Food and Agriculture Africa

  What is Stevia?   Stevia is a perennial herb found within the Asteraceae family, it is related to daisies, marigolds and sunflowers. This prized species, Stevia rebaudiana, grows in Brazil and Paraguay, where its leaves have been used for hundreds of years to sweeten food and drink. Stevia matures in 4 months and is harvested every 3 months.It is thereafter produced for 4-5 years. Stevia is a safe, natural, zero-calorie and carbohydrate free sweetener. It has none of the negative side effects associated with sugar suchas diabetes obesity etc. it is currently used by thousands of companies such as Coca Cola, Pepsi amongst others Stevia is well-suited for sweetening creamy desserts, drinks, fruit, salad dressings and yogurt and tea. Stevia is sold as Green stevia or White stevia which is white powder or tablets sweeteners for domestic consumption. Can it be it be grown in Nigeria? Yes, it is being grown privately by few Nigerians Stevia requires rainfall of about 150 mm per annum is es

Ground Stevia for Use in Baked Foods     Step 1 Rinse the Stevia leaves in cold water and lay them flat on paper towels. Pat the moisture from the leaves and let them sit out for a few minutes. Step 2 Break off any stems. Grind the dried Stevia leaves to powder using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Step 3 Scale, or portion, out the dry ingredients -- except for sugar -- for the recipe. Portion 1 tablespoon of ground Stevia for every cup of sugar called for in the recipe. Step 4 Scale out the wet ingredients for the baked good and add an extra 1/3 cup of the primary liquid for every tablespoon of Stevia used. For example, if you're making a hot-milk sponge cake -- which calls for 2 cups of sugar -- you would add an extra 2/3 cup of milk because you are using 2 tablespoons of ground Stevia to replace the 2 cups of sugar. Step 5 Mix the batter and examine the consistency. If the batter is too loose from the additional liqui

  How to Use Fresh Stevia Leaves Pinch 1 to 3 leaves from the top of a branch to sweeten a cup of tea . Taking leaves from the top will encourage side growth and a bushier plant . Steep the fresh leaves along with your tea bag in one cup of hot water. Chew two fresh leaves to curb sugar cravings. The sweet taste will remain in your mouth for up to an hour.  Leaves from the Stevia plant are a diabetic-safe, low-calorie sweetener that is 100 to 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Stevia(Green) is consumed around the world and has no safety concerns regarding its use. Purchase the plant as a seedling and use the leaves fresh from the plant or dry them for later use.  The Dry Stevia Leaves Grind the dry leaves with Blender until you have a fine powder. Use the powder to sweeten breakfast cereal,zobo, beverages or use it in baking. Dry leaves are sweeter than fresh, and one teaspoon is equal to the sweetness of 10 teaspoons of sugar. Green Sugar Revolution, Become a Stevia Distributo

  Moringa Improves Men Fertility.       It is estimated that men cause or contribute to the problems associated with infertility in about 40% of cases, with reduced production of sperm and problems with the motility of sperm being among the most common causes. Moringa leaves and seeds are excellent sources of antioxidants, which may help combat oxidative damage that are capable of interfering with the production of sperm or damaging the sperm DNA. In one of the studies conducted in rabbits, it was shown that the leaf powder from the moringa plant significantly improved the volume of the semen, as well as sperm count and motility. In another study, one conducted in rats, it was further demonstrated that in cases of induced undescended testicles, the antioxidant properties that the moringa leaf extract possess, helped to significantly increase sperm count. What’s more, the studies that were conducted in rats and rabbits have shown that this moringa leaf extract may help in

  Moringa Alleviates Erectile Dysfunction Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to get or keep an erection that is firm enough for sex. This condition often occurs when there is a problem with blood flow, that may be as a result of high blood pressure, high levels of fat in the blood, or maybe certain conditions like diabetes. Moringa leaves contain a beneficial plant compound called polyphenols. Polyphenols help in enhancing the flow of blood thereby increasing the production of nitric oxide and also decreasing blood pressure. What’s more, some studies that were conducted in rats have shown that extract from the leaves and seeds of this plant inhibit key enzymes that are somewhat linked to erectile dysfunction (ED) that increase blood pressure and decrease the production of nitric oxide. In one other study conducted on healthy rats, it was also demonstrated and observed that when a moringa seed extract was given to the healthy rats, it helped relax the smooth muscle

