tv Eco Africa Deutsche Welle June 26, 2020 9:30pm-10:01pm CEST
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and absurd until the internet amplifies it all. it takes a lot more energy to refute rubbish than to propagate it in the 1st place. conspiracy theories can provide comfort content like reality create another. film about knowledge and belief trust deception. to preserve the gold stars july 1st on t.w. . hello and welcome to a new edition of eco africa. in lagos nigeria on today's show we'll be putting the focus on farming including a look at how it's changing i would call toll practices i'm joined by my colleague
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in uganda. and a big hello from kampala uganda to all of you as to what did you know that one thought of the global population walks in the agricultural sector here in africa it is over half the population that is why we decided to make a special edition the tease all about. the will find out haul in south africa farming mix for healthy eating. and how food is grown we've hydroponics in nigeria. and finally why farming doesn't have to mean deforestation. we start the show in south africa anyone who's ever been there will have noticed the thousands of kilometers of fencing that caught of course the land usually designed to contain the cuttle fences have a devastating effect on the environment they are not only a deadly trial for the way of life they also prevent
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a lifestyle from moving around pretty which leaves over grazing and non-degree addiction some hadas on the boss in this trend and they are spearheading an ecological revolution. when herders lead their livestock onto the great plains of the car route in central south africa the animals on allowed to linger. to protect the vegetation from overgrazing they have to be kept on the move as a result they can only eat the tips of the plants. head chef the dixon cooper has years of experience and of seeing how the landscape has changed since he's been grazing his animals here it has. its. pitches and ask growth was not that much but now since we have had it you see process what. we find that no these are people now change you know grazing that is more productive.
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the herders are part of the shepherding but biodiversity project it supports commercial. livestock keeping while boosting lung restoration on this 24000 hectare farm. was once much greener and home to millions of until open buffalo. hooves loose in the topsoil while the droppings fertilized it. in a bid to recreate the great migrations of the past the project employs shepherds to lead livestock over the plains. is the project leader he's confident that herders can help revive the whole region. as we fundamentally believe that this method of farming give space for wildlife to co-exist with production i could call tree so that's really simple vision is to find a mechanism by which we can. foster biodiversity on production farms. the thousands of kilometers of fences needed for
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intensive livestock are the culture one of the main reasons why wildlife has disappeared. fences prevent the animals from roaming free as they search for grazing land and water. they often end up tangled in barbed wire. in order to study the effects of the fenceless farming method on the environment ecologist so monitoring the project. over the past 2 years ahead research your janine mcmanus and a group of students have recorded the number of plant species in selected study sites. in addition the group evaluates the earth budgetary index the index is determined by the amount of green seen on the ground by satellites and allows researchers to compare plant growth in different regions over time. you can already start picking up changes in trains with the way the hood has been
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grazing especially over longer we still period in parts of the farm and. green index shows that quite pronounced and we competed to traditional farms where it isn't quite as pronounced and they seems to be quite a significant. it's just looking at the pixels alone you know and taking the green out of pixelization but from that you can really start seeing a difference. there are many positive signs. areas that have been grazed by the herds on now seeing thicker plant growth. slowly while the animals are returning to the farm more than 500 antelope have been counted and even a leopard was recently started. a major success for dixon in cool especially since south africa is still recovering from one of the worst droughts in recorded history . wishing this process continues for the rest of their life with us so that they will any damage to be named until it so that even the neighbors in other countries can be more
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inspired about what it is seeing this take on. the project could inspire neighboring foulness many of them saw their london grade and lost livestock due to the severe drought for the shepherds however this year's lambing season turned out to be very successful adding another $800.00 sheep to the herd slowly but surely the project is turning profitable. and now we go to germany where the ugly culture sector also plays an important role in the economy not surprisingly production there is becoming more and more modern and high tech milking robots and drones above the field are part of daily life but now a new intervention could be added a robot in the field tell us more. it's a prototype sondra but he could make life far easier for the farmers in the future but i've used to farm using fewer people and thus all resources envy and
