The international community is increasingly aware of the link between biodiversity and sustainable development and its direct impact on wealth, health and well-being. Biodiversity is the origin of all crops and domesticated livestock. It is also the source of vital ecosystem services and functions, including soil conservation, water cycling, pollination,...

Migration out of rural areas is a complex issue, especially when caused by distress and lack of alternatives. The decision to migrate depends on a number of variables, including poverty, food insecurity, lack of employment opportunities, conflicts, natural disasters, poverty employment opportunities, and as well as household and individual characteristics....

This paper is aimed to obtain an understanding of the impacts of salinity on agriculture production, the livelihood options of farmers and responses to technologies available to cope with the salinity problem; Mussayeb, Dujaila and Abu Al-Khaseeb are chosen to conduct a socioeconomic analysis. Although descriptive analysis of the field...

Iran is expanding dryland farming as a lingering drought is forcing the country to use its resources more prudently and cast off deep-seated wasteful ways.  Expansion of dryland farming might also help persuade legions of farmers, who rely on dwindling aquifers, not to abandon their vocations. Many of them have moved...

Mariam Mayet is the director of the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB). In a recent report, ACB turns their attention towards genetic modification of non-commercial ‘orphan crops’ and the way this technology is replacing farmer managed food systems. In this interview Mariam explains what is wrong with genetic modification of...

FAO welcomed an agreement by Indonesia and the European Union (EU) to issue the world's first Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) timber license as a major achievement in the fight against illegal logging. As of 15 November, the FLEGT license can accompany shipments of timber exported from Indonesia to...

This practice describes how moringa plant can be propagated by air layering to promote vegetative propagation of trees and produce seedlings. Farmers nowadays might prefer propagation of moringa through air-layered cuttings rather than through seed propagation because through vegetative propagation the air layered seedlings represent the characteristics of selected mother...

La siguiente tecnología contiene características de limpiadores de malas hierbas y pulverizadores de mochila. Justifica cuándo su utilización puede ser conveniente en términos de sus ventajas y desventajas. Las ventajas incluyen ahorro de mano de obra, fortalecimiento de la resiliencia de los medios de vida, equipos, habilidades y costos. Las...

The increased consumption of dairy products in Asia and the Pacific is playing a vital role in improving child nutrition and boosting the livelihoods of small farmers across the region, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced. The announcement was made during the opening session of the...

ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) have adopted a common regional position on agriculture sector issues and will be promoting it at the forthcoming 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that begins this week in Morocco. The ASEAN Common Position on Issues...

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), in the presence of the FAO Regional Manager of the Small Scale Family farming and Farmer Field Schools (FFS) Regional Coordinator for the Near East and North Africa, Dr Alfredo Impiglia, FAO Country Representative, Dr Salah El Hajj Hassan, Ministry...

Malawi is a small landlocked country in southern Africa, bordered by Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. The majority of Malawians are smallholder farmers, who grow crops for both food and income. More than half of the Malawian population lives in poverty, and the rate of food insecurity is very high. Typical...

China is a large country with diverse agro-ecosystems and numerous different agricultural production systems. These agricultural systems are managed by more than 200 million households who provide agricultural products to meet the needs of almost a fifth of mankind. Agriculture plays numerous key functions, including not only the provision of...

This document discusses the process of structural change in the agricultural sectors of the western Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU). Conventional agro-political discourse and scientific theory (especially agricultural economics) generally understands structural change as being a uni-directional process that involves the gradual disappearance of small farms and...

Mediterranean grasslands (including rangelands, pastures, meadows, fodder crops) are important resources covering up to 48% of the whole region. Although these ecosystems are a key element in the production of high quality animal products and in the livelihoods of producers, they provide a range of ecosystem services besides forage production,...

Les changements climatiques se manifestant le plus à travers le cycle de l’eau, ces initiatives considèrent que l’eau constitue un connecteur : • l’eau connecte entre les politiques, les secteurs économiques, les sociétés, et devient aussi un outil de coopération et de construction de la confiance. Pour relever les défis...

Adoption of new cattle management practices by Indonesian smallholders occurs less as a ‘technology transfer’ in the classical sense but rather as a series of conscious decisions by farming households weighing risks and resources as well as matching innovations to livelihood strategies. This paper uncovers the context of decisions and...

EVENT TO BE HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CZECH MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE MARIAN JURECKA 11 − 12 November 2016, Krtiny, Czech Republic The conference is prepared for farmers, LAG representatives, rural NGOs and members of municipalities. The topic is business start-up aid for young farmers and good practise examples. The conference...

he workshop 'Operational Groups: first experiences' took place in Legnaro, Italy, on 20-21 April 2016. Some Operational Group participants took the time to talk to us and tell us about their experiences.

L’agroécologie est avant tout une discipline scientifique au carrefour de l’agronomie et de l’écologie. C’est aussi la somme des pratiques qui en découlent. Elle permet non seulement de transformer l’agriculture mais aussi de repenser l’ensemble des systèmes alimentaires afin de les rendre plus durables. Elle vise à conjuguer production agricole...