Efforts to control weeds in cassava
farms received a boost recently with Nigerian engineers joining forces with
experts from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to seek
sustainable solutions to tackle the menace.
The team of engineers drawn from members
of the academia, IITA, public and private sectors are exploring mechanical
weeding options used elsewhere in the world with the hope of adapting them to
African cropping systems.
The team intends to build on present
motorised weeding equipment already available in the market by studying their
limitations in the African farming context, understanding those limitations and
modifying the equipment for maximum efficiency.
At a meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State
capital, recently, to kick off the collaboration, Alfred Dixon, project leader
for the Cassava Weed Management Project, described the partnership as key
milestone that would redefine mechanical control of weeds in crops such as
cassava in Nigeria in particular, and Africa in general.
“For us to maximise yield in Africa, we
need to mechanise weeding. And the challenge before us is to innovate options
that will take off drudgery from farmers, and make the farms weed-free so that
the crops will grow and express their full potential,” Dixon said.
Accounting for between 50 percent and 80
percent of the total labour budget of cassava growers, weeds are major
disincentives to African farmers. And with traditional agriculture still
predominant, women and children bear more the brunt of weeding investing
between 200 and 500 hours annually in clearing weeds on a hectare of cassava to
prevent economic root losses in Nigeria. The drudgery involved in weeding
places a hard-to-bear yolk on women, compromises productivity, and more
importantly, put to jeopardy the education of children of ages 5-14 years as
most are forced out of school to assist their parents.
Dixon said unless solutions to weeds are
made available, African farmers will not increase their farm sizes and enjoy
the gains of agricultural growth. “They can plant only what they can weed,” he
added.
Olawale John Olukunle, Head, Department
of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA),
commended the IITA Cassava Weed Management Project for welcoming the proposal
to jointly work with the Nigerian experts; and praised the Institute’s efforts
towards addressing the problem of weeds in cassava and other African crops.
Launched early this year, the Cassava
Weed Management Project is confronting the problem of weeds on several fronts
including the use of best-bet agronomic practices by combining improved cassava
varieties with proper planting dates, plant populations, plant nutrition
options and also focusing on inter-cropping and tillage research. The
integrated weed management approach of the project also includes the use of
herbicides that meet globally accepted conventions and safety thresholds
appropriate for smallholder farmers.
The project intends to widely share
knowledge with farmers on cassava weed control so they can make informed and
better choices in controlling weeds on their farms using labour-saving options.
Source: http://businessdayonline.com/2014/08/nigerian-engineers-partner-iita-to-halt-devastation-by-weeds/
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