In South Asia, the long-term provision of agro-ecosystem services is threatened by accelerating climate change and undesirable farming practices. Conservation farming could help ensure sustainable ecosystem services and food security. This study was conducted in nine purposively selected districts in west and northwest Bangladesh. Data on conservation farming practices were...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on food security in Indonesia. Ensuring food production and availability is a major concern for policymakers. The Indonesian government has historically made various efforts in this regard, encouraging and providing facilitation to farmers as the main producers of food, such as through...

By installing an integrated farm, you can produce something on every inch of land, while reducing waste and buying fewer inputs. Draw a map of your farm and decide where to grow what crops, trees and vegetables, based on your knowledge of which crops need sun and which grow in...

Mixed crop–livestock systems, the world’s most widespread farming systems, promote farm resilience through diversification and allow for crop–livestock integration (CLI). Intensification and specialization challenge these systems. In Northwest Vietnam, the standard farm model is based on mixed crop–livestock family farms but is shifting towards more specialized farming systems. The aim...

Because of our seed bank, we have native varieties again. By using indigenous seed our costs have reduced as we can grow and keep our own seed. So, we don’t have to depend on the market. In our seed bank, we also train farmers how to grow crops organically, free...

The waters that surround the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Pacific are home to remarkable marine ecosystems. The fish and other marine species they host are deeply intertwined with many Pacific peoples’ cultures, livelihoods and food. But while the communities of these islands continue to consume fish in...

This study provides a quantitative assessment of the Indian dairy sector and aims to determine the underlying factors of the observed price movements. We analyse producer prices over time, differentiated by milk-producing ‘zones,’ and identify the underlying factors that might explain the observed discontinuities or interruptions in producer prices. The...

Developed in the Hurgaov region of Rajasthan (India), where droughts are frequent, this project allowed the promotion and conservation of rainwater through rejuvenating traditional rainwater harvesting water bodies (Naadi) with the participation of the community. 

The "FAO in the Pacific 2022" report provides an overview of FAO's activities and achievements in the Pacific Islands region throughout the year 2022. It highlights the Organization's efforts to promote sustainable agriculture, fisheries, and forestry, and to improve food security and nutrition in the region. The report also includes...

Low-carbon agricultural practices have received increasing attention, and the rapid development of agricultural product quality certification in China has provided a potential way to implement low-carbon agriculture. This study employs an endogenous switching regession to examine the effects of quality certification on low-carbon production behaviors using the survey data of...

At first, there didn't seem to be much reason for concern. By the end of it, the trail of destruction had left few homes, crops and livestock unscathed. Nguyen Hue, an 84-year-old farmer, recalls: “When the first warnings came through over the loudspeakers, we went to take shelter nearby in a...

Local varieties often cope better with drought and other stresses, and outperform modern varieties when grown under ecological conditions. Collect traditional varieties by visiting seed savers in their homes, or while attending seed festivals and farmer training events. Seed savers and seed producers select the varieties they like most. These...

Using Tebat Benawa customary community in Indonesia as a case study, this paper aims to understand how non-specialty Robusta coffee value chain operates at the farmer-trader level and see if and how customary setting influences the relationships between actors. We employed a mixed-methods research design combining qualitative and quantitative analyses...

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, Philippines— The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) calls for a holistic approach to push family farming to support resilient food systems and ensure food security in the Philippines. This was the resounding message resulting from a SEARCA-led hyflex Agriculture and Development...

The state of Andhra Pradesh in India has been promoting chemical-free agriculture under a programme launched in 2016. In the last six years, it has worked with 0.63 million farmers across six districts on Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). Researchers from the University of Reading in the UK and Rythu...

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a grassroot agrarian movement and a state backed extension in Andhra Pradesh, and has been claimed to potentially meet the twin goals of global food security and environmental conservation. However, there is a lack of statistically evaluated data to support assertions of yield benefits...

In 2018, the state of Himachal Pradesh in north India launched an initiative to convert all its farmers to natural farming (NF), an agroecological approach. The aim was to address multiple challenges related to rural livelihoods, high input costs, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. This paper is based on a...

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers antimicrobial resistance one of the top 10 global health emergencies affecting humanity;1 antimicrobial use in animal production is one of its key drivers. Globally, animal production accounts for about three quarters of total antimicrobial use.2 In Viet Nam, approximately 2751 tonnes of antimicrobials are...

The Government of Nepal today launched a series of programmatic frameworks in the food and agriculture sectors that will help the country transform its agrifood systems, making them more resilient and sustainable for the benefit of all people in Nepal, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)...

This newsletter compiles the human-interest stories and news releases published in the second quarter of 2021 by the FAO Representation in Afghanistan. They include both development and humanitarian work and depict the impact and relevance of FAO's work in the lives of those farmers, livestock owners, herders and other vulnerable...