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In The Spotlight

Kakuzi Takes Lead in 2025 Kenya Avocado Excellence Awards.

Agriculture

Kakuzi Plc (NSE: KUKZ), one of Kenya’s most prominent agribusiness and superfoods producers, has secured a leading position in the upcoming 2025 Kenya Avocado Excellence Awards (KAEA).

The company, widely recognised for its premium-quality avocados supplied to both local and international markets, has received four nominations further reinforcing its reputation as a well-structured, diversified, and vertically integrated agricultural enterprise.

The Kenya Avocado Excellence Awards, hosted annually by the Avocado Society of Kenya, celebrate excellence across the avocado value chain. The sixth edition of this prestigious event is set to take place on 5 December 2025 at the Argyle Grand Hotel in Nairobi, where top performers in the industry will be acknowledged for their contribution to Kenya’s growing avocado sector.

Kakuzi’s four nominations cover significant categories that reflect its scale and expertise. These include the Large-Scale Orchards category, recognising its expansive Murang’a estates covering more than 100 acres; the Nursery and Seedlings Growers category; a nomination for Large-Scale Exporter, awarded to producers with over 200 containers shipped; and Auxiliary Services, highlighting its advanced and efficient packhouse operations. These nominations underscore the company’s influence across multiple stages of the avocado supply chain.

Speaking about the recognition, Kakuzi Managing Director Mr Chris Flowers said: “This recognition belongs to our exceptional teams for their collective efforts to position Kenya as a globally competitive producer of avocados.” He also praised the dedication of Kakuzi staff both in the field and at the packhouse, emphasising that the nominations “reflect the continuous commitment to producing quality avocados.”

Mr Flowers reaffirmed the company’s plans to strengthen its collaboration with smallholder growers, adding: “We will continue collaborating and empowering smallholder avocado farmers through technical training and capacity building to enable market access.”

Kakuzi currently operates 963 hectares of certified avocado production, making it one of the region’s largest producers. The company also runs an extensive outgrower scheme, helping hundreds of small-scale farmers improve production standards and access export markets. Additionally, Kakuzi provides free avocado maturity-testing services, ensuring that fruit meets the strict quality requirements demanded by export destinations.

These award nominations come shortly before the release of Kakuzi’s 2024 sustainability report, reaffirming the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship, ethical production, and social responsibility under its ESG framework. As sustainability and global market competitiveness become increasingly important for Kenya’s horticultural sector, Kakuzi’s recognition highlights its leadership in responsible agricultural practices.

The 2025 Kenya Avocado Excellence Awards will celebrate not only Kakuzi’s achievements but also the wider industry’s strides towards innovation, sustainability, and world-class production standards.

Fisheries Development Surges Under PROFISHBLUE.

Aquaculture

A major African Development Bank Group–funded programme is transforming fisheries management and boosting regional trade, improving the lives of nearly three million people across Southern Africa.

The Program for Improving Fisheries Governance and Blue Economy Trade Corridors (PROFISHBLUE) has revitalised aquatic resource management and expanded cross-border fish commerce, with trade volumes now exceeding 500,000 tonnes over the past four years. This progress is driving job creation, strengthening food security, and enhancing climate resilience across 16 Southern African Development Community (SADC) nations.

Backed by a $9.2 million ADF 15 grant, the initiative has delivered training, equipment, and technical support to more than 250,000 beneficiaries across seven African Development Fund countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Capacity-building programmes have covered a wide range of areas, including fish value chain development, post-harvest utilisation, SME growth, genetic improvement of indigenous tilapia species, policy harmonisation, and nutrition-focused fish product development. Support has also extended to fish stock assessments in shared water bodies, vessel monitoring systems, and improved collection of catch statistics.

During World Fisheries Day on 21 November, SADC, the African Development Bank Group, and partner organisations gathered in Gaborone to highlight the programme’s achievements since its 2022 launch. The celebration showcased tangible improvements in regional fish value chains and stronger consumer markets linked to enhanced governance and blue economy investment.

Domingos Gove,Director speaking for SADC Deputy Secretary for Regional Integration Angele Makombo Ntumba, said: "We are indebted to the African Development Bank Group for providing funding to implement this project within the Blue Economy space. This support has demonstrated our capacity to improve aquatic food systems for the benefit of over 380 million people in the region."

