The continuing struggle for onion farmers in the Philippines

Since mid-2022, the price of the humble red onion has been increasing in the Philippines. In December of last year, the price surged to around 700 pesos ($12.80; £10.40) per kilogram. Making onions more expensive than the equivalent amount of beef for Filipinos. A staple of Philippine cooking, the country consumes approximately 17,000 metric tons…
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Crop-Livestock clinics in Uganda – One Health in practice

Animal waiting to be attended to at a crop–livestock clinic
One Health appr­­­oach to crop and livestock care in Uganda benefits hundreds of farmers The pandemic fundamentally changed the way we see health. Strong evidence points to COVID-19 originating in bats, and that connection has made us re-think the link between animal and human health. Moreover, the threat of climate change and pollution is forcing…
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Women farmers in Pakistan aren’t realising their potential – here’s why

Women farmers in Pakistan sort maize crop
Women farmers in Pakistan are finding it difficult to access agricultural support. The needs of male farmers dominate most advisory services and socio-cultural set up due to restricted mobility of women farmers. This is a challenge in many low- and middle-income countries. And it contributes to a gender gap in agricultural productivity. Women-managed farms are…
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CABI facilitates Pest Risk Assessment writeshop in Nepal

PRA participants Nepal
Last month, CABI delivered technical support in a two-day pest risk assessment writeshop for plant quarantine officers in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Centre (PQPMC) which serves as National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Nepal organized the writeshop.
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Update: New Pest & Disease Records (12 January 2022)

We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this month include the first report of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on Atractylodes lancea in China and the first report of carrot torrado virus 1 (CaTV1) naturally infecting carrots in Spain.
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East Africa’s bean industry adapts to climate change

bean industry adapts to climate change
Climate change is likely to have a severe impact on East Africa’s bean industry. Beans are a vital crop, with over 200 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa depending on them as their most important pulse.
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PlantwisePlus most read blogs of 2022

Children looking at a laptop
As 2022 draws to a close, we have crunched the numbers to present the most-read articles on the PlantwisePlus Blog this year. Plus a few firm favourites. Articles on the PlantwisePlus tools and plant doctor training across the globe were some of the most read during 2022, as were those covering the work Plantwise continues…
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A more sustainable way for food production

As the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) is now underway in Montreal, Canada, until 19 December, we take a look at how the CABI BioProtection Portal can contribute towards a more biodiversity-friendly way to produce food and feed our growing planet.
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Tuta absoluta in the Americas

Plantwise plant doctors inspect tomato crop
Tackling the tomato pest, Tuta absoluta, with natural pesticide alternatives in the Americas Tuta absoluta (also known as Phthorimaea absoluta) is one of the most devastating plant-eating pests worldwide. It affects tomato plants and fresh tomatoes. And it causes high levels of crop production loss. Without stemming the spread, its effects are devastating.
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Update: New Pest & Disease Records (05 December 2022)

We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this month include information about a new virus disease of sunflower from Nebraska and the isolation and identification of the top blight pathogen of Passiflora edulis.
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