Safer pesticide use: Voluntary standard for agro-dealers launched in China
On December 26, 2024, Sichuan Province launched a significant initiative: the “Establishment Specification for IPM Promotion Pesticide Stores.” Written in collaboration with local partners and PlantwisePlus, including CABI’s Dr Min Wan, this new voluntary standard aims to reform agro-shop operations in China. Starting January 1, 2025, it promotes safer pesticide use aligned with Integrated Pest…
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…
Bolivia’s plant clinics help train the next generation of agricultural advisors
Este blog también está disponible en español. Farmers in Bolivia face significant challenges, including diverse climate conditions, limited access to water, and crop pests and diseases. These issues are further compounded by rural labour shortages as young people migrate to urban areas, leaving fewer hands to sustain traditional farming practices. Access to agricultural advice and…
Las clínicas de plantas de Bolivia ayudan a formar la próxima generación de asesores agrícolas
Los agricultores de Bolivia frecuentemente deben enfrentar los retos impuestos por las condiciones climáticas adversas, el acceso limitado al agua y el ataque de plagas y enfermedades en sus cultivos. Estos problemas se ven agravados por la escasez de mano de obra rural, ya que los jóvenes emigran a las zonas urbanas, dejando menos manos…
CABI calls for gender equality for rural women in Pakistan
Every year, Rural Women’s Day is celebrated on 15 October. It recognizes the valuable contributions that women living in rural communities make to agriculture, food security and rural development. In Pakistan, this is important. According to Relief Web, Pakistan’s total female population is over 101 million. However, around 64 million women – more than half…
Training workshops held to help strengthen capacity of PlantwisePlus plant clinics in Namibia
Two training workshops have been held to help strengthen the capacity of 10 PlantwisePlus plant clinics recently launched in Namibia in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Mobile plant clinics in Nepal: Delivering vital crop health advice to rural farmers
In Chitwan, Nepal, mobile plant clinics are helping smallholders by providing plant health advisory services to local farmers seeking help with crop pests and diseases.
CABI and FAO collaborate to launch plant clinics in Namibia
CABI and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), are teaming up to take 10 plant clinics to Namibia as part of a project to help improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers as well as local and national food security.
Nepal National Forum stresses collaborative actions for strengthening plant clinics
The National Forum meeting, a key event in the Nepal PlantwisePlus calendar, recently took place in Kathmandu. It was an opportunity for participants to hear the latest plant clinic activities and aimed to strengthen plant clinic operations nationwide.
Improving plant health in Papua New Guinea with plant doctor training
Plant clinics require trained agricultural extension workers to deliver this service to farmers. However, a lack of public extension workers to reach smallholder farmers with the crop advice they need can be a common problem in many countries.