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…
Empowering young men and women through agricultural skilling in Uganda
Youth unemployment continues to be a pressing issue in Uganda, particularly among secondary school graduates. The lack of job opportunities not only affects individuals but also poses challenges to the overall development of society, writes Harrison Rware, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, and Caroline Aliamo, Projects Officer, based at CABI’s regional centre for Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.
Why it’s so critical to continuously monitor and manage plant diseases
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Most of us understand the critical importance of monitoring the spread of diseases. And it is as important for plant diseases as it is for humans. Plant disease epidemics are often hidden from view, unlike human viral disease outbreaks. Yet food and forest production systems, as well as native…
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.
Plantwise and Syngenta Foundation India train rural youth to be agri-entrepreneurs
In August this year, Plantwise signed a partnership statement with Syngenta Foundation India (SFI) to collaborate on their flagship programme, Agri-Entrepreneur Enterprise. Under the programme, mentors who support agri-entrepreneurs – known as AEs – in achieving a sustainable enterprise form a fundamental part in capacity building. Plantwise and SFI collaborated on training the mentors who…
Soil-dwelling worms threatening farmers’ livelihoods
By Wilson Odhiambo. Originally published on SciDev.Net. As soil-dwelling worms threaten smallholders’ livelihoods, governments should act fast, writes Wilson Odhiambo. David Magondo, a father of three from Central Kenya, has been farming for over 35 years in an activity that has helped him feed and take care of his family. But the once dependable source…
Agroforestry: Mitigating Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease in Ghana
Crop diseases are an ever-increasing worldwide threat and estimated to be the cause of the 20-40% decrease in global agricultural productivity. With this boom in plant diseases affecting agricultural practices, there is therefore also an increased demand for research and the implementation of disease control and management schemes.
Shifting gears: expansion of e-plant clinics in Kenya
“No matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid!” Passionate words spoken in 2014 during an indelible Oscar moment. The utterance of these words, coupled with the winning of an Academy Award, announced Lupita Nyong’o’s entry into the global stage. Two years later in Lupita’s country of origin, Kenya, long-held dreams in the plant health…
Agricultural innovation framework agreed in Rwanda
Contributed by Rachel Winks, CABI. The partner organisations of the Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) met in Kigali, Rwanda, on 19-21 January to agree a new concept for agricultural innovation: the common framework on capacity development for agricultural innovation systems. With growing global population and increased food demand, agricultural innovation can help improve food security, increase…
Collaboration between Plantwise and the University of Queensland
In 2014, Holly alerted our blog followers to the Plantwise factsheet library app, aimed to provide country extension workers with a portable electronic library of pest management factsheets. Since then, there have been in excess of 65,000 sessions of the app by our global users.