General Technical Documents

Positive effects of Moringa oleifera and Moringa stenopetala seed and leaf extracts against selected bacteria - 20/01/2024

Moringa oleifera is hailed as the “miracle tree” for its impressive catalog of nutritional, medicinal, and water purification benefits. A (sub)tropical plant with a rapid growth rate (3–5 m in a single season), Moringa has proven beneficial in multiple ways in developing regions around the world. In addition to its high nutrient content and water clarifying properties, Moringa seed and leaf extracts have shown potential as natural antibacterial agents. Based on this, we anticipated that extracts from multiple species of Moringa would exhibit potentially useful antibacterial properties against a range of bacterial species. To explore this, both disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) culture techniques were employed to assess the inhibitory effects of seed and leaf extracts from M. oleifera and M. stenopetala against species of bacteria commonly used in research and teaching laboratories. Aqueous seed extracts from both Moringa species showed broad-spectrum activity but were especially effective at inhibiting the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, including species of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Bacillus. Moringa leaf extracts also exhibited antibacterial activity, with ethanolic leaf extracts showing greater efficacy than aqueous leaf extracts in disk-diffusion assays. Temporary acidification (1 h at pH 2) of Moringa seed and leaf extracts had a detrimental effect on their antibacterial activity. MIC assays using Moringa leaf extracts also showed more pronounced inhibition of Gram-positive bacteria (MIC = 12.5% v/v) versus Gram-negative species (MIC = 25% v/v). These results are of particular relevance in tropical areas where pharmaceutical drugs are scarce but Moringa is widely available and often used as a nutritional supplement. Moreover, the rising threat of multi-drug resistant pathogens lends greater importance to the study of antibacterial plant products that ultimately may find application in the clinical setting.

Cambodian Food Culture - 31/03/2023

by Sovanneary Huot, Dr. David Ader, Dr. Srean Pao, Dr. Ricky Bates, and Hans Goertz

This recipe and nutrition guide is written in Khmer and focuses on wild food plants, sometimes called neglected and underutilized species, of the country of Cambodia. Smallholders forage and/or cultivate plants with a diversity of functions, but this resource focuses on wild food plants and how to incorporate them into daily diets. Many wild food plants are nutrient-dense and include vital nutrients and minerals for human health. Information about these plants has been lost over time though elders in communities may still remember how to cultivate and/or cook them. This cookbook Cambodian Food Culture: Wild food plant dishes contains thirteen recipes highlighting wild food plants. Each recipe details ingredients and preparation steps for traditional dishes. Nutritional tables are at the end of the book. The authors state that "The purpose of this book is to promote the stewardship and understanding of the benefits and sues of wild food plants for everyday food consumption."

Beyond Borders: Satellite Applications for Humanitarian Emergencies - 20/08/2022

Humanitarian actors continually make complex decisions in the preparation for, and response to, humanitarian emergencies. Digital technologies support these decisionmaking processes by providing large volumes of high-quality data that enables insight. The term “digital data for development (D4D)” refers to the use of data generated by mobile, satellite, and digital devices to inform and strengthen nonprofit, humanitarian, and public-sector decision-making.

Satellite applications, as digital technology, provide a unique source of data about people and their surrounding environment and can fill significant data and information gaps in management and decision-making processes. Often this data may not exist in any other form (e.g., in remote or conflict areas). In other cases, satellite applications may offer data that is more frequent, more detailed, and more affordable than groundbased data sources, such as traditional maps, census data, bespoke surveys, ground teams, or even innovative methods like the use of drones.

Coffee Silverskin - 01/07/2022

Coffee silverskin is high in nutrients, but contains recalcitrant and phytotoxic compounds, limiting its use as a mulch or soil amendment. Fortunately, composting can reduce or eliminate these problems.

Composition

Coffee Silverskin (CS) is the membrane surrounding the coffee bean which separates from the bean during roasting (Figure 1). More-exterior layers, from endocarp outward, are removed prior to roasting, during coffee cherry processing. Thus, CS is the predominant waste created during bean roasting.

CS is largely composed of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, probably in the form of a lignocellulosic matrix (Carnier et al 2019). Composition varies with the type of coffee and growing conditions. Examples of the varying composition are illustrated in Figure 2 and Table 1.

CS is high in nutrients, including N, P, K and a variety of micronutrients (Table 2). However, CS is also known to contain a number of potentially phytotoxic compounds including phenolics, chlorogenic acid, and caffeine (Gonzalez-Moreno et al 2020, Picca et al 2022). Some CS compounds also exhibit anti-fungal properties and CS extract has been proposed as an alternative wood preservative (Barbero-Lopez et al 2020).

