Anthropology as a tool for facilitating agricultural development
Invasion of the Fall Armyworm
Echoes from our Network: Millepede Damage
From ECHO's Seed Bank: Passionfruit
Books, Web Sites and Other Resources: Permaculture for Refugees in Camps
Articles
Patience and Passion
Gene Fifer
Passionfruit can take 12 to 18 months to fruit after planting, but patient care will be rewarded with beautiful flowers and tasty, aromatic fruit. Passionfruit is similar in flavor to guava. Its juice is enjoyed on its own or mixed with other tropical juices, and the pulp is used in sauces, gelatin, candies, jams, ice cream, and pastry fillings. The ovoid fruit is 4 to 7 cm in diameter and contains high levels of vitamins A and C.
There are both purple (Passiflora edulis), and yellow (Passiflora ligularis) forms of passionfruit. Both kinds of passionfruit are called by other common names, including granadilla, maracuja peroba, and linmangkon. Purple passionfruit is best suited to subtropical climates, whereas yellow varieties grow best in hotter, more humid tropical climates. Fruits of the purple form, as the name implies, turn dark purple or black when they mature. The skin also wrinkles when the fruit is mature.
Anthropology as a Tool for Facilitating Agricultural Development
Joel R. Matthews, PhD.
Joel Matthews has often written to us in response to articles in EDN. His comments are always insightful. Now we are glad to share an article by Joel, sharing ways that tools used in cultural anthropology can also be used to facilitate people-centered agricultural development. Joel has worked, taught and researched in West Africa, and currently teaches in the department of Engineering Technology at Diablo Valley College.
Invasion of the Fall Armyworm
Gene Fifer
Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a common pest in the Western Hemisphere affecting many commercial crops, most importantly maize. This voracious Lepidoptera (grouping of insects that includes butterflies and moths) was first detected in Central and Western Africa in 2016 and has quickly spread throughout the continent. Fall armyworms thrive in tropical and sub-tropical climates but also spread to colder areas after overwintering in areas without severe freezes. Adult moths spread quickly via strong winds (Capinera 2005).
Millipede Damage after First Rains
This article shares experiences with milipede damage on crops from network member Noah Elhardt in Senegal and Bill Stough in Uganda. It also shares some potential control measures from a thesis by Ernst Ebregt.