Strawberry in Nigeria

If you think that certain imported exotic fruits seen in some of the biggest shopping malls cannot grow in Nigeria, you better have a rethink! Every city in the country can grow something unique. Nigeria is a blessed country with different agro ecological zones having huge potentials.

Strawberry, an exotic fruit, which until now does not receive any serious attention as one of the fruits grown in the country, is now the most important produce that shapes the economic power of the people of Chaha community.

The community, located at the outskirt of Vom, Plateau State, gives the heart-shaped fruit the desired attention from the day they discovered it has the potentials to change their fortune and lift them from the shackles of poverty.

This reporter, prompted by the sale of the produce to motorists along Jos-Abuja Road in Jos, traced its origin to Chaha village where everybody seems to have a strawberry farm- although there are few other strawberry farmers in Jos, Plateau State capital.

A farmer does not need to buy the seed or seedlings every farming year. This is because the vines after production can be transferred as seedlings to another plot in the new farming season. This quality leaves farmers with no burden of looking for seed each planting season. Their major burden is manure, fertiliser and market.

Nuhu Samuel is a 29-year-old strawberry farmer. He told the reporter that he got into the farming after he saw his father making money from it. Although he said he cannot tell where his father got the seed from, he got the seedlings from him.

The father of two children stated that he plants in July and harvests in November. He sells in killogramme-N700 to N1, 000 per kilogramme.

Samuel gets 30 to 40 killogrammes from his farm twice a week, which helps him to pocket between N28, 000 to N40, 000.

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Pig Farming Practical Book

How to start your own pig farm – Detailed and Practical Manuals

As usual, I have searched all corners of the internet to get you the most detailed, authoritative and FREE guides and practical manuals on pig farming.

All of them were written with developing regions like Africa in mind and reveal several low-cost and easy-to-understand techniques for pig farmers. Above all, they contain all the information you will ever need to succeed in this venture. Here they are…

• Pig Production Technology for Piggery Farmers is a great book to start your pig farming journey. It’s adapted to pig farming in Africa and was written by the Agricultural Extension & Research Unit of a national university in Zaria, Nigeria. We consider it the A-Z of pig farming because it contains all the information you need and a step-by-step application of this knowledge. We highly recommend that you start your learning with it!

• The Farmer’s Hand Book on Pig Production is a colourful and simply-written manual from the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. This book was developed to educate pig farmers in Nepal (a developing country in Asia).  It provides a lot of information on breeding, feeding, housing pigs, detection and treatment of swine diseases.

• Pig Farming Workshop Manual: This short manual was used during a training program for youths in South-West Nigeria. It is a quick and easy introduction to pig farming and should get you acquainted with all the basic terms, rules and best practices in pig farming.

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Important things to consider before starting a pig farming in Africa

2 very important things to consider before starting a pig farming business in Africa

Like every other business, there are certain important factors you must consider to succeed in pig farming. These are patterns I noticed in the successes of some of the pig farmers we discussed in other article and will surely work for you too.

#1 – Start small but dream big

Starting small and dreaming big is the motto I live by, and one of the pledges under the Smallstarter Manifesto.

Did you notice that all the successful pig farmers we looked at earlier in this article started with a small number of pigs?

Starting small allows you to expose only a small amount of your capital to the risk of failure – and yes, not all businesses will succeed. With small capital invested, it will not be the end of your world if something goes wrong.

Again, you shouldn’t ever underestimate the power of learning on a small scale. You will discover patterns, tricks, things that work and won’t work. Based on your growing experience of the business, what customers are asking for, and your small successes and failures, you can gradually increase the size of your pig farm.

Anything between three to five breeders is great for starters. Don’t worry, all of the details are covered in the manuals at the end of this article.

It’s also important that you never lose sight of your big dreams.

Nobody would have ever believed that Anna Phosa, the South African celebrity farmer, could rise from a small-scale pig farmer to become a supplier to a major retailer under a multi-million dollar contract.

