How young people are bringing nature-based solutions to farmers
Young spray service providers are changing environmental protection and food safety by offering natural alternatives to chemical pesticides. They’re changing farmers’ minds about the types of pest control they use. In this blog, we look at PlantwisePlus training in pesticide application and how the programme supports young people – the future of safer and more…
Training Kenya’s young farmers and women to help ensure greater food security
The theme for this year’s United Nations World Youth Skills Day was ‘Skilling teachers, trainers and youth for a transformative future.’
CABI’s expertise in digital data highlighted at Kenya meeting to help ensure greater sustainable food security
CABI’s expertise in digital data and development has been highlighted at a meeting in Kenya convened to identify ways in which Earth Observation (EO) data, products and services can help ensure greater sustainable food security.
More trainers of KS1758 – Horticultural Code of Practice to reach more farmers in Kenya
CABI – through the PlantwisePlus programme – has assisted in delivering training to help farmers meet the KS1758 Horticultural Code of Practice. CABI’s regional centre for Africa, based in Nairobi, collaborated with the KS1758 code’s implementation committee (SIC) to deliver the Trainer of Trainers (ToT) training to 12 people in a bid to increase the…
Pesticide risk reduction tackled at behaviour change workshop in Kenya
Pesticide overuse and misuse pose a risk to farmers, consumers, and the environment. Chemical pest control is a major source of pollution, leading to water and soil contamination. Moreover, pesticides can enter the food chain through residues on crops, jeopardising food safety.
Making production standards work for Kenya’s growers
Expanding Kenya’s horticultural produce markets by making production standards work for the country’s producers At the end of March, CABI participated in the GLOBAL G.A.P Tour held in Nairobi. The event sought to strengthen compliance and expand markets for Kenya’s agricultural produce. Convened by Rootooba, the tour raised awareness on updated global food safety standards.
CABI helps Kenyan farmers combat invasive apple snail
In 2019, Kenyan farmers first started reporting instances of the invasive apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) infesting rice paddy nurseries. Thanks to speedy action by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and the Ministry of Agriculture, intervention actions were rolled out across the country. Importantly, these interventions spread awareness of the new invasive pest and…
East Africa’s bean industry adapts to climate change
Climate change is likely to have a severe impact on East Africa’s bean industry. Beans are a vital crop, with over 200 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa depending on them as their most important pulse.
PlantwisePlus training helps Kenya meet KS1758 food safety standard
CABI – through the PlantwisePlus programme and in partnership with the Fresh Produce Consortium of Kenya (FPC Kenya) – has delivered training to help Kenya meet the KS1758 food safety standard for its fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Mass rearing training strengthens papaya mealybug biocontrol programme in Kenya
PlantwisePlus has been working in collaboration with partners in Kenya to implement a classical biological control strategy to manage papaya mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus). The invasive pest has been devastating papaya crops in Kenya. A CABI study in 2019 found it caused an estimated 57% yield losses across five counties.