Agricultural digitalization: Opportunities and challenges discussed at workshop in India
Authors: Dr R. Rajkumar, Principal scientist, (MSSRF) and Akanksha Nagpal, Manju Thakur (CABI) Digital tools have the potential to improve agricultural productivity, sustainability, and adaptability. Alongside longtime partners, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), CABI recently participated in a workshop hosted by the Resilience Project. The workshop, entitled “Digitalization of Agriculture: Current Challenges, Responses and Opportunities…
Plant clinics showcased at Harvest Money Expo in Uganda to help empower the country’s young smallholder farmers
The CABI-led PlantwisePlus programme showcased its plant clinics at the Harvest Money Expo in Uganda to help empower the country’s young smallholder farmers to grow more and lose less to potentially devastating crop pests and diseases. The Harvest Money Expo, organized by the Vision Group in partnership with the Netherlands Embassy in Uganda, attracted over…
Can Uganda’s agro-dealers become champions of sustainable pest control?
The global surge in pesticide use has helped to increase agricultural productivity. However, it has also raised alarms about the risks they pose to health and the environment. In many low- and middle-income countries, agro-input dealers (commonly called agro-dealers) play a central role in supplying farmers with inputs such as fungicides, herbicides and insecticides. They…
Empowering women farmers with digital tools in India
In India, 59 per cent of women work in agriculture. This workforce is vital to the country’s rural economy, with women performing many of the big farming jobs, such as planting, weeding, tending, and harvesting crops.
PlantwisePlus delivers plant health ‘training of trainers’ in South Sudan
South Sudan’s agricultural sector is vital to its economy and employs most of the population. The FAO estimates that up to 95% of South Sudan relies on agriculture for income. Diverse crops like cassava, maize, groundnut and sorghum characterize farming here. However, agriculture in this East African nation faces challenges. Climate change and global warming,…
Plantwise programme made considerable progress to help strengthen plant health systems in Burundi
The CABI-led Plantwise programme made considerable progress to help strengthen plant health systems, livelihoods, and food security in Burundi, according to the end evaluation report published by the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) based in The Netherlands.
How a tiny wasp can save the livelihoods of papaya farmers
“We have a problem with the attack of mealybugs, which are becoming a menace to the production of papayas. I fight them, but they are also fighting back.” Ben is a farmer in Machakos County, Kenya, east of the nation’s capital, Nairobi.
National Forum stresses importance of partnerships to strengthen Bangladesh’s plant health systems
The CABI-led PlantwisePlus National Forum held at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Bangladesh has stressed the importance of partnerships to help strengthen the country’s plant health systems.
CABI shares important new evidence on the legacy of Plantwise
CABI has published a working paper assessing the legacy of Plantwise programmes in six countries: Nepal, Pakistan, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Jamaica. The paper, entitled Plantwise Sustainability: Two Years on, finds that the sustainability of a Plantwise programme hinges heavily on the country in question. This means that while it is difficult to engineer or…
The uptake of digital tools in Nepal discussed at workshop
Digital tools are increasingly being adopted in agriculture in Nepal, fostering productivity, efficiency, and sustainability. Whether mobile apps, farm management software, weather forecasting, remote sensing, GIS, or e-extension, these tools empower farmers with crucial information and services. As such, the digitization of farming gives farmers the opportunity to grow more, reduce costs and improve food…