Africa Crop Tool Launched

"The right choice of crops and seeds is crucial both for improving the livelihoods of the rural poor and hungry and for dealing with climate change. To be able to make that choice, you have to make sure seeds and planting materials are available and accessible at the right place and at the right time," said Shivaji Pandey, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Plant Production and Protection Division.

To this end, FAO experts launched a quick reference calendar to guide 43 major African countries on what crops to plant based on the type of agricultural zones from drylands to highlands. The calendar would also be useful in emergency cases such as droughts or floods or for rehabilitation efforts in natural or manmade disaster. There are 283 agro-ecological zones and 130 crops covered in the calendar that would be useful for farmers, government extension workers and non-governmental organizations, agencies and donors.

See the original news at http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/47497/icode/