Permanent Plant Clinic Programme gets to grips with yellowing of rice paddies in Sri Lanka
The CABI-led Permanent Plant Clinic Programme (PCCP) is working in partnership with the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka to tackle the issue of yellowing of rice paddies which is threatening livelihoods and food security in the Mahaweli region.
Horizon scanning and pest risk analysis of prioritized pests in Bangladesh
PlantwisePlus recently led a workshop in Bangladesh focused on building capacity on the prioritization of invasive alien threats and pest risk analysis using CABI decision support tools. PlantwisePlus facilitated a two 2-day each training workshops in Bangladesh on horizon scanning and pest risk analysis (PRA) respectively. A number of CABI staff travelled to Dhaka to…
CABI helps Kenyan farmers combat invasive apple snail
In 2019, Kenyan farmers first started reporting instances of the invasive apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) infesting rice paddy nurseries. Thanks to speedy action by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and the Ministry of Agriculture, intervention actions were rolled out across the country. Importantly, these interventions spread awareness of the new invasive pest and…
Three types of training delivering plant health knowledge to Burundi’s farmers
How do you reach millions of farmers with tried-and-tested plant health advice? The answer is to train the plant health advisors. In Burundi, Plantwise has been doing just this. In March 2021, Plantwise started to train plant doctors in Burundi to deliver plant health advice to farmers. And five months later, in August, Plantwise was…
Crop App Index: search over 800 plant-health apps
The Crop App Index website helps users to find the plant-health apps and websites they need to answer their crop pest and disease questions. CABI recently added a further 250 websites and apps to the search tool. It now features over 800 different plant-health-related platforms to support decision-making.
Aflatoxins, rabies and misuse of pesticides and animal health drugs are top ‘One Health’ issues at joint crop-livestock focused clinics in Uganda
Aflatoxins, rabies and misuse of pesticides and drugs are among the top issues prioritised to be addressed at joint crop-livestock clinics set up to help improve the health and livelihoods of smallholder farming families in Uganda.
Taro caterpillar outbreak in central India
The Taro caterpillar (Spodoptera litura), is a pest of many crops across Asia and Oceania. This species is generally well-controlled by natural enemies. Therefore, outbreaks in India’s Madhya Pradesh over the past two years are particularly notable.
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (08 March 2023)
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 Diaporthe phoenicicola causing leaf spot on blueberry in China and the first report of Neopestalotiopsis rosae causing crown and root rot of strawberry in California.
How community conversations help to close the gender gap in Burundi
What are community conversations and how are they closing the gender gap in Burundi’s farming sector? The gender gap in agriculture is a big challenge. In low- and middle-income countries, women make up an average of 43% of the agricultural labour force. In Burundi, of all the time spent on agricultural work, women make up…
Embracing equity for women farmers
Women farmers make up around 43% of the agricultural labour force and produce over half of all food grown worldwide. Yet, when you picture a farmer, are they a woman? This year’s International Women’s Day theme is ‘embrace equity’ and its aim is to get the world talking about why equal opportunities aren’t enough. People…