That’s the power that big dreams give you. No matter how small you start, you can become as big as your dreams. You can do it too!

#2 – Starting with the right breed is the key to success!

There are different local and exotic pig breeds, each with its advantages and disadvantages.

No matter how much capital you invest, or how good you are at pig farming, the profit potential of this business will be limited by the breed of pigs you start with.

As you will learn from the training manuals in the next section, selective breeding makes it possible to reduce the time it takes for a pig to reach market size and can increase its meat production at the same time.

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Pig farming in Africa

4 Reasons why entrepreneurs should consider the pig farming business in Africa

Just in case you’re not inspired enough by the amazing successes of these pig farmers, I decided to give you four interesting reasons why you need to give this venture a thought.

Some of these reasons may be already known to you while others may be totally new – however, what they all share are the facts.

#1 – Consumption of pork products is already growing across Africa!

Urbanisation and economic growth is leading to the increasing presence of international and local fast food restaurants across our continent.

In addition to the entry of fast food brands like KFC and Dominoes, supermarket and retail giants like Walmart (Massmart in South Africa), Shoprite and SPAR are introducing a range of pork-dominated Western diets to African consumers.

Foreign tourists, workers, investors, and their families are also flocking to our shores for business and pleasure. As a result, more of the hotels and restaurants who have a large customer base of foreigners now want to serve pork delicacies. This surely means that local pig farmers will be needed to maintain a huge and regular stock of pork products to satisfy the growing demand.

In South Africa for example, pork has overtaken mutton/lamb as the more favourite meat following the 59 percent rise in pig production.

Another interesting example is Morocco, an overwhelmingly Muslim country. Moroccan pig production is increasing to cater to the demand of millions of tourists (especially Europeans) who visit the North African nation every year.

According to this article, it’s quite interesting that the major pig farmers in Morocco are Muslims and Jews (who do not consume pork for religious reasons). This interesting trend is sure to continue as Africa’s cities grow to accommodate more foreign tastes.

#2 – Pigs multiply really fast!

One of the reasons why pig farming is very lucrative is that pigs multiply really fast. One sow (mature female pig) can furrow (give birth to) between 8 and 18 piglets at a time.

The gestation (pregnancy) period for pigs is just four months and sows can furrow up to two times a year. This means that one sow, which costs about $400, can produce up to 16 – 36 piglets in a single year. These piglets which reach a market size of 70 kg in six to seven months can sell for up to $300 each!

No other farm animals, except chickens, rabbits and ostriches, can multiply this fast!

As you will learn in the detailed manuals at the bottom of this article, pigs grow to market size very fast because of their amazingly high feed-to-meat conversion ratios. This simply means that for every kilogram of food they eat, pigs produce more flesh (meat) than cattle, goats and sheep.

#3 – Pigs are highly adaptable and easy to farm

According to one of our recommended manuals, pigs have over 15,000 taste buds (humans have just about 9,000). This enables them to eat everything humans eat and other stuff like grass, forage and feed eaten by other animals.

In fact, pigs are the best and most efficient animals for converting kitchen wastes, garbage, leftover food and other non-conventional feedstuffs into meat.

Considering the high and rising cost of grains and concentrates used to produce animal and livestock feeds, the ability of pigs to consume a wide variety of foods increases its profit potential as a business.  Since they are able to recycle most materials (which they eat and convert to meat), pigs help farmers to largely reduce feeding costs and waste.

Pigs also have a high resistance to diseases (these guys hardly get sick) and adapt easily to most environments (hot or cold). This makes it possible for pigs to be raised on both a small and large scale.

Due to this adaptability, pigs make great candidates for intensified or diversified agriculture that fits a wide range of budgets.

It’s also important you know that pigs do not have sweat glands and have no way of cooling themselves when they get hot.

So they don’t die of heat exhaustion, pigs raised in the open often wallow in the mud as a way to cool down.

A pig’s love of mud is not for the sake of filth or dirtiness; it’s just a basic act of survival. Pigs by nature are actually very clean animals. Yeah, I was surprised too but that’s what the experts say!

