Informal trade Informal cross-border trade plays a major role in the BIMSTEC region, given the shared borders between member countries such as India with Bangladesh and Nepal. Informal trade is defined through the exchange process and consists of unrecorded trade flows that escape official statistics. “Informality” refers to the nature of the...

Mountain ecosystems, including rangelands, wetlands, peatlands and both alpine and temperate forests, are unique habitats characterised by complex geography and rich biodiversity. These ecosystems are integral to the cultures and traditions of diverse Indigenous communities, providing essential goods and services such as food, water, climate regulation and cultural aesthetics. Despite their high economic...

Different crops and tree leaves provide different levels of micro and macro-nutrients when incorporated into the soil. This adds organic matter, boosts beneficial soil micro-organisms and enhances soil fertility.

Sustainable food systems require mechanisms that assure consumers about the sustainability of agricultural production. Building on the existing literature on the impact of sustainability standards, this study is the first to assess the effectiveness of participatory guarantee systems (PGS) for the certification of organic produce. The study uses representative farm-level...

The bad smell of pig waste undermines the health of your animals and your own health and can create tensions with your neighbours. Washing the dung and urine into waterways also pollutes the environment. By using deep bedding sprayed with good microorganisms you can avoid all of this. You can...

As the number of enterprises on a farm increases, it becomes harder to keep track of the cost of inputs and the revenues earned. Keep detailed records to see how your farm evolves over time. By comparing different farms of similar size with fellow farmers, you can decide if changing...

Brussels, Belgium — Access Agriculture is proud to announce the launch of its upgraded, new-look video platform (www.accessagriculture.org) with improved functionality and navigation that allows visitors a more engaging way to explore its incredible array of over 4,000 quality farmer-to-farmer training videos across 100 languages.

Every corner along Japan’s long coast has a fishing port. Where there are fishing ports, there are fishing communities working diverse small-scale and coastal fisheries daily. Its beautiful coastal landscape is Japan’s identity. It is no exaggeration to say that the Fisheries Co-operative Association (FCA) system has supported such an...

On a rainy day in August, when the availability of fisheries resources is high in the Teesta river here, Bimal Das returned from a four-hour fishing trip with only three kg of fish. While sorting the fish from the ice slabs, a dejected Das contemplated quitting fishing to looking for...

Besta Pulum cannot contain his excitement about the tablet computer he is holding in his hands. “When I was young, I never saw that kind of computer. Now I’m seeing it; I didn’t sleep [from excitement],” says the community chief, who reckons his age at around 60. Like his father before...

The Andhra Pradesh Zero Budget Natural Farming project was implemented by India’s State of Andhra Pradesh in 2016 and renamed AP Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) in 2020. APCNF is recognised as a sucessful example of peasant-led agroecology by social movements, multilateral UN bodies, governments, and researchers. We offer more...

An assessment of seven innovation case studies in Pakistan in 2022 found that agriculture innovation systems show limited collaboration and networking, and a supply-driven rather than market driven approach to innovation. This limits the potential for scaling innovations such as the ‘Super Seeder’, a machine that sows wheat directly in...

Forests harbour a large proportion of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity, which continues to be lost at an alarming rate. Deforestation is the single most important driver of forest biodiversity loss with 10 million ha of forest converted every year to other land uses, primarily for agriculture. Up to 30 percent...

As the initial funder of the Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism (FLRM), the Korea Forest Service has consistently supported the implementation of forest and landscape restoration (FLR) activities in Lebanon since 2014 and has agreed to extend its financial support to 2025.The FLRM projects in Lebanon mainly aim to step...

The publication offers a rich diversity of perspectives and insights from real-life experiences of 42 inspiring teams of youths in Africa and India who are blazing a trail as private extension and advisory service providers promoting agroecology through farmer-to-farmer learning videos. Each of the deeply compelling stories presented in this...

Research by the Center of International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) shows promising results from taking a jurisdictional approach to increasing the sustainability of palm oil plantations in four districts/regencies in Indonesia: Pulang Pisau (Central Kalimantan Province), Kutai Kartanegara (East Kalimantan Province), Pelalawan (Riau Province), and Sintang (West Kalimantan...

Bees are known to vital pollinators essential for the growth of many plants, including the fruits and vegetables we rely on for food. According to Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), honeybees play a crucial role in pollinating nearly 95 different kinds of fruits and nuts in North America which...

The purpose of this manual is to give the reader a foundation of practical knowledge regarding all aspects of Pacific oyster cultivation. It is targeted at new entrants to the market wishing to establish a farm, and existing operators who wish to develop their farms and explore new cultivation techniques....

Organic feed that is free from harmful chemical residues and antibiotics is often not available in the market. With organic feeds, you can double up the volume by mixing a variety of grasses and leaves that can be found all around the farm. This is where you can get your...

Highlights:• New videos: Record-keeping for integrated farming / Tenue de registres pour l'agriculture intégrée• World Bicycle Relief and Access Agriculture team up to support young changemakers in Uganda• From family farm to family firm• Entrepreneurs for Rural Access (ERAs) at work in India• Editor's choice - How to sell ecological food