CS as Soil Amendment or Mulch

The high nutrient content suggests that CS could be used as a fertilizer or soil amendment. However, it appears that the nitrogen is primarily bound in highly recalcitrant lignocellulosic compounds. The lack of available N means CS should not be considered a fertilizer or soil amendment (Carnier et al 2019).

Table 2. Example Nutrient Content of CS (adapted from Gonzalez-Moreno et al 2020)

The lignocellulosic content of CS should not pose a problem if used as a mulch. However, the phytogenic properties of some CS compounds suggests that heavy use of CS as a mulch should be avoided (Gonzalez-Moreno et al 2020, Picca et al 2022).

Fortunately, composting has been shown to degrade the phytogenic compounds in CS, providing a route for safely returning CS nutrients to the soil. Picca et al (2022) have shown that composting with garden prunings and biochar eliminated phytotoxicity while making nitrogen readily available. Gonzalez-Moreno et al (2020) demonstrated a similar outcome with vermicomposting. However, they noted that CS can be toxic to worms in high concentration.

References

Barbero-López, A., Monzó-Beltrán, J., Virjamo, V., Akkanen, J., & Haapala, A. (2020). Revalorization of coffee silverskin as a potential feedstock for antifungal chemicals in wood preservation. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 152, 105011.

Carnier, R., Berton, R. S., Coscione, A. R., Pires, A. M. M., & Corbo, J. Z. (2019). Coffee silverskin and expired coffee powder used as organic fertilizers.

González-Moreno, M. A., García Gracianteparaluceta, B., Marcelino Sádaba, S., Zaratiegui Urdin, J., Robles Domínguez, E., Pérez Ezcurdia, M. A., & Seco Meneses, A. (2020). Feasibility of vermicomposting of spent coffee grounds and silverskin from coffee industries: A laboratory study. Agronomy, 10(8), 1125.

Hijosa-Valsero, M., Garita-Cambronero, J., Paniagua-García, A. I., & Díez-Antolínez, R. (2018). Biobutanol production from coffee silverskin. Microbial cell factories, 17(1), 1-9.

Malara, A., Paone, E., Frontera, P., Bonaccorsi, L., Panzera, G., & Mauriello, F. (2018). Sustainable exploitation of coffee silverskin in water remediation. Sustainability, 10(10), 3547.

Narita, Y., & Inouye, K. (2014). Review on utilization and composition of coffee silverskin. Food Research International, 61, 16-22.

Picca, G., Plaza, C., Madejón, E., & Panettieri, M. (2022). Compositing of coffee silverskin with carbon rich materials leads to high quality soil amendments.

Modern Beekeeping Practice and Honey Production - Nigeria's untapped goldmine - 20/01/2022

Submitted by the author for publication on ECHOcommunity  :  © 2022 Yusuf Olufade

No book on beekeeping can cover everything about such a vast subject, and so a decision was taken to steer the reader towards the practical rather than the theoretical side of the subject. It is hoped that, by doing so, this book should help to get you started. You can pick up the more theoretical aspects from specialist books and beekeeping journals and papers – the important thing now is to begin to explore the exciting world of beekeeping which is largely untapped in Nigeria.

This book will also let government at all levels, corporate bodies and Non-Governmental Organizations to know the most sustainable and workable business model for commercial scale modern beekeeping in Nigeria based on my thorough research and analyses.

Food Safety Strategy for Africa 2022 - 2036 - 20/01/2022

Food safety is poised to play a key role in Africa’s agricultural transformation due increased demand for food fueled by the continent’s rapid population growth and the entry into force of the exciting era of the African Continental Free Trade (AfCFTA) Area Agreement. Within the broader context of Sanitary and PhytoSanitary (SPS) measures, food safety presents an enormous opportunity for food trade under the AfCFTA since over 75% of trade in Africa is dominated by agriculture products. However, Africa’s food safety records remain the worst compared to other regions, and accounts for 30% of global deaths associated with foodborne illnesses. Consumption of unsafe food accounts for approximately 137,000 deaths and about 91 million cases of acute foodborne illnesses on an annual basis in Africa, the highest estimates worldwide. Moreover, these foodborne diseases affect disproportionately the most vulnerable of the society, the infants, young children (under five years), pregnant women, the elderly and immunocompromised people. Besides the human suffering caused by foodborne illnesses, the economic impact on African economies due to unsafe foods is staggering.

A situation which if not addressed could seriously jeopardize the attainment of the goals set in the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agriculture growth and Transformation because of the cost of lost productivity to African economies the cost of lost opportunities in agriculture food trade gains that could prevent the achievement of the goal set of tripling intra-African trade by 2025.