#4- Pigs yield more meat

Despite their ability to convert more feed into body weight (flesh/meat), pigs also produce more meat when they are slaughtered.

Unlike cattle, sheep and goats which produce between 50 and 55 percent meat from their bodies, pigs can yield up to 70 percent edible meat because they have a much smaller proportion of bones than meat.

In addition to its high meat yields, meat processors and marketers love pig carcasses because they’re easier to handle and package compared to other types of meat.

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Pig farming business in Africa

Pig farming business in Africa? You’re about to learn a few things that will blow your mind.

It may surprise you to know that pork (pig meat) is the most widely consumed meat in the world, followed by poultry and beef. Surprised, right?

The value of trade in pig products around the world runs into billions of dollars every year and Africa enjoys less than 5 percent of this action. China, with a fifth of the world’s population, is both the largest producer and net importer of pig products on the planet!

As you will find out in this article, pig products have some of the most versatile uses on earth. Pigs probably have the highest profit potential of all farm animals because they cost little to feed and maintain, and produce much more meat than cattle, goats and sheep!

Did you know that a single piglet (baby pig), which costs between $30 and $50, can reach a market value of up to $400 in six to eight months?

This article looks at four very successful African pig farmers and explores the interesting opportunities in this business. I have also included a very detailed and FREE pig farming manual to guide you.

Success Stories from African pig farmer

Although pig farming hasn’t really picked up in Africa like other parts of the world, a few entrepreneurs are already enjoying the lucrative benefits of this enterprise.

Despite cultural and religious influences in parts of our continent that limit pork production and consumption, pig farming is growing across West, East, Central and Southern Africa.

In this section, we shall share the inspiring experiences of four small-scale pig farmers in Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. Let’s meet them.

1. Anna Phosa – South Africa

Before hitting the limelight, Anna Phosa was an unknown entrepreneur who made a livelihood from her small vegetable farming business in Soweto. She was introduced to pig farming by a close friend and instantly developed a liking for the venture.

In 2004, Anna invested 1,000 Rand (about $100) to buy four pigs she used to start up her own small pig farm.

A little less than four years later (in 2008), Anna was contracted by Pick ‘n Pay, the South African supermarket and retail giant to supply its stores with 10 pigs per week. This quickly grew to 20 pigs per week shortly after.

In 2010, Anna signed a breathtaking contract with Pick ‘n Pay to supply 100 pigs over the next five years under a 25 million Rand deal (that’s nearly 2.5 million US Dollars!)

With a contract in hand, Anna received funding from ABSA Bank and USAID to buy a 350-hectare farm property. From just four pigs, her new farm now holds nearly 4,000 pigs at a time and supplies roughly 100 to 120 pigs a week to retailers in South Africa.

Anna currently employs about 20 staff and has become something of a celebrity pig farmer on the continent!

2. Claire Omanga – Kenya  

In Ksii, a city located in southwest Kenya, a former and first woman mayor of that city is leading a humble but strong lead in pig farming.

Clair Omanga is over 70 years old and owns a herd of 30 pigs that has now become a flourishing business.

In the short video below, she shares her experience about the high margins she makes on each pig and the misleading assumptions that keep many people away from pig farming despite its huge potential to get many of her neighbours out of poverty.

3. Martin Gachuma – Kenya

Martin was a Manager with Standard Chartered Bank before he quit the job to pursue an entrepreneurial passion in pig farming.

Having been raised on the proceeds of pig farming as a young boy, he decided to leave the world of suits and ties to exploit the lucrative potentials of the pig business. And his bet paid off!

Martin sells about 20 pigs every month and has gradually grown his business to a current stock of 200 pigs, which he often raises to 500 when the market demand increases.

According to this Business Daily Africa article, his current total wealth – calculated from the worth of his pig stock – stands at nearly 2 million Kenyan Shillings (roughly $23,000). He plans to multiply this wealth eight fold by 2015 and believes this is possible because the demand and market for pigs is grossly undersupplied.

