General Technical Documents

Maize Armyworm and Stalk Borer Scouting - 20/04/2018

The introduction of Fall Armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda) to Africa in 2016 has raised concerns of possible widespread damage of maize and other crops. Stalk borers are a common pest of maize throughout Africa, causing modest damage virtually every year. Armyworms, on the other hand, can devastate maize and other crops if not controlled at a young age. Because of this big difference in damage potential, it is important to identify these pests early in their life cycle.

Livestock to Markets (L2M) - Action Plan - 08/03/2018

This is an ACTION PLAN based on participation of representatives from three East Africa countries in the L2M Working Group. The group developed a common framework to guide their discussion and understanding of all the elements that influence the development of a Livestock to Markets Business among pastoralist communities. They will use this as a benchmark for their commitment and actions in their respective countries over the next two years.

Rangelands Group Framework Worksheet - 08/03/2018

This worksheet was used at the 3rd ECHO East Africa Pastoralist Symposium by a group generating a joint voluntary plan of action including policy and legislation inhibiting or needed, social and cultural approaches that inhibit or could add value, economic tools, and natural resources governance.

Sustained Rangeland Improvement with Special Reference to the Laikipia Controversies - 08/03/2018

I have spent over fifty years working in East African Rangelands studying wildlife in National Parks and ranches or helping pastoralists in northern Kenya and consulting in Tanzania. The situation has changed unpredictably and dramatically since my original research in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda. The main change has been rapid and near exponential human population growth with accompanying degradation of the rangelands especially those classified as ASALs (Arid or Semi-Arid Lands). It is not unique to the Greater Horn of Africa, but an example of what has been happening in most countries in Sahelian Africa. A world’s leading expert on deserts concluded over 25 years ago that “all the areas between the 100mm and 300mm isohyets will become man-made deserts in the next 35-70 years if the present trend is not reversed!” (Le Houerou,1991).  Further exacerbating the effects of unchecked population growth is that of global warming, where pastoralists are the victims of the rapid increase in the use of fossil fuels by the world’s increased human population.

Permaculture For Refugees in Camps - 20/02/2018

PermacultureForRefugees (P4R) a publié son premier livret dans une série pour apporter des solutions de permaculture aux situations de réfugiés. Permaculture for Refugees in Camps est un guide pratique de 20 pages décrivant une approche positive pour transformer les camps de réfugiés. C'est l'aboutissement d'idées, d'expériences et de connaissances fondées sur la discussion, les écrits, la recherche et l'expérience partagée des membres fondateurs du groupe de travail de P4R. Le document est rédigé par Ruth Harvey et Rowe Morrow.
Le livret redéfinit la période d’incertitude dans les camps, en partant de l'oisiveté forcée et du désespoir à un moment d'apprentissage et création de liens avec la terre et entre eux. En travaillant à partir de l'éthique, il présente des méthodes d'éco-conception. Il présente des principes et des stratégies qui peuvent habiliter les communautés privées de leurs droits et leur donner des compétences et des connaissances en permaculture pour passer à l'étape suivante, quelle qu'elle soit

Bicycle Pump Vacuum Sealer for Seed Storage - 20/01/2018

Storing seeds in the tropics can often be difficult; with high temperatures and humid conditions, seeds lose their ability to germinate quickly.  Many techniques for seed storage exist, from the high-tech standards of gene banks to simple methods used by villagers for saving their own seeds.  All have their strengths and weaknesses, but when balancing costs and resources, which methods are really the most effective?  This article highlights research conducted by ECHO Asia regarding the use of vacuum sealing, using a simple bicycle tire pump, for tropical seed storage under resource-constrained settings.

The three key factors that determine the rate of seed deterioration in storage are: oxygen pressure (amount of oxygen with the seeds in storage), seed moisture content, and temperature (Roberts, 1973).  An increase in any of these factors will lower the storage life of the seeds, and as a general rule any increase of 1% moisture content or 10^° F (5.6^° C) in storage will halve the storage life of the seeds (Bewley and Black, 1985).  Each factor contributes to seed decay in specific ways, and minimizing these conditions is critical to effective seed storage.  Vacuum sealing is a relatively low-cost method that requires few inputs after an initial investment.  Sealing helps conserve seed quality by minimizing oxygen presence and exposure to ambient humidity, thereby keeping seed moisture content low.

