Piloting a CABI crop health advisory chatbot
Last year, CABI’s Digital Development team, in coordination with colleagues in Kenya and India, embarked on a journey to pilot an agri-advisory chatbot. This initiative was informed by prior stakeholder engagement activities under the Generative AI for Agriculture Advisory (GAIA) project, where key insights were gathered to ensure generative AI tools meet the needs of…
Understanding mango mealybug – a significant crop pest
The mango mealybug (Rastrococus invadens) is an invasive pest outside its native home in Southeast Asia. It threatens mango crops, particularly affecting smallholder farmers. This scale insect pest lowers mango yields and quality, and because it’s a quarantine pest, it can also impact trade.
Writeshop to draft National Pesticide Residue Monitoring Framework for Kenya
A writeshop has led to the creation of a draft National Pesticide Residue Monitoring Framework for Kenya aimed at coordinating pesticides residue monitoring for domestic and export value chains. This writeshop follows a series of virtual meetings held in the months of May and July 2024 that aimed at examining the situation on pesticide monitoring…
What are Natural Enemies Field Reservoirs, and how do they help farmers control crop pests?
Classical biological control (CBC) is a widely used type of biological control that is proven to be effective in managing invasive pests. This method involves releasing natural enemies like parasitoids or fungi that can keep pest populations under control. However, additional technology, such as natural enemies field reservoirs – or NEFRs – can improve CBC…
Changing behaviour around pesticide use can make farming safer – here’s howÂ
Chemical pesticides can be an important part of a pest management strategy, helping to prevent food losses and waste. Synthetic fungicides, herbicides and insecticides can effectively control pest threats, and this is beneficial for food production. However, pesticides have a downside. They pose a health risk to consumers, farmers, animals and the environment. These risks…
New plant clinic and farmer knowledge centre to help boost livelihoods and food security in Taita Taveta County
CABI’s PlantwisePlus programme, county government of Taita Taveta and the Micro Enterprise Support Programme Trust (MESPT) have joined forces to open a new plant clinic and farmer knowledge centre to boost livelihoods and food security in Taita Taveta County, Kenya.
Digital tools promotion roadmap created with stakeholders in Kenya’s Nakuru County
Digital tools can benefit farmers and those in agricultural advisory services. CABI envisions a world in which digital innovation magnifies agricultural and environmental development impact. Through the creation and application of digital technologies, CABI brings science-based agricultural knowledge to millions of smallholder farmers, helping them increase their yields sustainably.
Parasitic wasps play pivotal role in Kenya’s papaya mealybug control
Papaya mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus) is a devastating papaya pest. It impacts many countries in East and West Africa. Infestations can result in significant economic losses, posing a threat to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. On average, the pest can cause anywhere from 53% to 100% crop losses, costing ÂŁ2,224 per hectare annually. Its impact on…
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.
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…