He received the 2011 Winner’s award from the President of Kenya during the Nairobi International Trade Fair as his country’s best pig breeder. That’s Martin Gachuma in the picture smiling with his trophy!

4. Rachel Mubiru – Uganda

Rachel was a full-time housewife experiencing money troubles when she took a shot at pig farming. She already had a small poultry farm which she started with 100 broilers and expanded to a flock of 800 birds before she noticed that pig farming would be more profitable.

Starting with local pig breeds, Rachel saw the potential and advantages of foreign exotic breeds and eventually bought some from South Africa. These exotic breeds could grow up to a size of 300kg (compared to only 100kg for local breeds) and sold for much higher prices on the market.

According to an article on the Africa-Uganda Business Travel website, Rachel says one exotic piglet sells for roughly the same price as a full grown local breed (even after feeding the local breed for seven straight months)!

From an obscure housewife a few years ago, Rachel has become a millionaire pig farmer. She has used the proceeds of her pig business to sponsor her children’s education up to university level and was one of a few farmers visited by her country’s president during a tour for an agricultural program.

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Money Management Tips for College Students

Track your money. Once you realize how much impulse buying and other indulgences cost you, it will be easier to tell yourself "NO!"

Be frugal. Going to the movies, riding the bus, or even ordering pizza might cost less if you show your student I.D. Check travel fares for student discounts on bus and other commercial transit services as well as student discounts when you need to travel by air.

Stay financially secure by using caution.

Don't give anyone your Social Security, credit card, or bank account numbers unless you know why they need them.

Never give a pin number to anyone!

Review credit card statements, bank statements, phone bills, etc. for unauthorized use.

Avoid scholarship scams. Real scholarships never charge fees and application information is available and free to everyone.

Keep only one or two major credit cards and use it sparingly. Set your own credit line and don't charge more than you can comfortably repay. Just because you have a $2,000 credit line doesn't mean you have to spend $2,000.

Make a personal budget based on your savings and income. Round up your available cash including gift money (if you're a recent high school grad), scholarship money, student loans, summer job savings, and money from your parents. You may want to designate types of money for certain uses.

For instance: Think of student loans as an investment in your education and your future. Use student loan funds only to pay school expenses like tuition and books.

Use money from home for things like groceries and phone bills.

Give yourself an allowance. Track your spending to find where your money goes and then choose between your wants and real needs.

Budget for a month at a time but set aside some time to review your finances each week.

A budget is like a money diet. Just because you bust it today, doesn't mean you can't start if again tomorrow. If you go over budget this week, next week commit to staying under budget.

Build an emergency fund. Save change in a piggy bank or jar. Deposit $X.XX a week from paychecks in a savings account when you cash your check.

Get a money calendar. Any calendar with big windows with room to write in amounts will do. Use the calendar windows to note:

Due Dates for scholarship and grant applications. Keep applying for financial aid all the way through college. Missing an application deadline is the most common mistake students make when applying for scholarships.

Upcoming school expenses (books and tuition's).

Bill payment dates.

Upcoming activities where you'll need cash. (Movies, dances, parties, etc.

Make bill paying easier by filing your bills by due date.

Buy books when you need them. Compare online prices with those at campus bookstores. Buy used books when you can. Check bulletin boards and school newspapers as well as used bookstores and online used booksellers.

Put your roommate in your financial planning. If you can,  contact your roommate before the semester starts and decide how you'll divide expenses.

Talk to your parents about who pays for what. Find out what you can count on from them and what you will be responsible for.

Ask for help when you need it. If you run into a financial disaster, call home and let your parents know you're in trouble. If an unexpected event changes your home financial situation, don't give up on school! First, talk with your financial aid office. Most colleges set aside funds to help students get through difficult situations.

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Foods That Help Control Blood Sugar

While there's no substitute for a balanced diabetic diet, adding certain foods may help those with diabetes keep sugar levels in check.

