The majority of the seed production and supply continues to be in farmer-managed systems. Formal seed systems leave smallholder farmers, particularly women, in remote areas with limited access to quality seed of preferred varieties. The lack of quality seeds has become a major constraint in varietal replacement affecting the farmers’...

Water availability is crucial for agricultural activities, in the dry seasons or at time of reduced rainfalls, water becomes a rare commodity. Harvesting rainwater can offer a solution to increase water availability during the dry season. This practice describes how to harvest rainwater in Kenya. Rainwater harvesting is the collection...

Stackburn in maize is heat damage characterized by a brown discoloration of the grain resulting from heat build-up in the interior of stacks held in commercial storage in sub-Saharan Africa. Affected maize may be downgraded in commercial markets or have to be diverted for animal-feed use. Where discoloration is severe,...

When 27-year old Neeraj Kumar heard about the Access Agriculture “Young Entrepreneur Challenge Fund 2019” announcement, he was excited to learn that winners would receive a Digisoft portable smart projector. Neeraj is co-founder of Khetee, an NGO based in Durdih village in Bihar, a state in eastern India. What impressed him most...

The Organic Agriculture Centre of Kenya (OACK) saw that by providing the right skills, information and support, they could help small-scale farmers move away from subsistence farming and into thriving livelihoods that improve their local communities and the landscapes they live in. Kangari village in Murang’a county, Kenya, has practiced mono-cropping...

Se presenta un análisis sustentado en información primaria, este se divide en tres secciones. En la primera, se sintetizan los resultados obtenidos en la consulta en la agricultura familiar y el abastecimiento agroalimentario. En la segunda se identifican los impactos de la pandemia de COVID-19 en las dinámicas productivas y...

Countries of the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region face numerous common challenges to achieving improved food security, nutrition and inclusive agricultural development. Recent conflicts and civil instability in some countries of the region, as well as rapid population growth, low growth in agricultural productivity, scarce and fragile natural...

The food supply has been disrupted by COVID-19. Shopping in supermarkets and grocery stores in the pandemic may not be a pleasant experience, as it can often lead to disappointment and anxiety since a lot of food items are not available or out of stock. The pandemic’s impact on the...

Formed in 2007, Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group (FPS) creates science-based educational materials, which: identify highly nutritious local food plants, explain how to grow them in a sustainable, agroecological way, detail the nutritional value of the plants and describe why human bodies require those nutrients. The resources created by FPS allows people to better...

The holistic gardening project in Emuhaya, Western Kenya, is attracting local and international acclaim. Bio Gardening Innovations (BIOGI) is equipping smallholder farmers to break away from monocultures and create thriving, overflowing “food forests” on their farmland.

This practice gives details on how to set up a tilapia fish farm, and recommendations for fish harvesting and storage. Fish are popular sources of protein and white-meat in many parts of Eastern Africa. However, the gap between supply and demand for fish is widening. Almost all natural fish stocks...

The fishponds are not just a hole in the ground containing water. They are unnatural water environments that farmers must manage in order to produce profitable fish harvests. Ponds should provide a good environment for fish to live in, all requirements for fish to live a healthy life, grow well...

the Andhra Pradesh Community managed Natural Farming (AP-CNF), formerly known as AP ZBNF, programme in India is a breath of fresh air. As AP-CNF says on its website, the programme “is based on the latest scientific discoveries in Agriculture, and, at the same time it is rooted in Indian tradition.” AP-CNF is...

Curso organizado por la Oficina Regional de la FAO para América Latina y El Caribe sobre alimentación escolar como estrategia educativa para una vida saludable.

From the topics: AgriFish Council of 27 January 2020, Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, News from the Ministry of Agriculture of Romania and many more.

Across cities and villages in India, an impending water crisis is at our doorsteps. India will face a water shortfall of almost 50 percent by 2030, if our water use continues its current pattern. Last year, Chennai and Bangalore showed us what water scarcity looks like; the statistics are no...

L'application des techniques d'agriculture de conservation répond à une nécessité d'apporter des réponses pratiques à la dégradation des sols, la faible fertilité des sols, et à la protection des bassins hydrographiques de la zone considérée. Les objectifs de cette technique sont de conserver, d'améliorer et de faire un usage plus...

This practice gives examples of different legumes that can be incorporated as livestock fodder to improve livestock productivity. Detail is given on the importance and use of legumes in terms of their nutritional content and their positive impact on soil quality. Information is provided on how to plant them and...

The happiest pigs I ever saw lived in the Bolivian Chaco, that semi-arid, lowland region in the southeast of the country. Every day, the villagers would let their pigs loose, to roam. The pigs, a tough little local breed, would wander off in troops, eating refuse on paths, scavenging in...

Supply chains have been disrupted, demand has dropped for certain foods, resulting in damage to nutrition, health and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people in this, the world’s most populous region.    In response, 46 Member Nations, along with private sector and civil society organizations, will discuss a way forward...