How does communication and its technical content shape farmer responses to plant clinic advice?

A recent study led by CABI and published in International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, explores how communication and its technical content shape farmers’ response to advice delivered at plant clinics. How willing were farmers to accept or reject the technologies recommended at plant clinic consultations? And what were the reasons? The research was carried out…
Read Further

Plant Doctors in Vietnam go digital

strawb
Plant clinics in Vietnam have received a major boost with the introduction of digital devices to facilitate the work of plant doctors. The use of tablets and smartphones has been proven to help plant doctors improve the quantity and quality of data generated from plant clinic operations. With improved ICTs, the captured data from plant…
Read Further

NextGen Cassava Improving Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa

strawb
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has paired with the UK Government to award the Next Generation (NextGen) Cassava Breeding Project $35 million with the aim of promoting the growth of cassava crops and to improve food security in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Read Further

Empoderamiento de la mujer a través de las clínicas de planta del Perú

Autor: Eduardo Augusto Neves Reconocimiento a: Marieta Cervantes y Fernando Escobal, INIA Baños del Inca Ing. Marieta Eliana Cervantes Peralta, doctora de plantas de la estaciĂłn experimental de INIA ‘Baños del Inca’ en Cajamarca, PerĂş, conoce bien la realidad de las mujeres rurales. Hija de campesinos, viviĂł su niñez y adolescencia en una comunidad rural…
Read Further

New coalition puts knowledge and skills into the hands of those who need it

strawb
CABI has joined forces with the ISEAL Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coalition in the fight to implement better, less chemical-dependent, ways for farmers to manage agricultural pests and diseases that account for around 40% of lost crops worldwide. By linking with the Plantwise Knowledge Bank, the coalition aims to share knowledge on sustainable pest management…
Read Further

Why intersectionality is key to women’s empowerment in agriculture

Women play a critical and potentially transformative role in agricultural growth in developing countries, but they face persistent obstacles and economic contraints which limit their full inclusion in agriculture. The FAO suggest that closing the gender gap in access to productive resources could increase agricultural output in the developing world by 2.5-4%, reducing the number…
Read Further

Update: New Pest & Disease Records (5 Mar 18)

strawb
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this fortnight include the first report of grapevine syrah virus-1 in China, the first report of Cocksfoot mottle virus infecting wheat in Ohio, USA and the first report of Tobacco mosaic virus infecting sesame…
Read Further

Sri Lanka launches Skype service to further strengthen advisory support in plant clinics

strawb
Plant clinics in Sri Lanka, known as the Permanent Crop Clinic Programme, continue to grow and modernize throughout the country. After successfully rolling out e-plant clinics in several provinces in Sri Lanka, the younger generation of agricultural extension workers is now feeling just as confident in solving crop health issues as their senior colleagues did…
Read Further

Women farmers in Ekxang Village equipped with pest-smart practices against pest and disease outbreaks

strawb
by Sathis Sri Thanarajoo. Reblogged from CCAFS: CGIAR News blog. The Pest Smart program aims to enable farmers, particularly women and marginalized groups, to become resilient against potential pests and diseases outbreaks due to climate change. The Pest Smart program promotes the adoption of climate-smart practices that manage pests and diseases, and empowers women to be actively…
Read Further

We need to involve more women in the agricultural sciences. Here's how.

By Jemimah Njuki. Reblogged from devex. “I would like to see the scientist working on beans; do you know where I can find him?” I got asked this question more times that I could count. As a young female African researcher working in Malawi for an international agriculture research organization, my office was the first in…
Read Further