and silence. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an essential enzyme responsible for the hydrolytic ...

Soybean productivity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is less than half of the global average yield. To plug the productivity gap, further improvement in grain yield must be attained by enhancing the genetic potential of new cultivars that depends on the genetic diversity of the parents. Hence, our aim was to assess genetic diversity and population structure of elite soybean genotypes, mainly released cultivars and advanced selections in SSA. In this study, a set of 165 lines was genotyped with ...

The study evaluated the effect of genotype and growing locations on biofortified cassava root genotypes’ chemical properties. Twentyeight genotypes of biofortified yellow and white-fleshed cassava were planted across four geographical areas in Nigeria and harvested for two seasons. This research analyzed the chemical properties (DM, VC, TC, and CNP) of the samples using standard laboratory procedures. ANOVA, descriptive analysis, PCA, and HCA was carried out on the generated data using SAS software. ...

Various quality grades of high-quality cassava flour (HQCF) are found in markets due to the rapid increase in its utilization for product development. Therefore, this study assessed the chemical, functional and pasting properties and the microbial and aflatoxin content of HQCF being sold in Lusaka markets. Nine samples of HQCF (coded CM 01 to 09) were collected from supermarkets, one major open market, and one cassava processing centre. The samples were analyzed for chemical, functional and pasting ...