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Chemical Free Farming |
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Posted by Imagine Durban Webmaster
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Tuesday, 29 June 2010 |
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Mr Kanjanga is a farmer from Ntcheu District in Phambala, Malawi. In
1975, having seen the deteriorating effect that the application of
chemical fertilisers was having on his crops, he decided to return to
the composting techniques he had seen used by his father in the 1930s.
His crops started to improve so significantly that he decided to set up
the Lipangwe Organic Manure Demonstration Farm (LOMADEF)
in 1980 so as to share his learning with fellow farmers. He decided
that the most effective way to make sure that the learning reached as
many people as possible would be to train community members to act as
Agricultural Advisors in their communities. LOMADEF set about carefully
selecting Agricultural Advisors on the basis of their innovative
approach to farming, training them in sustainable farming techniques
and in communication and facilitation skills so they can pass on their
learning to fellow farmers.
Eveline Msngwa, an Agricultural Advisor from Bwese village, has been
working with LOMADEF for ten years. The land that she and her husband
Charles own is a textbook in sustainable farming practices. In one
corner of the field are three heaps of harvested maize. The first heap
was planted using only chemical fertilisers, the second using a basal
compost top dressed with chemical fertiliser and the third using basal
compost and liquid manure. ‘As you can see each heap is more or less
the same size. Our fellow farmers can clearly see that there is little
to gain in using chemical fertiliser. In fact when you use chemical
fertiliser you effectively make a loss because you spend more money on
the crop!’
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Read more...
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Township Tourism Boost |
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Posted by Imagine Durban Webmaster
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Thursday, 03 June 2010 |
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As the 2010 World Cup soccer fever grips South Africa, the Durban Tourism Unit has created a huge brand marketing presence to showcase its products and attractions during the event as a strategy to
attract and increase the percentage of visitors, both foreign and domestic,
to the City. The strategy also involves showcasing previously disadvantaged areas and increasing the spread of visitors and tourism benefits to previously disadvantaged areas.
To ensure that positive benefits are achieved and negative impacts
are avoided, the Durban Tourism Unit has embarked on Community Tourism Awareness programme to promote tourism culture and inculcate responsible tourism in communities.
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Read more...
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What’s so urban about agriculture? |
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Posted by Imagine Durban Webmaster
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Tuesday, 13 April 2010 |
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If you eat you support agriculture;
food is a basic human need. However, few of us see agriculture as a
component of a modern city. In cities we often forget that every time
we eat we are depending on someone else to grow our food. Where will we
turn to for food in the future?
Unfortunately, urban agriculture is not
viewed as a vital part of an urban development. This is not just a
problem in Dar es Salaam, but all over the world. For instance,
citizens of Vancouver, Canada and New York City, USA fought a long,
hard battle to have the right to raise chickens in their backyards.
These residents wanted the right to reduce their food costs and have a
safe, secure and reliable food supply. Urban farmers grow 15% of the
world’s food which is the equivalent of eating one completely urban
grown meal once a week. However, in cities like Dar es Salaam we can
expect to see much more locally grown food on our tables, especially
for those who grow their own food.
Read the full article on the Sustainable Cities : PLUS Network blog ...
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Call for Registration of Trail Guides for Eco-tourism Centre Database |
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Posted by Imagine Durban Webmaster
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Tuesday, 16 March 2010 |
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The eThekwini Municipality
intends to establish an eco-tourism and environmental resources hub
at Blue Lagoon, Durban, to service local residents and visitors to Durban.
This centre will be operational in time to service visitors to Durban
for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
The eco-tourism and
environmental resources hub will act as an information and bookings
centre for a variety of nature-based activities in the eThekwini Municipal
Area and surrounds.
A database of certified
and experienced Trail Guides that can offer expertise in leading interpretive
trails in the Durban area is being compiled. This database will be used
at the centre to assist visitors in arranging guided outdoor trails
covering:
- Nature / ecology and
biophysical features
- Birding
- Culture
- Archaeology
- History
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Read more...
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Adapting to drought and pumpkins, though maybe not fufu |
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Posted by Imagine Durban Webmaster
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Monday, 08 March 2010 |
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Shading her eyes from the fierce glare of the mid-day sun, Nompilo Cele, gazes out in silence over her dry and dusty fields.
Cele, a 66-year-old KwaZulu Natal farmer, has seen a lot of
changes for the worse in weather and climatic conditions while toiling
on her land in Ntshongweni, north of Durban. "I have over the years seen floods and drought ravaging my
village which once was considered the provincial maize basket," she
said.
In good years, her maize would be shoulder high by the end of
the growing season. Even in bad years, her crop rustled around her
waist she explained. But this year, only a few plants have survived and
they are just knee-high, withering in the heat. Maize production on her land has dropped from five tons per
hectare to three tons. Experts now believe dry-land maize production
could fail entirely in much of southern Africa by mid-century,
necessitating a switch to alternative crops.
Click here to read the full article on Reuters ...
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