In photos: Sri Lanka’s plant clinics bringing crop health advice to farmers
Sri Lanka’s farmers face persistent challenges. Crop pests and diseases threaten yields across paddy and vegetable fields. The agriculture sector employs over 2 million people, roughly 30% of the workforce. Seven in ten smallholder farmers own less than 0.8 hectares of land. For these farmers, a pest outbreak can be devastating.
“Before CABI Academy, I used to avoid fieldwork because I lacked confidence.“
Mercy Akinyi Ogonyo did not set out to become a field advisor. When she joined KALRO Horticultural Research Institute (KALRO-HRI) as a crop health research scientist, her work was largely laboratory-based. Her role included identifying plant diseases from samples brought in by farmers, then passing findings to colleagues. This changed after Mercy discovered CABI Academy’s online courses, which helped boost her crop health knowledge and confidence to…
CABI study unearths important lessons for the fight against fall armyworm
A study by CABI contributes important knowledge on fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). CABI’s research findings suggests that employing more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions could help mitigate the damaging impacts of the species.
6 ways that PlantwisePlus tools are transforming digital development
Digital development has come a long way over the past decade. And it’s helping farmers to access agricultural knowledge. Reaching smallholders with farming know-how can be challenging. Most smallholders have limited access to agricultural information. Moreover, public extension services are becoming more difficult to access. Tanzania only has four extension agents per 10,000 farmers. In…
Radio campaign seeks to break down barriers to gender-equitable agricultural extension services
CABI is joining forces with Farm Radio International to roll out a behaviour change communication (BCC) campaign to try and help break down the barriers to gender equitable agricultural extension services in Ghana.