 Neeraj Vij,The African Development Bank’s Regional Sector Manager for Feed Africa Operations for Southern Africa,added: "The PROFISHBLUE project has shown best practices in regional integration of blue economy trade corridors and cross-border fish trade… This project demonstrates how strategic investment in fisheries governance can create competitive value chains that provide jobs and livelihoods while eradicating extreme poverty, especially in rural areas."

Key partners including FAO, UNIDO, WWF, WorldFish and ARSO have contributed crucial expertise. Regional leaders praised the programme’s role in providing a platform for shared learning, with testimonials from women in fisheries underscoring its inclusivity. One participant from Tanzania reflected: "We embarked on an investment journey that few smallholder entrepreneurs would consider piloting technology in seaweed farming. We appreciate the opportunity..."

Africa’s future lies not in isolated interventions but in a cohesive, interlinked agricultural framework. (Image credit: AAII)

Agriculture

The African Agri Investment Indaba, held last week, shifted the continent’s agricultural conversation from individual innovations to a far more ambitious and unified vision.

Rather than celebrating isolated breakthroughs, the event framed African food security as dependent on an integrated technological ecosystem one where drones, circular bio-economies and intelligent infrastructure operate as interconnected components of a resilient agricultural system.

The dialogue quickly moved beyond the familiar question of what each technology could achieve. Instead, speakers explored the transformative potential unlocked when these tools work in concert. Gerrit van Rensburg of SkyFarmers opened the discussion by demonstrating how modern agricultural drones had evolved far beyond aerial spraying. These machines now collect granular, real-time data that identifies precisely where interventions are needed. He argued that such information forms the essential “foundational layer” of every smart and responsive farm.

Building on this, Gerald Nel of Grüner and FARA presented how that data could power the Integrated Bio-Circular Networks Africa (IBNA). Within this model, predicted crop residues and agricultural waste cease to be by-products. Instead, they become vital resources converted into renewable energy and organic fertiliser that feed back into farms and processing centres. This closed-loop system illustrated how data-driven production and circular resource use reinforce one another.

The system’s environmental benefits were then linked directly to financial opportunity. Sabrina Basson of EmitiQ explained how regenerative practices, supported by precision insights and circular processes, contribute to measurable carbon sequestration. She showed that these gains allow farmers to access carbon markets, effectively turning improved soil health into a new revenue stream. This, she noted, creates a powerful economic rationale for adopting sustainable farming practices.

Yet improved production meant little without safeguarding harvests. Bühler’s Marco Sutter highlighted the next critical step: smart storage solutions capable of drastically reducing post-harvest losses. With nearly 30% of Africa’s grain historically wasted after harvest, his presentation underscored how intelligent silos able to detect spoilage, pests and mycotoxins protect the value created throughout the farming cycle.

Finally, Roble Sabrie of the FAO brought the conversation full circle by linking technological progress to trade and food access. He emphasised that even the most advanced farming systems depend on reliable transport routes. Efficient pathways such as the Lobito Corridor, he explained, are essential: “Corridors are the circulatory system,” he said, “moving healthy produce from robust agricultural hearts to hungry markets.” Cutting logistics costs by nearly half, these corridors ensure that the gains made on farms reach regional consumers and global markets.

By the close of the Indaba, one message was unmistakable: Africa’s future lies not in isolated interventions but in a cohesive, interlinked agricultural framework. This vision where precision data enables circular economies, environmental gains are monetised, production is protected by intelligent storage, and goods travel efficiently to market offers investors a compelling, systemic opportunity. It promises an agricultural transformation that is resilient, competitive and genuinely future-ready.

African Farming

Tractor of the Year awards ceremony at EIMA 2021

The 44th edition of EIMA International 2021 will host the Tractor of the Year awards ceremony, and feature a parade of the fourteen finalist models

The Bologna-based event focuses on new products and offers a wide-ranging showcase for Tractor of the Year, the competition promoted by Trattori magazine, that selects the best models among those produced during the year, and awards prizes to the winners from different categories.

During the exhibition, the awards ceremony will be held for four models - Tractor of the Year, Best Utility, Best of Specialised and Sustainable TOTY - that have been selected on the basis of votes cast by an international jury of 26 journalists from trade publications.

The Tractor of the Year event will be a major attraction throughout the five days of the event. It is expected to be one of the most interesting new features of this year's EIMA International.