The Food Safety Strategy of Africa (FSSA) will provide a harmonized framework to implement activities that mitigate various food safety threats that negatively impact consumers’ health. The strategy will help to address non-tariff barriers, particularly those related to Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures or standards that have the potential of slowing down the attainment of the Malabo Declaration aspirations and ultimately the African Union Agenda 2063 and related flagship programmes impacted by food safety. An additional benefit of the strategy will be reduction of duplication of efforts, facilitating synergy leveraging on resources and capabilities, and enhancing lesson learning and best practices. This strategy is developed as a tool for the implementation of the Continental SPS Policy Framework for Africa endorsed by AU policy organs in 2020.

Guide photo rapide de ECHO sur les dégâts causés par les insectes ravageurs par rapport à d’autres dégâts subis par les cultures - 07/04/2021

Insect feeding damage or other insect activity can look similar to many bacterial, fungal, or viral diseases or to plant nutrient deficiency symptoms. Before taking action against an assumed insect pest, verify that the symptoms you observe are not caused by a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection. Insecticides are not effective against these types of infections, and improper use of insecticides wastes farmers’ valuable resources and can kill beneficial insects. For visual comparisons of common diseases and pest damage, you can use this quick photo guide which has side-by-side photo comparisons of commonly confused plant health issues. 
 

Fiche Technique pour le Système de Riziculture Intensive (SRI) à Tombouctou, Mali - 20/10/2020

Cette fiche technique a été élaborée pendant la saison culturale 2008/2009 par les techniciens d’Africare et du Service d’Agriculture du Cercle (SAC) de Goundam. Les consignes techniques décrites dans cette fiche sont issues i) de l’étude bibliographique des pratiques SRI ailleurs dans le monde, plus précisément à Madagascar, au Nepal et en Inde (voir bibliographie à la fin de ce document), et ii) d’adapter les consignes techniques SRI aux conditions locales de la riziculture avec 60 paysans de Goundam et Dire dans la région de Tombouctou. Cette fiche est en élaboration, car au fur et à mesure que nous gagnons de l’expérience avec le SRI, les consignes techniques vont se développer. Également, il y a toujours un travail d’adaptation aux conditions locales à faire.

Directives d’Analyse du Sol - CFGB - 20/04/2020

L’infertilité du sol est une contrainte majeure pour l’amélioration de la production agricole envers les petits agriculteurs. Dans les zones d’interventions des membres de Canadian Foodgrains Bank, les sols se dégradent et deviennent médiocres en éléments nutritifs et matières organiques. L’analyse du sol mesure la santé et la capacité de rétention des éléments nutritifs, et fournit l’état de sa santé et des éléments nutritifs contenus dans le sol. Elle sert aussi de base pour les décisions de gestion des cultures et du sol. L’analyse du sol a été proposée par les techniciens spécialistes, par les agents gouvernementaux de vulgarisation et à travers les messages radiodiffusés. Par conséquent, il y a une demande croissante par les agriculteurs et des partenaires du projet pour des stratégies et services d’analyse du sol. Les agriculteurs ont besoin d’une directive spécifique sur quels meilleurs intrants fertilisants, et quelle quantité à appliquer.

Vu plusieurs options d’analyse du sol disponibles, il est important d’identifier quelles analyses sont les plus utiles pour un projet donné, et pour quelle raison. Certaines analyses sont utiles pour élaborer des recommandations sur la façon dont les agriculteurs gèrent les cultures. D’autres analyses pourraient ne pas aider dans la prise de décisions face à la gestion des cultures, mais sont plutôt utiles à la formation des agriculteurs en vue de pouvoir réfléchir à la santé du sol. D’autres sont encore utiles au contrôle et à l’évaluation des effets du projet aux éléments nutritifs et à la santé du sol. Ce guide est désigné pour aider les partenaires à décider quelles analyses sont plus importantes et rentables pour leur contexte.

Animal integration and feeding strategies for the tropical smallholder farm - 05/10/2019

Animal integration and feeding strategies for the tropical smallholder farm: Approaches and methods for increasing sustainability and profitability

Copyright © 2019 Keith Mikkelson – ECHO Asia Impact Center 

Integrated livestock systems can provide many benefits. With careful planning and by starting small, most farmers will be able to incorporate cows, goats, chickens, or hogs and improve the stability of their farm. Crop residues can reduce feed costs, and manure can reduce fertilizer costs. Manure can also be used to produce biogas for cooking or heating, to reduce costs on the farm. Grazing livestock can help manage weeds and improve soil health.  