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just 3 of the kids to help population let's have a look. here in this field a prototype is being tested the hope is that this technology will be able to combat weeds and improve harvests. i meet a robot that works for organic farmer trying to customs. discover the feast of life become a visionary in this operation because i'm trying to foresee the problems we'll have in a decade and i'm doing my best to solve them through from. the farmers already having problems finding enough employees to work his fields bonnie ray. could solve this labor shortage by recognizing weeds and destroying them without relying on chemicals but the robot is still at the learning stage or the farmer has brought in i.t. experts to help. us forster if. you can imagine drawing a picture with a green marker and a red marker and then we tell him that's
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a carrot and those are weeds and later we have pictures without anything and we tell the robot to find out where would you use the color red or grey doesn't and this is what you see in the end it examines all the images and says. it was. artificial intelligence for farming. nowadays farmers also have to be engineers and software experts able to hook up heavy duty farm machinery to networks those networks collect and analyze data so farmers can optimize the use of seeds and fertilizer it's providing a new line of business for agricultural machinery engineers. in from this levy on sunday will have to feed 9 or 10000000000 people stop and that won't be possible with curry eels we have to become more efficient and we have to use our resources more wisely. research and practice are closely interlinked fuel efficiency tests for example are being conducted at the farm worker anchor himself learned his trade
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. this is the this is the route i have just programmed to fit the tractor follows that route there's no need to steer satellite maps help the machinery stay exactly on course but it also makes it possible to track employees every move and spot every mistake digital technology is very useful for looking after livestock to helping to boost profits feeding has long been automated panko says farmers should still visit their animals at least once a day. reopen. we currently have 2000 ok so feeding them by hand is inconceivable it's good to have fully automated feeding who followed him out of his fine food. back at the carrot shield the vegetable crop is being separated from the weeds by hand at least it's environmentally friendly the
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vehicle is powered by solar panels but it's difficult to find workers willing to pull up weeds for 8 hours when will this work be automated. we know that in the long term we won't have these workers anymore so we need the technology to help keep the weeds on our fields in check because of them are crammed with to go because there's a big demand for big visions of farming can benefit greatly from digitalisation. our dream is to come here with a small trailer open the door and then 100 drones fly out and around the field and do everything automatically to market. everything depends on the new technological possibilities and how we exploit them. these days farming is becoming increasingly high tech in europe and in africa too here in nigeria for example
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there's a lot of research being done into solutions for feeding the booming population while protecting the environment we visit a company in lagos that is reducing the negative. impact of farming with an innovative hydroponic system it uses less land and little or no soil for the cultivation of fresh produce the for helping drive an agricultural revolution. these bazil possibly and little sponsor special they being drowned with old use a normal song vision over to systemise cold eyed ripon excess to feed the plants they gardeners use. made from the block of the coconut tree. you transfer yours or not. and you transfer its chemical additives. in the natural state and a special vegetable form of. nutrients and that the plants need. they got
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no color we grew began growing herb's and vegetables in lagos 2 years ago fresh produce is often difficult to find into nigerian megacity and organic products even harder to get hold of cutting a cut or starts with a need to. want to empower the farmers and also with the consumer in mind in terms of providing fresh quality produce to all consumers which is real farm to table which is part of the whole agricultural revolution that's going on in the world by growing locally they could even on the cot the prices of the organic produce a valuable in the c.-t. body still make profits conventionally grown vegetables so other market cost around 30 percent more than the organic ones here i buy kill species in the eighty's most of them i imported suv get very expensive but the seas look and the groom dammy
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so the pricing yes it's very reasonable when you think about what you're getting nothing can be fresh for you know straight from from farm to mouth that whole concept nothing if it's not too expensive. it's environmentally friendly other company only delivers within the city it keeps its carbon footprint low the firm is also helping other farmers to follow its example. we. branch of the content this list and it's a part of the continent that literally you know be you would offer people a pretty fun for them and then trust fights that. so far they've helped 3 farmers to launch their own businesses. got no color we are planning to expand and are currently sitting up to new c.t.
