First Regional Pest Risk Analysis Workshop for SADC Member States held in Zambia
CABI, as part of the global PlantwisePlus programme, has facilitated the first Regional Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) workshop for Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Member States in Lusaka, Zambia.
Regenerative agriculture: an alternative to tackle food security issues?
This article was originally published on CABI BioProtection Portal Conventional agriculture is depleting soil, harming biodiversity and contributing to climate change. These trends must be reversed, and in order to do so, agriculture must undergo a transformation. Regenerative agriculture offers a more sustainable way and has seen a rise in popularity in recent years. This…
Spotlight: The team behind the PlantwisePlus Digital Tools
PlantwisePlus Digital Tools: The PlantwisePlus programme is working to increase access to digital decision support tools and information. These can support farmers and extension workers to make more informed decisions in crop health management. The delivery of these advisory tools across the programme’s member countries is improving the capacity of public and private stakeholders to…
Plant health knowledge helps residents of wildlife conservancy turn from poaching to farming
Simalaha Community Conservancy aims to protect endangered wildlife. However, several years ago, it faced a big challenge. People living within the parks’ boundaries were poaching animals for food and income. The Conservancy is managed by Peace Parks Foundation. They addressed the problem by helping residents to shift from poaching to smallholder farming. But in 2020,…
Empowering Nepalese students with CABI digital platforms: Exploring the PlantwisePlus Toolkit
Gaurav Thakur, a student of the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, writes here about CABI’s presentation of its digital platforms for plant protection and other agricultural applications.
Why we need a skills framework for agriculture
Agriculture has changed dramatically over the last 50 years. Technological progress and scientific research are constantly reshaping the roles within agriculture and the skills required to do them. As such, it is essential to have a well-defined skills framework to guide the workforce. The Skills for Agriculture (SfA) is a structured approach to identifying, developing, and…
How young people are bringing nature-based solutions to farmers
Young spray service providers are changing environmental protection and food safety by offering natural alternatives to chemical pesticides. They’re changing farmers’ minds about the types of pest control they use. In this blog, we look at PlantwisePlus training in pesticide application and how the programme supports young people – the future of safer and more…
Training Kenya’s young farmers and women to help ensure greater food security
The theme for this year’s United Nations World Youth Skills Day was ‘Skilling teachers, trainers and youth for a transformative future.’
The Formosan subterranean termite: a destructive force
Termites, numbering over 3,100 species worldwide, are infamous for their ability to wreak havoc on building structures and vegetation. The Coptotermes genus particularly stands out, containing the most termite pests, with 28 pest species. However, one species, in particular, has gained prominence as the most widespread and economically significant of them all. The Formosan subterranean…
Youth Skills Day: empowering and supporting young people in agriculture
To mark Youth Skills Day, Deogratius Magero, CABI’s Youth Engagement Manager for Africa, discusses why youth skills development programmes are vital for food security.