Moringa oleifera f-sand Filters for Sustainable Water Purification - 22/11/2017

ABSTRACT: Environmental Science & Technology, 2017

The purpose of this work is to determine parameters for the design of a Moringa seed sand filter for water purification. Moringa oleifera seeds containing cationic antimicrobial proteins have been used as natural coagulants for the removal of turbidity; however, a low removal efficiency and high residual organic levels limit their applications. In this work, Moringa seed extracts were used to reverse the charge of sand ( fsand) to 10 mV at a seed dosage of 5.6 g of seeds/m² of sand. This f-sand filter demonstrated ∼4 log removal of 1 μm polystyrene particles and >8 log removal of Escherichia coli compared to <0.1 log removal for bare sand. Enhanced removal for particles and E. coli was dominated by attractive electrostatic interactions. Clean bed filtration modeling predicts a sticking coefficient (α) of 0.8 for f-sand compared to a value of 0.01 for bare sand. This α was further validated under a wide range of filtration conditions. Preliminary scale-up analyses suggest a point-of-use f-sand filter that requires a very small amount of seeds annually. The outcome of this work presents the scientific basis for the design of a water purification solution for developing regions, requiring only locally available resources and no use of synthetic chemicals or electricity.

ECHO Crop Information Sheet - 08/05/2017

ECHO reguguarly keeps track of crop porduction records especially for crops disseminated from our Global Seed Bank. This fillable form is the sheet ECHO staff (mainly interns) use when evaluating a crop for it's potential use and distribution to ECHO's Network. This form can also be used to monitor and evaluate new crops or regenerated crops. This form was made specifically for ECHO's use, so it may need adapted and reconfigured in order to best suit your needs and your capacity.

Principes-Guides de l’Agriculture de conservation - 20/04/2017

Agriculture de conservation (AC) — caractérisée par les trois principes liés à la minimisation de la perturbation du sol, couvrant de façon permanente le sol et incluant les rotations et les associations de cultures - s’est avérée efficace pour restaurer la santé et la fertilité du sol, améliorer la rétention et l’utilisation des précipitations et augmenter les rendements des cultures et la rentabilité des exploitations agricoles. Les études scientifiques et l’expérience des agriculteurs ont également montré qu’elle peut améliorer la sécurité alimentaire, réduire les besoins en main-d’oeuvre (ce qui entraîne des avantages importants pour les femmes petites agricultrices) et aider à créer des systèmes agricoles plus résistants aux changements climatiques. Dans les régions semi-arides d’Afrique, où une grande partie des interventions de Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) est concentrée, les pratiques de l’AC ont montré que l’AC améliorerait l’humidité et la fertilité du sol et entraînerait des gains de rendement substantiels.

Au cours de la dernière décennie, les partenaires du réseau Canadien de la CFGB ont mis en place plus de 50 projets de l’agriculture de conservation dans de nombreux pays de l’Afrique subsaharienne. Cette dynamique a stimulé la création de ressources, des réunions annuelles et d’autres occasions de partager et d’apprendre ensemble des expériences et connaissances, ainsi que l’embauche de six agents techniques à plein temps.

Cette équipe technique CFGB a recueilli des connaissances et des expériences de partenaires, a examiné la littérature scientifique et a parlé à d’autres personnes impliquées dans la programmation de l’AC. Ils ont utilisé ces connaissances à ce jour pour élaborer la liste de principes de base suivante pour guider la programmation de l’AC. Veuillez noter que ce sont des principes (vérités générales qui guident l’action) et non les lois (règles rigoureuses sur ce qu’il faut faire). En conséquence, ces principes doivent être traités, utilisés et adaptés à des situations spécifiques. Nous apprécions vos commentaires et vos réflexions sur ces principes, sinon nous prévoyons de les mettre à jour régulièrement.

Parthenium hysterophorus - 09/02/2017

Parthenium hysterophorus, also known as carrot top, white top weed, and fever few is a fairly new invasive weed but has quickly become one of the worst weeds to tropical areas(CABI 2015). In Ethiopia it is known as Farmasissa which means “sign your land away” (IAPPS 2016). Originally from Central America, Parthenium has been seen to cause major problems in India and Southeast Asia, Australia, and East Africa. In 2015, Parthenium is said to have invaded roughly 34 countries globally (Strathie 2015). A fast growing highly reproductive invasive species, Parthenium has become a hazard to farmland, rangeland, as well as animal and human health.