This booklet was borne out of a need to help smallholder farmers re-integrate animals into their systems and use nutrients and energy wisely in order to reduce external inputs, increasing sustainability and profitability. It gives practical information, starter feed recipes, and much more, showcasing organic best practices occurring at the Aloha Farm in Palawan, The Philippines.  

This booklet is based on five of Keith’s prior articles that were written for ECHO Asia Notes, which include AN #20 Fish Feed, AN #25 Hog Feed, AN #28 Poultry Feed, AN #31 Ruminant Feeds, and AN #35 Animal Integration. This book is available in hard copy in our office.

Here are excerpts from Chapter 1 (Asia Note 35) “Livestock Integration”: 

Properly managed livestock can bring the tropical farmer higher profits than some market vegetables and most grains. In permaculture, we say “integrate instead of segregate!” An example of this is the way farmers integrate their grazing livestock into seasonal cropping patterns.  In traditional upland farmland systems, cattle and goats are left to graze in the forest or taken up onto higher ground away from the cropland during the growing season. When the harvest is over, the animals are brought back to the village to graze on the fallow croplands during the dry season. At the Aloha House Farm, we raise and integrate goats, chickens, ducks, cattle, and hogs. For example, our goats graze pasture and browse as well as feed on legume shrubs, and we feed some crop residues to the goats. With the integrated system, we are able to eliminate many feed costs and (with the manure we collect) also eliminate many fertilizer costs. We cut and carry fresh feed stock for goats, cows, chickens, and hogs; it requires labor, but we are able to minimize inputs. 

...from Chapter 2 (AN20) “Integrating Fish”: 

With experimentation and careful recordkeeping, a fish farmer can produce his/her own high-quality feed.  In many countries, readily available meat grinders and pelletizers have made it possible to create economic floating feeds for tilapia, koi or catfish. Our unit was obtained in Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand. It is an un-branded stainless-steel auger-driven meat mincer manufactured in China. We assembled it on a table at home and mounted it with a 1 hp motor. Before beginning, make sure you have a range of plate sizes to extrude your feed, so that feed and stock size can match. The sizes we use are in the 2-8 mm range for our 300-500 gram tilapia production. When we finish making the feed, we immediately dismantle and clean the auger, blade and plates. When done with a good auger-type grinder, very little effort is spent in the production of feeds. At Aloha House, two people can produce ten trays (approximately 45 kg) of moist feed in less than one hour.  

...from Chapter 3 (AN25) “Integrating Hogs”: 

Corn-fed pork is a phenomenon that came about through a glut of low-cost maize production in industrialized countries. Modern corn has a higher carbohydrate level and a corresponding lower level of protein. By contrast, rice bran has twice the crude protein of corn, and is often less expensive. In a natural feed system, protein is the number one limiting factor in performance and growth of livestock; it is also the most expensive to purchase. If you keep the target protein level appropriate for the age of the animal, everything else will balance out with your natural feed. In creating your pig feed, you pay for protein. Old corn-based feed formulas are based on corn varieties that had more protein than the modern dent corn that permeates our supply chain (which also contains glyphosate residues and is often genetically modified). On Palawan, where Aloha House is located, corn is approximately twice the price and contains half the protein of rice bran, making corn protein four times more expensive than rice protein. We want natural feed supplies for our hogs to be economical and to assure the best end product. 

...from Chapter 4 (AN28) “Integrating Poultry”: 

The fermenting activity of certain beneficial microorganisms during the production process can enhance the digestibility and shelf life of chicken feeds. According to one study, the use of microorganisms increased the crude protein in copra meal from 17.24% to 31.22%. An amino acid was also found to be greatly improved in quantity. Please note that not all flocks like a wet feed. You can mix feed without fermenting in the morning and use it immediately if your chickens do not appreciate fermented feeds, which tend to be wet. In addition to chicken feed, you can also ferment your feed for hogs, ducks, and fish with the help of diverse probiotic groups of microbes. However, we do not recommend fermentation for ruminant feeds. 

...from Chapter 5 (AN31) “Integrating Ruminants”: 

Farmers feeding cows, goats, sheep, and buffalo should attempt to keep purchased inputs to a minimum. Farmers must balance the dietary needs of their animals with safety, comfort, and security from theft. No matter how ideal your goals for your ruminant herd, make sure you carefully plan and manage for the overall benefit of the animals and the farmer. Most small farms in SE Asia would do well to develop and manage some amount of pasture for ruminants, combined with a cut and carry strategy. Manure should be incorporated on the farm to maintain soil fertility for the forages and plants, and tighten nutrient cycling loops so that the benefits of integrated livestock will translate into more economical and sustainable food production.