Plant clinics in Malawi: Reducing pest threats to increase crop yields and farmer incomes
Plant clinics in Malawi are empowering smallholder farmers to manage crop pests more effectively. In 2025, scientists published a paper in Plant Environment Interactions reviewing the impact of plant clinics on farmers in Malawi. The clinics have created a frontline support system for smallholders in remote, rural locations. In addition, they have helped to strengthen…
Plant health services in Ethiopia boosted through PlantwisePlus partnership
A strategic partnership with the CABI-led PlantwisePlus programme has boosted plant health services in Ethiopia. Recently, a refresher course held in October delivered plant clinic training to 61 of the country’s plant doctors and plant health experts, a quarter of whom were women. CABI and the government of Ethiopia jointly delivered the three-day PlantwisePlus capacity-strengthening…
One Health in Burundi: Solving challenges to human, animal, plant and ecosystem health
This One Health Day, we look at the interconnected challenges and innovative solutions that shape the health of people, animals, plants and ecosystems in Burundi. One Health in Burundi presents a solution to a complex set of challenges. This East African country faces health issues that threaten its people, livestock, and crops. Agriculture is the…
PlantwisePlus marks five years of impact at FAO’s Science and Innovation Forum
On 13 October 2025, PlantwisePlus and its core donors co-hosted a networking reception at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome to celebrate five years of the programme. Following the FAO’s Science and Innovation Forum, diplomats from countries across the global North and South, FAO colleagues, and agricultural researchers…
PlantwisePlus: Growing knowledge, skills and resilience across Vietnam
Across Vietnam’s rice paddies, coffee farms, and pepper plantations, CABI, in partnership with the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), is helping farmers protect their crops through the PlantwisePlus programme. In Vietnam, the programme supports smallholder farmers through plant clinics, digital tools, and advisory services, directly reaching over 51,500 farmers. Additionally, 2,946 enrolments in CABI…
Meet Shahadul Islam: the rice farmer using digital tools to improve yield and quality
Meet Shahadul Islam, a farmer from Jhenaidah District, Bangladesh. Shahadul is now a local role model for sustainable rice production, having adopted the PlantwisePlus digital tools and transformed his farming practices. For nearly a decade, Shahadul cultivated rice on his one-acre land. He regularly faced pest and disease challenges such as rice blast and brown…
Meet Ignitious Chilembo, a Zambian researcher championing responsible pest management
In Zambia, smallholder farmers face various pest and disease challenges, including fall armyworm in maize and cassava brown streak disease. Pesticides are often used to manage these threats; however, improper use can harm both human health and the environment, as well as reduce farm productivity and cause pesticide resistance. Reducing pesticide risk requires supporting advisors…
A step forward for pesticide risk reduction in Sri Lanka with launch of new national committee
In a significant step toward safer and more sustainable agriculture, stakeholders from Sri Lanka’s Department of Agriculture (DoA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and CABI came together for an important workshop on pesticide risk reduction and Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs). The event, held in August 2025, brought together regulators, researchers, universities, industry representatives, and other…
How farmers in Peru are improving practices through sustainable biological control
In an effort to further promote sustainable agricultural practices in Peru, PlantwisePlus is supporting technicians and farmers to strengthen their capacity to identify and apply biological control agents. This has reduced dependence on chemical pesticides and increased adoption of more sustainable pest management practices.
Private-sector plant clinics advancing sustainable agriculture in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is recognized worldwide for its green credentials; a reputation built on a commitment to biodiversity and sustainability. Agriculture, as one of the nation’s most important economic sectors, plays a role in supporting this focus. To ensure that farming aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), government agencies, international organizations, and private companies are…