FAO.org

Sustainable food and agriculture are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. One of the ways of achieving Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment, and Better Life, leaving no one behind, is through agroecology. Agroecology helps ensure food and nutritional security, reduce poverty, mitigate climate change and [...]

In China, a major agricultural challenge is the inefficient use of fertilizer and the environmental effects associated with this overuse. China’s farmers use more fertilizer per hectare (more than 200 kg/ha) than farmers anywhere else in the world except for Japan, The Netherlands and South Korea. Existing studies have shown [...]

The Farmer Field School (FFS) approach has been very successful and witnessed a strong expansion in many areas beyond crop production. Notwithstanding this success, the adoption of FFS in national extension often remains problematic and FFS activities have often been implemented in the margin of national institutions with strong reliance [...]

The article focuses on a sustainable intensification of agricultural production without the dependence of pesticides. It takes into account the work that FAO has done with Asian governments in improving IPM strategies.

We are hopeful that the selection of structured learning exercises presented in the manual will provide good inspirational tools to the IPM trainers, extension personnel and farmers to create stimulating learning experiences for FF IPM trainers and farmers leading to sound scientific knowledge base for sustainable management of fruit flies.

In view of the market failures and the state failures inherent in providing agricultural extension, community-based approaches, which involve farmers‘ groups, have gained increasing importance in recent years as a ―third way‖ to provide this service. The paper discusses the conceptual underpinnings of community-based extension approaches, highlights theoretical and practical [...]

This study performed an economic impact analysis of the Farmer Field Schools (FFS) training program in three major cotton producing countries in Asia; namely China, India and Pakistan. The training program is based on the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach launched by the “FAO-EU IPM Program for Cotton in Asia”. In the three [...]

IPM Programs in Asia, including on rice, cotton and vegetables, have been broadly based on three dimensions. First is a solid IPM science basis including ecological interaction, plant physiology and soil-plant interactions. Second is policy for IPM, especially elimination of pesticide subsidies which cause over-use of pesticides and disrupt natural enemies [...]

Effects of farmer field school (FFS) and the conventional (classroom lectures) training on acquisition of pest management knowledge and skills by small vegetable farmers were studied in Yunnan province, China from 2003 to 2007. There were significant gains of knowledge about vegetable pests, natural enemies, insect and disease ecology and [...]