The open-air arena within the exhibition complex, between halls 37 and 35, has been chosen to display the finalist tractors. The audience can expect to see the fourteen models that competed for the "Tractor of the Year" on display in the open-air arena, while a speaker will introduce the technical features of each of the models. 

TOTY is an important promotional and marketing platform for the manufacturers of the tractor sector, which is able to develop substantial technological innovations every year, improve vehicle performance, and capture new user segments.

Top Stories

Grid List

Event News

Visitors will explore how horticulture can embed sustainable business practices. (Image credit: IPM ESSEN)

Event News

From 27 to 30 January 2026, Messe Essen will once again become the beating heart of the global green industry as it hosts IPM ESSEN 2026.

The world-leading trade fair will bring together the entire horticultural value chain, offering a comprehensive look at plants, technology, floristry, garden features and the emerging trends shaping the horticultural future. This upcoming edition places strong emphasis not only on new products, but on the strategic transformation of the industry itself.

Visitors will explore how horticulture can embed sustainable business practices, harness the growing influence of artificial intelligence, captivate modern consumers and attract the skilled professionals and young talent the sector urgently needs. As Oliver P. Kuhrt, CEO of Messe Essen, explains, “IPM ESSEN is the place where the green sector collectively tackles global challenges – in a practical, international and inspiring way. Our visitors experience not only trends but also viable solutions – from climate-resilient plants and new training concepts to sustainable technology.”

With around 1,400 exhibitors from 45 countries expected, the fair will serve as a major platform for ordering, networking and knowledge-sharing. Familiar industry leaders such as Florensis, Scheurich, Soendgen Keramik and Koopman International will return, showcasing the innovative products and services that continue to shape international horticulture. As in previous years, the exhibition grounds will be fully occupied and clearly organised by theme, ensuring smooth navigation for professional visitors.

The plant halls will display the sector in all its diversity—from perennials and young plants to herbs, balcony plants and cut flowers. A core focus will be plants that can withstand the realities of climate change, including drought-tolerant and heat-resistant species. Hall 2 will welcome the Gardener Forum, offering expert lectures on production, marketing and technology. A new highlight, the Wood Arena in Hall 7, will explore future-proof tree assortments for cities, forests and private gardens, alongside biodiversity-enhancing hedges. Messe Essen will also host the Green Cities Europe Award for the second year, celebrating impactful urban greening projects. Additionally, the Landgard Order Days | Spring Edition return in Hall 1A, providing a compact, inspiration-filled ordering platform.

Technology remains central to the future of horticulture, and IPM ESSEN 2026 will showcase cutting-edge solutions in automation, digitalisation and resource efficiency. The Horticultural Technology Innovation Center in Hall 4 will present forward-looking approaches to energy saving, water optimisation and logistics. The Cannabis.NET special area, led by the University of Hohenheim, will give insight into scientific developments in cannabis research. Hall 4 will also host the Horticultural Information Center, featuring practical demonstrations on peat-free substrates, biostimulants and novel cultivation techniques, and will present the IPM Novelties Showcase, awarding the top plant innovations on the first day.

Country pavilions from across Europe, Asia and the Americas will highlight global expertise and trade opportunities, with participation from Turkey, France, Denmark, Italy, the UK, Poland, Portugal and Israel. A stronger focus on the next generation will be seen through Training Day, the Careers + Future Forum, and the debut Young Entrepreneurs Day, featuring a keynote by musician and entrepreneur Joey Kelly.

Alongside the fair, the Congress Center Essen will host the BdB seminar and the “GaLaBau Outlook” congress, offering professional insight into urban greening and landscape architecture.

The 2026 edition will take place from 24–26 March 2026. (Image credit: Hortiflora)

Must-see highlights at DLG Feldtage 2026. (Image credit: DLG)

Livestock

An AGRA-led matchmaking platform designed to connect agribusinesses with investors and financiers. (Image credit: AGRA)

Poultry

The Poultry Futures Forum 2025 has officially opened in Lusaka, marking a pivotal moment for Southern Africa’s ambition to build stronger, more resilient poultry value chains.

Led by AGRA under the Southern Africa Poultry Initiative (SAPI), the Forum calls for a decisive shift from fragmented national interventions to a unified regional strategy. AGRA stressed that coordinated action is essential to boost production, reduce feed costs, enhance climate resilience and unlock deeper private sector investment while championing innovation and the leadership of young entrepreneurs.