  *REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD STOCK HYBRID ( _HETERO-CLARESSE_)* 🏽 _They can grow to a very large size (above 20kg)_ 🏽 _They grow very fast_ 🏽 _They are tastier than Clarias_ 🏽 _They have less offal (intestines) than Clarias._ 🏽 _They accrue better biomass (weight gain) than Clarias._ 🏽 _They have very strong immunity and are not easily susceptible to bacterial/Fungal/viral infections unlike Clarias._ 🏽 _They do well on food supplements and gives good FCR with less proteinous feed._ 🏽 _They retain a firmer flesh even after long refrigeration._ 🏽 _They don't readily loose weight upon harvest and as a result of transport unlike Clarias._ 🏽 _Their handling is more friendly due to their high ruggedness, and are not easily stressed_ 🏽 _They have low mortality rate._ 🏽 _Their management is accompanied with less stress._ 🏽 _They thrive better in a highly turbid pond water unlike clarias._ NOTE: *HYBRID can be raised for MELANGE (smoking size) with sure impressive outcome in 2 m

                                      UNDERSTANDING FEED CONVERSION RATE (FCR) IN FISH FARMING.* by Oluwafemi Isaac Aina. I have noticed that a lot of fish farmers do not understand, or are not aware of what is called Feed Conversion Rate (FCR). Though simple, but understanding FCR is pivotal to a fish farmer's success in this aqua-venture. Fish farming is a serious business, and we should handle it as such. It's not just about digging a pond, pouring fingerlings, feeding them till the day of harvest. NO!  That's one of the reasons we have a lot of irregularities and failures through the aqua value chain. Remember SPUR! I have a lot to say, but the past few weeks has been about keeping and dressing true dreams, the original Eden's mandate, not tilling the wrong dreams, the devil's agenda. Break up thy fallow grounds, till the LORD send His showers upon them. But then, let me use this opportunity to briefly enlighten us about FCR.. _*What is FCR? FCR i

  Reasons why raising rabbits should be embraced by Nigerians :      *   Rabbits can produce large amounts of delicious meat.   Although rabbit meat is firmer, it tastes very much like chicken. Rabbit meat contains a lot of protein and is low in calories and fat. So rabbit meat is both good to eat and is a very healthy food.      *   Rabbits multiply quickly.  A rabbit raiser can start with three females and one male and produce fifty, or more, rabbits in one year.  Even a small backyard project in which two to three females and one male are raised can furnish meat to strengthen the family diet.  A large scale rabbit farm can start with 50females and 10males.      *   Rabbits are easy to raise at home -- Rabbit hutches do not take up a lot of space, and rabbits are clean, quiet and easy to care for.      *   Processed Rabbit skins are also valuable; they can be made into hats, fur-trimmed collars, slippers, pillows, small rugs, etc.   In addition to these reasons, gardeners a

  Basic Facts About Rabbit Meat. Unlike beef , pork or venison, rabbit meat does not have a special name , it is simply called , “ rabbit meat .” 1. The office of home economics, state relations of the U S Department of Agriculture has made extensive test and have stated that domestic rabbit meat is the most nutritious meat known to man. 2. Cholesterol level in rabbit meat is much lower than chicken, turkey, beef, pork. 3. Rabbit is lower in % of fat than chicken, turkey, beef, and pork. 4. Rabbit is highest in protein%.  5.Rabbit meat has been used and is suitable for special diets, such as those for heart disease patients, diets for the aged, low sodium diets, weight reduction diets, etc. 6. In England over one Million families have rabbits.  In America, people eat 30 million pounds of rabbit meat each year.   7. Rabbits will produce 3 kilogram of meat on the same feed and water as a cow will produce half a kilo of meat on the same feed and water.  8. Baby rabbit