Technology

One of the project's key components is the development of a mobile application that provides farmers with real-time weather data. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

As harsh weather conditions continue to hamper food security strategies globally, a postgraduate researcher at the University of Leicester aims at getting more farmers in Kenya to harness the insights of Earth Observation (EO) technologies

Extreme weather events have led to reduced agricultural yields, especially for those in Sub-Saharan Africa that largely depend on rain-fed agriculture. 

A PhD project at University of Leicester focuses on exploring how EO technologies such as remote sensing, satellite monitoring and land surface models for weather predictions and soil moisture assessments can equip farmers with the necessary data to make informed agricultural decisions.

One of the project's key components is the development of a mobile application that provides farmers with real-time weather data, which empowers them to plan their agricultural activities with greater accuracy. 

“Earth Observation technologies provide a strategic solution to enhance better farming practices but require better strategies for communicating with farmers to allay any ethical and environmental fears and improve their adoption,” said Fiona Imbali, PhD student in the University of Leicester School of Geography, Geology, and Environment. “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights the importance of working with local communities and respecting their indigenous knowledge for climate governance and this research will be working with indigenous farming communities to develop participatory science communication strategies for the adoption of EO technologies.”

In addition, she also emphasised how the disregarding women’s challenges would also hamper technology adoption. “This study will engage communities from the onset of the research to understand their challenges, priorities, as well as their socio-cultural perspectives and more so for the women who have always been considered as a homogenous group in order to develop participatory, inclusive communication approaches,” Imbali added. 

Farmers gather at the open day in Kinale to learn more about sustainable cooling. (Image source: University of Birmingham)

Kenyan farmers are getting a chance to attend a Clean Cooling Network open day, which will feature interactive demonstrations of various clean cooling technologies, including solar-powered pre-cooling and cold-storage and temperature-controlled refrigeration transport vehicles and solutions

The event is organised by the the African Centre of Technology Studies (ACTS) which is partnering with the Centre for Sustainable Cooling, University of Birmingham and UNEP to set up the Clean Cooling Network Reference Community Cooling Hub (CCH) in Kiambu County. 

Besides practical demonstrations, the Open Day also offered a platform to address challenges faced by farmers in regard to climate resilience, food security, nutrition and markets. Insights on the programme’s support, financing opportunities, and collaborative efforts were also shared by experts. 

The project aims to enhance the value of diverse and quality horticultural produce - improving quality, market access and connectivity through collective action to boost the livelihoods of farmers, their communities and the overall economy.

The co-operative seeks to offer a range of services including aggregation enabled by sustainable cold chain technologies and logistics, extension and advisory services, access to quality agro-inputs, and facilitation of wider market connectivity to deliver quality horticulture produce to consumers as well as training on all previously mentioned topics.

Farmers expressed great enthusiasm at the event and were also shown the 'try before you buy' cold-chain facilities that would enable them to understand and test the value-add of cold-chain for protecting the quality of produce and create new markets. Moreover, farmers will be able to use these facilities for an extended periods and 

The programme will act as a reference for roll-out into further communities in Kenya as well as new markets across Africa including Rwanda, Lesotho and Senegal as the next phase.

“This is a multi-year investment to build the necessary cold-chain system transformation pan-Africa to deliver inclusive, equitable and future-proofed cooling and cold-chain solutions with minimum environmental impact," said professor of Clean Cold at the University of Birmingham and Centre for Sustainable Cooling and Programme Lead, Toby Peters.

One of the main advantages of the new wheel positioning is the lower centre of gravity which allows the plough to be subjected to lower rotational forces, in turn resulting in less strain on the rear lift. (Image source: LEMKEN)

Following the launch of the LEMKEN Diament 16 that was launched six years ago, the new Diament 18 model was presented at EIMA 2024 that took place from 6-10 November in Bologna, Italy

Being a key tool for large agricultural businesses, semi-mounted reversible ploughs, are increasingly used for both traditional in-furrow and on-land ploughing. Often used either as a stand-alone machine or in combination with a furrow press, the Diament series has always offered a wide range of applications to meet individual farm requirements for shallow or deep tillage.

To demonstrate that the Diamant plough series continues to stand for power and reliability, LEMKEN presented a new model at EIMA in Bologna: Diament 18 which enables the plough specialist to address an additional target group. 

With its 5 to 8 furrows and a solid 180 x 180 x 12.5 mm box section frame, the robust Diamant 18 is specially designed for large tractors up to 650 hp and extreme operating conditions. Thanks to its optimum soil penetration and stable design, the new LEMKEN plough exhibits exceptional performance, particularly on dry soils. The position of the support wheel has been conveniently updated in order to ensure ideal usage of the extra frame weight, thereby allowing reliable soil penetration and maintaining desirable and consistent working depth.

One of the main advantages of the new wheel positioning is the lower centre of gravity which allows the plough to be subjected to lower rotational forces, in turn resulting in less strain on the rear lift. The protects the plough components, while also ensuring high tipping stability of the tractor/plough combination and a smooth ride. In comparison to the Diament 16, the new model also offers agility and comfortable handling, owing to the innovative steering system for the transport wheel.

The transport wheel also has a hydraulic steering which automatically adapts the steering angle to the turning manoeuvre. In combination with the 90 degree steering angle on the plough headstock, this feature enables the smallest possible turning radii at the headland. Moreover, the transport wheel can be actively controlled and manually steered for manoeuvring work.

The Diament 18 will initially be available in small quantities from next year and will begin full series production in 2026.

With the KDS 255 Muck Control, Fliegl offers a versatile solution that meets the needs of modern farms and sets new standards in terms of performance and efficiency. (Image source: Fliegl)

Leading manufacturer of innovative agricultural technology, Fliegl has announced the launch of its latest chain manure spreader, the KDS 255 Muck Control

This vehicle closes the gap between the large tandem spreaders and the more compact KDS 140 and thus Fliegl now offers the ideal solution for farms of all sizes. The KDS 255 has a permissible total weight of 18, 19 or 20 tons and a stable tandem chassis that ensures excellent driving characteristics and can optionally be equipped with a steering axle. Thanks to its low design, filling with the front loader is particularly easy and efficient. The conical body of the KDS 255 having the dimensions of 1200 mm. 

An outstanding feature of the KDS 255 is the proven wide spreading unit 'Muck Control', which enables a spreading width of up to 26 m. The internal milling drums are cardanically driven and guarantee a consistent loosening of the material and an even distribution to the spreading discs. For individual adaptation to different working conditions, the KDS 255 has a hydraulic tailgate with a mechanically adjustable drop angle. Another special feature is the design of the tailgate which consists of a frame on which plastic panels are mounted. These are less susceptible to damage from stones or rocks and corrosive materials than a steel rear wall.

The robustness of the KDS 255 is also evident in the scraper floor, which is equipped with V2 chain links and has an impressive breaking load of 50 tons per chain strand. The scraper floor bars are continuous across the entire width of the body. A stone guard is mounted on the front wall to protect the tractor unit from falling stones.

For the longer term, logistics operator Transnet has begun implementing the strategic replacement and refurbishment of equipment and machinery at the Port of Cape Town, as well as contracting maintenance and related services and appointing additional staff. There is expected to be improved productivity as a result, but Hortgro is nevertheless preparing for challenges such as downtime on equipment and wind delays, and is contingency planning for alternative modes and nodes of shipping such as the use of specialised reefer vessels and other ports in the Eastern Cape and Durban.