The event has drawn an influential mix of stakeholders, including SADC government representatives, commercial poultry businesses, grain processors, researchers, financiers and agri-preneurs. Their shared goal is to accelerate practical, cross-country collaboration to resolve the structural challenges that continue to hold back the growth of the poultry industry.

This year’s Forum builds on the outcomes of the inaugural meeting held in Dar es Salaam in 2024, where delegates agreed on the need for a shared regional roadmap. Over the past year, several countries have made meaningful progress by aligning national action plans with the overarching regional poultry agenda, showing growing commitment to collective development.

In his opening message, AGRA Board Chair, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, highlighted the momentum already taking shape, stating: “Over the past year, we have seen encouraging momentum. Several countries have developed national poultry action plans. Youth entrepreneurs are bringing new digital solutions to production and marketing. Most notably, we have launched the Poultry Feed Accelerator Grand Challenge – a direct response to the number one constraint identified by producers across our region: the high and volatile cost of feed. This initiative invites innovators, researchers and investors to present breakthrough ideas that can lower feed costs while improving quality and sustainability.”

True to its mission of inclusive growth, the Forum places young people and women at the centre of its agenda. A dedicated Youth Poultry Forum and Innovation Pitch provides a platform to showcase emerging entrepreneurs whose innovations are addressing key industry challenges from feed technology and disease control to climate resilience and market access. AGRA aims to spotlight these rising leaders who are shaping a more dynamic and competitive poultry sector across the continent.

Peter Kapala, Zambia’s Minister of Fisheries and Livestock, said, “The government of Zambia has prioritized poultry development under the eighth National Development Plan (8NDP) and the Comprehensive Agriculture Transformation Support Programme (CATSP), in alignment with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). Zambia takes pride in its position as a regional leader, particularly in the export of day-old chicks and specialty birds such as quails. The government is committed to creating an enabling environment to strengthen the domestic and regional poultry market, safeguard local producers, and promote value addition. This commitment includes: inclusive policies that empower smallholder farmers, women, and youth, improved access to quality feed, veterinary services, and climate-smart practices, promotion of affordable technology and digital advisory services.”

Throughout the Forum, discussions will explore opportunities for greater private sector collaboration, particularly in expanding regional feed manufacturing capacity and reinforcing input supply chains. Delegates will also examine how climate-resilient production systems and improved disease management strategies can support long-term sector sustainability. These include new genetics and animal health solutions designed to strengthen productivity even under climate stress.

SAPI Technical Lead Alexander Stewart, said, “The Poultry Futures Forum high-level discussions and working sessions are focused on aligning policy and regulatory frameworks to improve cross-border trade and market integration across SADC. Through this coordination, the partners aim to help countries draft and refine national poultry action plans that align with regional goals for food security and economic growth.”

A major highlight of the event is the Deal Rooms, an AGRA-led matchmaking platform designed to connect agribusinesses with investors and financiers. These sessions aim to accelerate enterprise growth across the value chain from feed production and processing to cold chain logistics and packaging ultimately supporting a more competitive and sustainable poultry sector for the region.

Fisheries Development Surges Under PROFISHBLUE.

SwiftVEE specialises in digital livestock auctions, connecting buyers and sellers of cattle, sheep, goats, and game through online and live-streamed events.

Crops

Africa’s future lies not in isolated interventions but in a cohesive, interlinked agricultural framework. (Image credit: AAII)

Agriculture

The African Agri Investment Indaba, held last week, shifted the continent’s agricultural conversation from individual innovations to a far more ambitious and unified vision.

Rather than celebrating isolated breakthroughs, the event framed African food security as dependent on an integrated technological ecosystem one where drones, circular bio-economies and intelligent infrastructure operate as interconnected components of a resilient agricultural system.

The dialogue quickly moved beyond the familiar question of what each technology could achieve. Instead, speakers explored the transformative potential unlocked when these tools work in concert. Gerrit van Rensburg of SkyFarmers opened the discussion by demonstrating how modern agricultural drones had evolved far beyond aerial spraying. These machines now collect granular, real-time data that identifies precisely where interventions are needed. He argued that such information forms the essential “foundational layer” of every smart and responsive farm.

