Rice is the second most important cereal crop in Tanzania after maize and the majority of rice farmers depend on it both for food and as a cash crop. However, highly competitive annual and perennial wild rice species have been identified as one of the important constraints to rice production...

Helping to write a script for a farmer training video on vermiwash triggered my interest in trying it out myself, as I began to wonder if ideas from tropical India could work in temperate Belgium.  

Argentina es el primer país exportador mundial de harina y aceite de soja, con ingresos promedio de 19.000 millones de dólares anuales. En la última campaña, 2019/2020, se sembraron 17,2 millones de hectáreas y se cosecharon 50,7 millones de toneladas de soja (https://www.bcr.com.ar /es/mercados/gea/estimaciones-naciona les-de-produccion/estimaciones). La cadena productiva de la...

Mulching is the process of covering the topsoil with plant material such as leaves, grass, twigs, crop residues, straw etc. A mulch cover enhances the activity of soil organisms such as earthworms. They help to create a soil structure with plenty of smaller and larger pores through which rainwater can...

The objective of this practice was to focus on the suitability and replication potential of salt-tolerant rice varieties as alternatives in saline impacted areas, and thus contribute to the region’s resilience and food security. The Philippines is among the most disaster-prone countries in the world. More than 200 climate-related natural...

Farm inputs such as improved seeds, fertilizers, and herbicides are conventionally packaged in large bag sizes that are beyond the financial means of small farmers. The technology demonstrates ways of mobilizing the private sector to make small quantities of appropriate inputs available in mini-packs. It also demonstrates novel ways of...

A really good teacher will teach you both subject matter and how to explain it to others. Elías Sánchez mentored thousands of Central Americans in organic agriculture. He started his adult life as a rural schoolteacher because he wanted to help people. But he soon realized that rural people needed...

In mountain areas, water continues to be a scarce commodity not only for irrigation purposes but even for drinking and other domestic uses. These challenges are encountered very frequently in India. These difficulties are present, inspite of the fact that important rivers namely the Sutlez, Beas, Ravi and their tributaries...

This is a story of hope and decolonisation in a time of crises. The Indigenous Bagungu People of western Uganda have lived along the shores of Itaka Mwitanzige (Lake Albert) since time immemorial. But for over a century, colonialism and globalisation have damaged and repressed both the Bagungu's traditional, Earth-centred culture and...

Today, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries are facing a health, economic and social crisis unprecedented in recent history. A crisis of such scope and depth calls for actions in response to the many challenges that arise. We have known for a long time that it is not possible to...

Vulnerability to climate change has forced the Pacific republic to build resilience through community approaches to fisheries management. The Republic of Kiribati faces many development challenges due to its remoteness and limited resources—financial, infrastructural, institutional and environmental. With population pressure increasing, land is not only scarce but at a perilously low...

Este ensayo de reflexión expone la situación de la pobreza rural en América Latina y sus particularidades desde un enfoque de desarrollo rural. Conceptualiza la importancia de la agricultura familiar para la construcción de una nueva ruralidad para los países de la región, y aspira a generar insumos de sustento...

The grain legume white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is a promising local alternative for imported soybean in Europe because of its high protein content, which is perfect for the food and feed industry. However, white lupin is almost not being cultivated because of anthracnose disease, caused by the fungal pathogen...

Las buenas prácticas agrícolas (bpa) se definen como un conjunto de acciones o prácticas que se realizan en una explotación agrícola, tendientes a reducir los peligros químicos, físicos y microbiológicos. Están orientadas a obtener productos inocuos (sanos-limpios), mejorar las condiciones de los trabajadores (salud y bienestar) y proteger el medio...

In some localities in Colombia a physiological disorder called "Mal de cintura", is present in MD2 pineapple productive farms. It is a deformation of the fruit due to the incomplete development of contiguous flowers that produces a physical damage (external appearance); generating fruit rejection in the market. Factors that trigger...

Measures implemented around the world to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have entailed a severe reduction not only in the transportation of goods and services that rely on transport, but also in the migration of labour domestically and internationally. Workers are less available reflecting both disruptions in transportation systems and restrictions...

Hydroponics is based on growing agricultural plants without the use of soil. These are methods of growing plants either on a substrate or in an aqueous medium with bare roots. Non-circulating hydroponic methods, importantly, do not require electricity or a pump. With the method presented in this practice, the entire...

Coffee growing is an important livelihood strategy for smallholders in East African countries, notably Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, where coffee is an important agricultural export. Smallholder production is less significant in southern countries such as Malawi and Zambia but although the smallholder sector is small, coffee is a major...

Hay-making is the most important method of preserving forage in many countries, including tropical ones. Silage-making is highly developed in temperate countries, especially in Europe, and goes with intensification. In tropical countries, plant growth coincides with the rainy season, which sometimes makes hay-making difficult. The objective of this technology is...

The Passifloraceae family has a pantropical distribution inthe neotropics with a very large number of species and wide variation in leaves, flowers and fruits. There is a diversified range of use within the genus due to is importance ass an ornamental, for industrial precessing, fresh fruit comsumption and medicinal purposes:...