Journal Article

This document looks at Genomic regions underlying susceptibility to bovine tuberculosis in Holstein-Friesian cattle

Genetic parameters for birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), pre-weaning average daily gain (ADG1), 18-months weight (18 MW) and post-weaning average daily gain (ADG2) were estimated using single-trait and multi-trait analyses. Data consisted of 2257 records for the Botswana Composite and 5923 records for the Tswana collected between the period of 1988 and 2006. The individual animal model (AM) and animal maternal model (AMM) were fitted in both analyses.

APPSA Lesotho engaged a South African based consultancy firm on the drawn terms of reference to develop the Management Information System (MIS). The agreement reached between APPSA and the consultants resulted in the establishment of a series of back-and-forth communication to gain in-depth understanding on the direction of the proposed MIS

The compendium is a compilation of stories about project activities (research and development, agricultural extension, trainings, project management and monitoring) implemented under APPSA Lesotho. It is the mandate of the Communication Working Group (CWG) to manage project communication and technology dissemination for visibility and awareness, knowledge sharing and collaboration among stakeholders. The roles of Technology Dissemination Office; and Information Technology and Knowledge Management are responsible for ensuring the functionality and delivery of the objectives of the CWG.

The present research was conducted to determine the knowledge of farmers from Malawi and Mozambique on the use of cactus (Noppolea Cochenillinifera L. Sam-Dyck) as fodder for small ruminants in dry season. The study took place in Mzimba, Mchinji and Chikwawa districts (in Malawi) and Manhiça, Changara and Lichinga districts (in Mozambique), where 450 farmers keeping ruminants were surveyed through semi-structured interviews. Each respondent was interviewed alone in Chewa and/or English (in Malawi) and Tsonga, Nyungwe, Yao and/or Portuguese (in Mozambique). During the interview, farmers were shown pictures stuck on a poster and numbered (no name), where they recognized the species, mentioned the local name and shared their experience on cactus as fodder. The legend of the images on the poster were listed on separate page to which farmers did not have access. Respondents were allowed to explain the preparation procedure before cacti were given to animals. They were asked to mention other uses of cactus in their region. Related uses were grouped in terms of frequency of mention. Interviews were recorded as audios on a Samsung Galax J1 cellular phone and a notepad. In addition, a literature search was undertaken in order to find some of the most common species of cactus in Africa (emphasis was given to East and Southern Africa). Images displaying stems, spines, leaves, flowers and fruits of cacti were collected. The study concluded that most farmers and probably other residents from the districts and villages where the present study was conducted knew cactus as medicine, edible fruit, ornament and live fence. The knowledge of cacti as fodder both in Malawi and Mozambique was negligible.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important cash crop for small-scale farmers in Mozambique. The yield is dependent on various factors of plant management, and this can be affected by variations in plant density. In Mozambique the cotton crop is mainly growed in plant and row space arrangement corresponding to 50,000 plants per hectare, which is considered low resulting in low cotton yielding.The goal of this study, was to evaluate the effect of plant density in cotton yield, Gossypium hirsutum L. The experiment was conducted in Namialo village, in a randomized complete block design with four replications in a split-plot, where the main plot was distance between the plants within the rows (15, 20, 25, 30 cm) and distance between the rows (50, 75, 100 cm) as subplots randomized in each plot, making plant from 33000 to 133000 plants per hectare. Results of this experiment showed no significant interaction between the distance between the rows and plants on cotton yield, number of bolls per plant and plant height. In addition, as the distance between the plants increased, the number of bolls per plant also increased. This experiment empathize that the combination of 70 cm between the rows and 20 cm between the plants, with a total density of about 71400 plants per hectare resulted in a highest yield.

Pigeon pea is one of the important legumes for export and domestic consumption in Mozambique. The objective was to evaluate the performance of the genotypes and to stratify environments for agricultural zoning and subsequent recommendation. The experiments were conducted in the northern region of Mozambique, to evaluate grain yield, in randomized blocks, with three replications and 20 long-maturing genotypes, in the 2016/2017 season in four environments. The results were obtained through the joint analysis and the complementarity of information from the biometric methodologies of Eberhart and Russell, Centroid and GGE-biplot aiming at better use of the significant GXE interaction. A mega-environment (Nampula and Namapa) was observed, of which Namapa district was the most discriminating and representative. The genotypes suggested for a recommendation as cultivars showed average performance. The ICEAP01490 genotype was of specific adaptability to favorable environments (Nametil and Namapa district) and high stability, is recommended for medium to high technology environments and the ICEAP01498 genotype was of specific adaptability to unfavorable environments (Nampula and Montepuez district), is recommended for low technology environments. The ICEAP01409 genotype can be indicated for a general recommendation. The ideal genotype with high mean, general adaptability and high stability was not observed, suggesting evaluations in more environments.

On October 17, 2022, Mozambique officially launched the Nutrition Education Program designating “Crescer Bem”, which aims to raise awareness and mobilize Mozambican society, especially pregnant women, mothers and caregivers, with emphasis on women living in the rural areas, on the need to avoid chronic malnutrition.

This chapter discusses how forest ecosystem services (FES) can contribute toward food security in the context of Sustainable Development Goal 2, which seeks to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.

Lesotho Agricultural College [LAC] is committed to providing professional education and training, promoting research and community outreach, providing guidance on commercialized agriculture, through combining quality theory, practicals and research methodologies. The College strives to remain relevant, forward-thinking, industry-related in developing graduates who are thinkers and practitioners. The College programmes involve practicals and theoretical knowledge facilitated by highly skilled academic professionals by ensuring that students are well equipped to enter the world-of-work confidently upon graduation.

With this intent, through the Department of Crops [CPD], LAC is engaged in collaborative partnerships with other Government ministries and Departments, NGOs, and commercial farmers to create a platform for internship. Through this initiative, the CPD placed the first group of students of Diploma in Agriculture (General) and Diploma in Agriculture (Crop production) for an internship at the Department of Agricultural Research [DAR] and to thirty-two (32) farmers who are actively engaged in horticulture enterprises in Lesotho. These enterprises and farms were selected based on their accessibility to the students. The internship ran from the 27th June 2022 to 22nd July 2022.