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farms in lagos. here in africa the effects of a climate crisis have never been more apparent and the farming sector is inevitably hardest hit in ethiopia for instance the farmers plant what are supposed to be high yield crops every year but the land is so parts that they barely have anything to harvest other life in its institute in germany ethiopia and researches are learning how to boost biodiversity and revive and conserve local c varieties that can withstand the drought and other environmental threats. a biologist. is showing 3 visitors around the fields of the live in its institute of plant genetics and crop plant research in central germany. so you think the 3 are working the seed bank of the ethiopian biodiversity institute in ad is the largest of its kind in africa they want to find out what their colleagues in germany are doing to
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improve the quality of crop seeds. which. the market likes the hands on part of the process here she is learning things she hopes to implement back home she's manager of the seed bank and that is up above. we don't know what more can bring so we always want to see if our worst. where life even though we support a life of food shelter maids it's all what's a base for our living. it's a question of living. so housing in conserving is supporting life will take a lot of us a shows her guests the treasure trove at the heart of the institute the seed bank with over 150000 samples from crop plants from around the world gathered over a period of several decades. you know tried
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a lot of us or has been collaborating with her colleagues in addis ababa for 9 years now. but diversity of species is astounding for example that more than 9000 varieties of being in the collection alone size pick up the seed bank here in gutters leaving is one of the largest in the world. electing mission the icons in all the right is have lower yields but they can cope better with changing climatic conditions they're more robust in times of drought lack of water often turn soil acidic or leads to a build up of minerals and heavy metals. these for riot he is can withstand all of that better than more fragile modern seeds more than a. lot of us or has got to know the problems farmers face in ethiopia 1st hand for sure you have seen they tend to plant the same crops year in year out which leads to soil degradation and ever lower yields new varieties are needed. the institute
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in add is also has fields where new strains are tested strains developed that with the help of a german seed company. back at the live meat institute in germany this week has grown from seeds collected in the 1950 s. the variety actually originated in ethiopia but has died out there this is a 6 robot with samples have since been sent back to the seed bank and is ababa along with seeds of other crops once endemic to ethiopia really certain strains of wheat and mustard more than 7000 in all now they're back home and available for research and possibly cultivation we want to apply or to use all of my peers for sustainable. development so most of our seed. researchers from different research institutes in the country and students who are studying for their ph d. in the visitors from ethiopia want to expand the testing of older varieties at
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their own institute to establish which ones could withstand stress factors such as dryness or acidic soil an important step to boost sustainable farming in ethiopia or that's what. europe why next report in poland many farmers proctors industrialized wyoming say imperfect fertilizers and pesticides are common intensive life following. demand have been changing with more and more people buying organically produced. it is a trend that we. all over the walls and in poland a country that is a traditionally grounded in agriculture this growing market is providing opportunities to the increasing number of organic dairy farmers we went to meet some sun which cheese makers. thank you. in eastern poland helen of live sky is reading her go she heard through the meadows.
