Betel vine cultivation offers a high-return, small-scale farming option for small and marginal farmers. In this blog, Anindita Bhattacharya highlights how homestead betel farming is enhancing rural livelihoods in West Bengal, while also discussing its challenges and untapped potential. 

Duncan Macqueen looks at how diverse and flexible models of agroforestry enterprise are driving forest landscape restoration in Nepal.

Background and Aim: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is present in most cattle-raising countries around the world, and it has a negative economic impact in cattle herds. In Colombia, previous studies have estimated the prevalence of BVDV in specific locations. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence...

On 4 February 2025, the Italian Senate's Agriculture Committee held a parliamentary hearing with representatives from FAO, part of an ongoing investigation by the Italian Government into the effects of climate change on agriculture and the measures needed to adapt to these changing realities.

En el debate actual se ha reconocido la necesidad de revitalizar las políticas de desarrollo productivo. La implementación efectiva de este tipo de políticas en América Latina demanda un enfoque estratégico que considere tanto el contexto actual de la economía como las potencialidades de diversificación futura, lo que requiere un proceso...

The role of rural women in agriculture is both foundational and transformative, yet often underrepresented in mainstream narratives. This study explores the extent, nature, and significance of rural women's participation in agricultural activities across various regions. Women in rural areas are actively engaged in nearly all facets of agriculture, including...

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...

Malnutrition and climate change are deeply interconnected and threaten food security worldwide. In Bangladesh, where agriculture faces extreme weather risks and 28% of children under five suffer from stunted growth, ICARDA’s biofortified lentil variety, BARI MASUR-8 (BM8), offers a sustainable solution.  BM8 boosts nutrition, restores soil health, and provides higher yields...

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, faces intertwined challenges of poverty, food insecurity, climate shocks, and conflict, particularly in the northeast, where over two million people have been displaced. In this context, communication is crucial for resilience and inclusive recovery, and this factsheet examines Nigeria’s media landscape to inform effective, context-sensitive...

  Product code:22677IIED   About IIED's publications Agroforestry is increasingly recognised as a means of solving, in one integrated approach, three global challenges: poverty and hunger, climate change and biodiversity loss. Agroforestry mixes trees and other woody plants together with crops and livestock. By doing so, it diversifies what is cultivated, multiplies economic options, increases...

Climate change has intensified desertification and droughts, directly impacting agriculture and livestock. To promote sustainability in Colombian grasslands, AGROSAVIA developed a bioinoculant comprising a synthetic bacterial consortium of three rhizobacteria (Herbaspirillum sp. AP21, Azospirillum brasilense D7, and Rhizobium leguminosarum T88) with plant growth-promoting properties and drought resilience. This study evaluated the co-culture fermentation of these...

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...

Faba bean, a staple part of diets and crop rotations in West Asia, North and East Africa region and a quiet overachiever for millennia - providing protein-rich food for millions, fixing soil nitrogen, and boosting subsequent crop yields - is finally getting the scientific attention it deserves due to its...

Duncan Macqueen looks at how support for women planting small backyard gardens can grow into extensive agroforestry systems, climate-resilient landscapes and improved livelihoods.

Latin America faces increasing challenges due to climate change, with drought and desertification. In this context, AGROSAVIA selected three Bacillus strains (XT13, XT14, and XT17) with plant growth-promoting effects and potential in mitigating water-deficit stress. A culture medium for the three strains was developed by assessing 6 liquid media (Landy, DSM, GYS,...

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...

Kampala, Uganda – [August 2025] — The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is proud to announce the launch of its new podcast, “The Battle for African Agriculture” hosted by AFSA General Coordinator, Dr. Million Belay. This bold new series pulls back the curtain on the enduring legacies of colonialism in Africa’s...

The article highlights how beekeeping supports biodiversity and community livelihoods in southern Belize, particularly in the Golden Maya Landscape, part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Through traditional practices such as the milpa system and new agroforestry techniques, producers like Eventir Cal combine home-based crops with the management of hives, including...

Hailing from Viacha, in the Andes of Peru, IFAD Recipes for Change chef Waldir Maqque is a content creator and advocate for traditional Andean cooking. He traveled with IFAD to the Peruvian Amazon, where he cooked a meal with Ruth, an Indigenous farmer from the Awajún community supported by the IFAD-financed Avanzar Rural project.

Dalbulus maidis is a pest of great importance for corn in America and Colombia, due to its potential for transmitting pathogens that cause plant diseases and result in large crop losses. Environmental conditions are considered among the main factors in the geographic distribution of pests. Objective: To identify the climatic...