Oatmeal

Broccoli, Spinach, and Green Beans
Add plenty of nonstarchy vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, and green beans, to your diabetic diet, diabetes experts say. These foods are high in fiber and low in carbohydrates, which make them ideal for people with diabetes.

In contrast, starchy vegetables include peas, potatoes, corn, winter squash, and lima beans. There's no need to cut them from the diet, Moore says. "They do give us additional nutrients. We want to maintain balance." But because starchy vegetables have more carbohydrates and raise blood sugar more, it's important to stick to proper portion sizes, she says.

There's new evidence, too, that vegetables are healthy for people with diabetes.
Researchers have found that a low-fat vegan diet may help type 2 diabetes patients to better manage their disease. In a study published in DiabetesCare, 43% of people with type 2 diabetes who followed a low-fat vegan diet for 22 weeks reduced the need to take diabetes medications. That's compared to only 26% who adhered to the diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association.

On average, the vegan group also lost more weight and lowered levels of bad cholesterol. Because people with diabetes are more prone to heart disease, eating with heart health in mind matters as much as blood sugar control, Moore says.

Strawberries
Some diabetes patients shy away from strawberries because of their sweetness, says Moore. But a cup of strawberries makes for a healthy snack that won't raise blood sugar too much. They're a much better option than a cookie or candy bar.
"They're pretty low in calories and carbohydrates," she says. What's more, strawberries are high in fiber and water, so people will feel fuller longer. The longer that people with diabetes can stay full, the fewer carbohydrates they'll consume overall, she says.

Coffee and cinnamon have made headlines recently as foods that might be able to cut the risk of diabetes or help to improve blood sugar levels. But don't get the idea that such foods are magic bullets for your diabetic diet, experts warn.

"None of this is a magic potion for diabetes," says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Cathy Nonas, RD. It's still important for people with diabetes to eat a balanced diabetic diet and exercise to help manage the disease, she says.

Nevertheless, some foods, such as white bread, are converted almost right away to blood sugar, causing a quick spike. Other foods, such as brown rice, are digested more slowly, causing a lower and gentler change in blood sugar.

If you are trying to follow a healthy diabetic diet, here are six that may help to keep your blood sugar in check.

Oatmeal can help control blood sugar -- but don't get the sweetened kind.

"Even though it's a carbohydrate, it's a very good carbohydrate," American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Marisa Moore, RD, LD, tells WebMD. Because it's high in soluble fiber, "it's slower to digest and it won't raise your blood sugar as much or as quickly. It's going to work better at controlling blood sugar over time."

Not only does this high-quality carbohydrate offer a steadier source of energy than white bread, it can also help with weight loss. The soluble fiber in oats "helps to keep us feeling fuller longer," Moore says.

That's important for people with type 2 diabetes, who tend to be overweight. "If you reduce the weight, you usually significantly improve the glucose control," Nonas says.

Barley isn't as popular as oats. But there's some evidence that barley, which is also high in soluble fiber, may also help with blood glucose control. Kay Behall, PhD, a research nutritionist at the USDA Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, has studied barley, and she suggests that people try eating boiled pearl barley in place of rice.

Besides oats and barley, Moore adds, "most whole grains are going to be a great choice for a person with diabetes."

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Foods that can lower Blood Pressure

Stock up on this citrus fruit the next time you hit the grocery store. Oranges are bursting with vitamin C, and some studies suggest that people who get lots of vitamin C in their diet may reduce their risk of developing high blood pressure.
Orange: Drink the juice (it’s loaded with other compounds that may reduce pressure.
Other sources of vitamin C: Guava, grapefruit, broccoli, tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers, kiwi
Try this: Toss together a fresh citrus salad of peeled sliced oranges, shaved fennel, thinly sliced onion, olives and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, recommends Aglaia Kremezi, author of Mediterranean Hot and Spicy.