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a couple of years ago she and her daughter isabella to chose 1st started with a handful of animals now they take care of 300 goats. from them though the family produces a variety of different organic cheeses that have become a hit with the locals. she added there was a time when people said oh good lord goat cheese no it really smells bad and it can't possibly taste good and. it took several years to convince poles to try some other choose besides the cow's milk factory kind of go chase was practically nonexistent it's only now that it's become trendy. to chaska is one of the 1000 out is an old cheese make his in poland the 25 year old is a psychologist by training but has decided to come on board in the family run
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business today the farm boasts more than 50 head tis a pasture and produces around 10 tons of organic cheese each year. another farm in the region the rancher a french era has a similar backstory. sylvia schlender of it and her family specialize in organic cows and sheep cheeses. some 15 years ago they left the city to buy a ramshackle farm. over the years they renovated it and turned it into a flourishing cheese business. they have no trouble selling their dairy close to home and after that in europe there are fewer and fewer natural rich herbs and so i think that's one reason why archies the such a hit not only with coles that but also some italian french or spanish people too so his final in poland organic food still has
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a small market share compared to other european nations. yet the demand is growing rapidly. more and more people are willing to pay a premium for high quality and sustainably produced food that means there are lots of opportunities for the country's organic cheese farmers to grow their herds even bigger but. all too often and all over the world farming goes hard in hand with different station in many african countries sloshing a bunny is the way to prepare land for planting crops regardless of whether that land is depleted or the time but many overlook the fact that this method destroys the so way down below the surface one young man in senegal has come up with an alternative one that is good for the soil and the air and can even produce better harvests. these are she is still hot recently trees are cut down here and
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bang to make room for new fields in. the tropical forest and on the village of subtle insult on senegal is endangered. the palmer is an option part of the forest provides the villagers with fruit with wood to build on each arm with palm leaves for their roofs of the huts. but again and again the forest is set alight clemen somebody is a farmer from start to who wants to protect the trees he sees the slash and burn maple it is actually harmful for agriculture although the new fields may be far to binding also causes soil erosion which is bad for the poem or a palm trees. don't prepare for a fall. this is an example of a devastating bushfire last year someone set
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a fire here and dangerous left you can see the back of this tree bark down to the bees and that means the whole tree is now much more vulnerable and presently the new way. a crisis meeting village elder christophe kali explains how serious the situation ease slashing and burning does not only destroy forest uncontrolled fires threaten the village itself. and the. business. of founded a committee that will look into the organization of a troll i don't turn to villagers from our own suit to participating in order to get these bush fires under control clearly says i did what would have to put a group but the final clement's someone who doesn't think but trolls will help he discovered a method on the internet to make depleted soils for tell again these metal is called google quota or he'll culture fussed over unusable logs and dead branches is
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laid down leaves of grass and weeds is put on top then it only needs watering in time it becomes a fight a bit for planting clemence some who tried it on his own fields and was successful . on little bread but we only want to eat once a week or so not to know it and if you put your hands on top of each it's as if you're a deep in the woods a really nice damp foreign soil and that's just what the plants need to do for a live report is more when you put. this certain villagers plant mostly veggie tables on their fields claman some teaches them the forest friendly method. for which also gives them valuable compost for. cecil said now decided to use the compost on her fields. miracle my language.
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i make comcast it gives me a profit instead of having to buy for to live with these profit i take care of my house and i take care of my children my 2 nephews i can go. to the market to buy the hands that he raised to secure my future and see if forest master they can deposit. it so when we news in confidence to revitalize the depleted fields and let them fatten again protects the ponytail palm trees. and the whole tropical forest. i'm afraid we've run out of time for today we hope the show has given you some useful information on how farming can help positive but also devastating effects on the environment from the ecological farming to new technologies that said for this week. goodbye from lagos nigeria and goodbye from me to here in kampala uganda we'll be back next week with the new
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how do we make see the streamer how can we protect habitats what you come up with all our own waste. we can make a difference by choosing smart new solutions overstrained said in a way sublime to the subject series of the 3000 on the bed ahmad. fighting for. the noise. floor i come from people are known for being tough but fair to your country loud people tell it like it it was they call it the concrete jungle the melting pot the city that never sleeps it's this energy that makes it feel like old but amid the hustle it's important to listen and pay attention because it's not just the loudest voices who want to be heard we all have a story this is how i see it is my job as
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a journalist to go beyond the obvious now i'm basing your mum my work takes me around the world but my it seems for me in the state to tell the important stories behind the headlines what is the heart of the story why does it matter who live in the past. to stay focused if you want us to cut through the noise to get to the truth of the mind of the sarah kelly and i work it to death of. going to like. oh. my gorgeous love our sued for the russian soul. train of st. louis so many different walks of life. some are. obsolete. but almost all coming straight from the heart to its former c.e.o. but one has no money delusion the marsh will enjoy hamas from
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the logs to their final resting place in russia j w documentary. the big plays. this is the news live from the united states struggles to contain a coronavirus surge with states reporting continued increases in new cases leaders are reimposing restrictions but maybe tonight also on the program several wounded are not stopping in scotland police in glasgow said the suspect attacked people in a city hotel this.
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