Building on this, Gerald Nel of Grüner and FARA presented how that data could power the Integrated Bio-Circular Networks Africa (IBNA). Within this model, predicted crop residues and agricultural waste cease to be by-products. Instead, they become vital resources converted into renewable energy and organic fertiliser that feed back into farms and processing centres. This closed-loop system illustrated how data-driven production and circular resource use reinforce one another.

The system’s environmental benefits were then linked directly to financial opportunity. Sabrina Basson of EmitiQ explained how regenerative practices, supported by precision insights and circular processes, contribute to measurable carbon sequestration. She showed that these gains allow farmers to access carbon markets, effectively turning improved soil health into a new revenue stream. This, she noted, creates a powerful economic rationale for adopting sustainable farming practices.

Yet improved production meant little without safeguarding harvests. Bühler’s Marco Sutter highlighted the next critical step: smart storage solutions capable of drastically reducing post-harvest losses. With nearly 30% of Africa’s grain historically wasted after harvest, his presentation underscored how intelligent silos able to detect spoilage, pests and mycotoxins protect the value created throughout the farming cycle.

Finally, Roble Sabrie of the FAO brought the conversation full circle by linking technological progress to trade and food access. He emphasised that even the most advanced farming systems depend on reliable transport routes. Efficient pathways such as the Lobito Corridor, he explained, are essential: “Corridors are the circulatory system,” he said, “moving healthy produce from robust agricultural hearts to hungry markets.” Cutting logistics costs by nearly half, these corridors ensure that the gains made on farms reach regional consumers and global markets.

By the close of the Indaba, one message was unmistakable: Africa’s future lies not in isolated interventions but in a cohesive, interlinked agricultural framework. This vision where precision data enables circular economies, environmental gains are monetised, production is protected by intelligent storage, and goods travel efficiently to market offers investors a compelling, systemic opportunity. It promises an agricultural transformation that is resilient, competitive and genuinely future-ready.

Africa Processing’s new Ngolambélé plant represents more than just an expansion of industrial capacity.

Kakuzi Takes Lead in 2025 Kenya Avocado Excellence Awards.

Technology

Senegal boosts plant protection with new drone technology.

Machinery & Equipment

Senegal is taking a major leap in modernising its agricultural pest-control systems.

The Direction de la Protection des Végétaux (DPV) has introduced six “new-generation” drones to strengthen surveillance and phytosanitary operations across the country. This initiative marks the first time drones are being deployed in Senegal’s plant-protection efforts and underscores the nation’s growing commitment to leveraging technology in agriculture.

According to a communication from the Ministry of Agriculture, the drones are capable of covering 25 hectares of farmland per hour, enabling the DPV which has overseen crop monitoring and phytosanitary control since 1974  to carry out its operations with far greater efficiency and precision.

Beyond increasing productivity, the drones are designed to make fieldwork safer for staff. The DPV emphasised that the technology will “reduce staff exposure to chemical treatments, improve response times, and elevate the overall quality of interventions.” This innovation not only accelerates pest control measures but also ensures that interventions are more targeted and environmentally responsible.

The successful integration of drones into Senegal’s agricultural system is credited to a strategic partnership with the country’s Air Force. Under the leadership of Colonel Ousmane Ngom, a dedicated team of remote pilots and technicians has been trained to operate these advanced machines, ensuring that the technology is used effectively and safely.

The introduction of drones is particularly timely given the ongoing pest challenges facing Senegalese agriculture. In its 2023 report, the DPV highlighted the spread of the Fall Armyworm, which was first detected in Senegal in 2018 and continues to migrate between departments, posing a significant threat to maize crops. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), this pest alone accounts for losses of approximately 18 million tonnes of maize annually across Africa.

In addition to the Fall Armyworm, the DPV continues to monitor other damaging pests, including locusts, blister beetles, and fruit flies  the latter of which is especially destructive for mango production.

For Senegal, the adoption of drone technology represents a clear shift towards precision agriculture and modern farming practices. The country aims to enhance food security, improve agricultural resilience, and deliver faster, safer, and more effective pest control measures. As the DPV deploys these aerial tools for the first time, Senegal is positioning itself at the forefront of agricultural innovation in West Africa.

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FPT powers New DEUTZ-FAHR 8 Series TTV with N67 Engine. (Image credit: FTP)

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