Better Cotton Initiative: biocontrol training in India
India is the world’s largest producer of cotton. It is one of the country’s major cash crops with nearly 6 million farmers making a living from growing cotton. The Better Cotton Initiative helps make cotton farming a more climate-resilient, environmentally friendly and responsible business. Working with smallholders, farm workers and communities, the Better Cotton Initiative…
Assessing gender and rural advisory services in Ghana
In Ghana, as in many other developing countries, women face challenges in accessing extension advisory services. Most services are geared to the needs of male farmers. On top of other challenges faced by women farmers, this lack of access only extends the gender gap in agricultural productivity in the global South.
Mass rearing training strengthens papaya mealybug biocontrol programme in Kenya
PlantwisePlus has been working in collaboration with partners in Kenya to implement a classical biological control strategy to manage papaya mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus). The invasive pest has been devastating papaya crops in Kenya. A CABI study in 2019 found it caused an estimated 57% yield losses across five counties.
Apply now for an online course on Integrated Crop Management
Applications for two new Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Integrated Crop Management (ICM) are now open. CAS 2: ICM – Aspects of Implementation and CAS 3: ICM – Biological Control and Ecosystem Services, are the latest courses launched as part of a set of online programmes developed and run by CABI and the University…
Free CABI Academy eLearning courses for extension providers available in Rwanda
CABI’s new digital learning platform, the CABI Academy, is now available for free for users in Rwanda. The digital courses are designed for agricultural extension and advisory service providers. They provide important practical advice and resources to participants to grow their knowledge and provide the best possible advice to farmers.
How Plantwise plant clinics supported a women-led cottage industry in India
In 2003, twelve women in Chokkalingam Puddur village started a local biocontrol agent production unit. The Ellya Thendral women self-help group produced and marketed five different types of fungal biopesticides. Their cottage industry received a boost when a Plantwise plant clinic was established in their village. CABI’s Plantwise programme partnered with M S Swaminathan Research…
Digital advisory tools in the hands of women agricultural service providers
Smallholder farmers across the world need access to advisory services to support them in managing pest and disease issues on their crops. As part of its PlantwisePlus programme, CABI is developing and promoting digital advisory tools to increase access to the information that farmers need to adopt safe and effective agricultural practices. One of the…
Digital learning courses available for free in Bangladesh
CABI’s new digital learning platform, the CABI Academy, is now available free for users in Bangladesh. The digital learning courses are designed for agricultural extension and advisory service providers. They provide interactive exercises and resources to help participants grow their knowledge, so they can deliver the best possible advice to farmers.