Search
Magazine home | spotlight | archive  

Archive December 1998

Bammy bread - a Caribbean success story

People viewing FAO's global Telefood gala concert in Jamaica on 4 December should keep an eye out for a popular local food product called Bammy bread. Made from cassava flour, these golden brown cakes go well with a variety of dishes, especially fish. And yet, only a few years ago, Bammy bread had all but disappeared from Jamaica's dining tables, replaced by booming demand for bread made from imported wheat. The fascinating story of how FAO helped revive Bammy bread is told in Spotlight: Bammy bread bounces back.

Export crop liberalization in Africa

Structural adjustment programmes in sub-Saharan Africa have closed down many government-controlled monopolies that once financed the production and controlled the purchase, processing and export of agricultural commodities. A new study by FAO's Marketing and rural finance service (AGSM) says the shift from state marketing boards to the private sector has been "reasonably successful". Producer returns are generally higher and payments are made more promptly. But there is a downside - in most countries, private traders are reluctant to provide farmers with production inputs, and the quality control of some crops has suffered. For details, see Export crop liberalization in Africa: a review or download the publication (PDF, 970K).


Asian small farmers need "business advice"

An FAO roundtable in Bangkok, Thailand, has called on Asia-Pacific governments to help improve small farmer training in business management. Attended by heads of extension services from 12 countries, the roundtable found that small farmers were ill-prepared to exploit growing market opportunities. A key constraint was the lack of extension support - extensionists needed to serve not only as production technologists but business advisers, human resource trainers, information facilitators, and resource and market "linkers". Participants recommended national programmes to strengthen extension services' collaboration with research institutions on market-oriented production issues and development of post-harvest systems that cut costs and improve product quality. (See also our Spotlight article, Contract farming in Asia.)


E-conference on family poultry

Throughout the developing world, smallholder poultry production contributes significantly to family well-being. Making good use of locally available resources, free range, backyard and small-scale intensive family flocks supply eggs and meat for home consumption, and represent a convenient form of savings, investment and insurance. Strategies for transforming family poultry into a sustainable, semi-commercial activity for low-income farmers were among subjects discussed in a recent e-mail conference organized by AG's Animal Production Service (AGAP) and the International Network on Family Poultry Development. More than 150 participants from 50 countries took part - for conference abstracts, papers and comments follow this link.


Country pasture and forage profiles

Meanwhile, our Grassland and Pasture Crops Group has published on-line the first of a series of profiles of pasture and forage resources in developing countries. The initial focus is on countries where pasture/fodder scientists are already collaborating in FAO-sponsored working groups or where FAO has ongoing activities or projects. Based on an outline developed with Australia's University of Queensland, the profiles provide an overview of soils and topography, climatic and agroecological conditions, ruminant livestock production systems, pasture resources, and research and development organizations and personnel, plus references and contacts. Browse the first 10 profiles on Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Kenya.

magazine: home | spotlight | archive  guide: site map © FAO, 1999