New plant doctors in India “monitor the field through a farmer’s eyes”
Launching of Plantwise training in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. With the support of the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, under an RKVY scheme, a 6-day training programme on Plantwise modules was conducted at the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), Jabalpur, in technical collaboration with CABI.
Ancient Maya forestry and agriculture in Central America
Understanding the scope and culture of ancient civilisations provides valuable insight into the roots of human society and the ways in which we have been changing the world around us for thousands of years.
Africa’s youth want to cultivate careers, not just crops
This article was originally published on SciDev.Net We need to ensure that Africa’s future farmers not only grow crops but careers as well, argues Sylvia Ng’eno By 2050, Sub-Saharan Africa will be home to a third of the world’s young people, who will play a key part in feeding future generations. No region is this phenomenon of having…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (12 February 2020)
We’ve selected three of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this month include reports on the global distribution of the leaf beetle Brontispa longissima and begomoviruses in Thailand.
Coffee crops worst-hit by volcanic ash after eruption in the Philippines
On January 12, Taal Volcano, located on the island of Luzon began spewing plumes of steam and ash. By 3.30 the following morning lava erupted from the volcano’s main crater. Local communities were evacuated as ash began to blanket the land, covering up to a 16-mile radius, with winds blowing ash even reaching the country’s capital, Manila, 31 miles away.
Clinica de plantas con la participación de jóvenes estudiantes del tecnológico de tarata
En Bolivia, ubicado en el Departamento de Cochabamba, Municipio de Tarata, se encuentra el Instituto Tecnológico Agropecuario Industrial Tarata, ITAIT. Fundado en 1983, dependiente del Ministerio de Educación, provee formación superior no universitaria y su misión es formar profesionales altamente calificados, comprometidos y responsables que respondan a las demandas del mercado laboral local y nacional.…
Strong partnerships between agro-dealers and plant doctors promote responsible pesticide use in Ethiopia
A study conducted in 2016 revealed a significant increase in use of chemical pesticides in Ethiopia over the last decade, showing that the attitudes, knowledge and practices of farmers and farm workers regarding safe use of pesticides are poor. Similarly, another study from 2015 shows that farmers apply pesticides in violation of the manufacturers’ recommendations;…
Bacterial canker resistance identified in wild tomatoes
The discovery of tolerance in wild plants will be helpful to tomato growers Tomato farms across the world are routinely devastated by canker, a rain-borne bacterial disease that can cause wilt, stem canker and lesions on the fruits, causing them to become unsuitable for consumption and – in combination with the wilting leaves causing sun…
Reducing extreme poverty in Rwanda thanks to CABI-led Plantwise plant clinics
New research into the positive impacts the CABI-led Plantwise programme is having has revealed that its plant clinics have helped reduce incidences of extreme poverty in Rwanda by helping farmers fight crop-devastating pests and diseases.
Farmers in India use biointensive methods to manage fall armyworm
In mid-2018, presence of the highly invasive fall armyworm (S.frugiperda) was confirmed in Karnataka State, India. Since then, Plantwise and partners have been on the ground working to create awareness among farmers and contributing to the development of safe and effective management of the pest. Under a project funded by the CABI Development Fund (CDF),…