Low-fat or skim milk
Getting enough of the white stuff isn’t just good for your bones. Milk and other dairy products contain a trio of nutrients that may push down your blood pressure: calcium, potassium and magnesium. These nutrients are so important that the DASH diet (short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) includes two to three daily servings of nonfat or low-fat dairy products.
Best bet: Stay away from artery-clogging saturated fats by choosing nonfat dairy products.
Other sources of calcium, potassium and magnesium: Hazelnuts, wheat bran, calcium-fortified orange juice
Try this: Whip up a healthy version of an old-fashioned milkshake by blending skim milk, frozen strawberries and nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt.

Bananas
If your blood pressure has been inching up lately, make bananas your go-to fruit—they’re rich in potassium and fiber. “A diet with plentiful potassium-rich foods has been shown to help lower blood pressure,” says Joan Salge Blake, R.D., author of Nutrition & You: Core Concepts for Good Health.
Best bet: Bananas taste sweetest when their skins are slightly speckled with brown but they’re still firm.
Other good sources of potassium: Potatoes, tomato paste, apricots, lentils
Try this: “For a guilt-free dessert or breakfast, top banana slices with plain low-fat yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon,” Kremezi suggests.

Sweet potatoes
This super-sweet Thanksgiving staple packs a powerful potassium punch, which is why it deserves a spot at the dinner table year round. “Potassium causes the kidneys to excrete excess sodium from the body, and keeping sodium levels low can help drive down blood pressure,” Salge Blake says.
Best bet: Eat them with the skin for a tasty fiber boost.
Other sources of potassium: Beet greens, white beans, plain nonfat yogurt
Try this: Bump up the potassium content of potato salad. Boil sweet potatoes, then combine them with chopped apple, diced celery and sliced scallions. Toss with a dressing of olive oil, cider vinegar and honey.

Herbs and spices
Salt may be off-limits when you’re trying to lower your blood pressure, but you can spice up your dishes with fresh herbs. Even easier, raid your spice rack. “It’s no doubt stocked with wonderful dried herbs and spices that are naturally sodium free,” says Salge Blake.
Best bet: If you like fresh herbs but don’t have time to chop them, try herbs in a tube, like the ones from Gourmet Garden.
Other sources for flavor: Onions, garlic, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice
Try this: Make an exotic spice mix by combining Aleppo or Maras pepper (available at Middle Eastern markets or Kalustyans.com) with ground cumin, lemon zest, Greek oregano and chopped cilantro, Kremezi suggests.

Salmon
Few foods have more heart-healthy benefits than this nutritional superstar. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which studies suggest not only lower blood pressure, but may also boost good cholesterol, cut triglycerides and slow the growth of arterial plaque.
Best bet: Turn it into a supper staple. Salmon and other omega-3-rich fish are so good for your heart that the American Heart Association recommends eating two 3.5-ounce servings per week. No time to cook? Canned or pouched salmon is just as good: Instead of tuna, mix it with nonfat yogurt and diced celery to make a tasty sandwich spread, or toss it with greens and other veggies for a main-dish salad. It’s available with or without bones and skin.
Other sources of omega-3 fatty acids: Herring, mackerel, sardines, anchovies
Try this: Give grilled or broiled salmon steaks or filets a tropical flair with a fresh and spicy salsa. Combine diced papaya, mango, pineapple, red bell pepper and red onion with chopped cilantro, olive oil and lime juice.

Dark chocolate
The next time you crave chocolate, give in. Besides their mood-boosting effects, the flavonols in dark chocolate may protect against high blood pressure and stroke, in part by improving the elasticity of blood vessels.
Best bet: When choosing chocolate, go as dark as your taste buds can stand. Check labels for the percentage of cacao, which is the source of all that antioxidant goodness. Dark chocolate typically ranges from 45 percent to 80 percent cacao. And eat a square, not the whole bar.
Another healthy chocolate treat: Sugar-free hot cocoa—in one study it lowered blood pressure, but the sugared kind did not.
Try this: “Toast slices of chewy whole-wheat bread, then brush them with fruity extra virgin olive oil while they’re still warm. Sprinkle the slices with Aleppo or Maras pepper to taste, and top with shavings of good quality dark chocolate,” says Kremezi.

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