Working together online to support farmers during lockdown in India
“Necessity is the mother of invention” – Plato This is a famous phrase, indicating that a need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem. The world is currently going through a difficult time due to COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in an almost-complete shutdown of all activities across the…
More women are getting access to plant health advice through Plantwise and they grow the same crops as men
It is widely known that women have less access than men to agricultural extension services. Extension agents most often speak to household heads who tend to be men, as well as other male farmers. Plus, the extension agents themselves also tend to be men. Women often work longer hours than men too (12-17 hours per…
Developing ‘last mile’ extension services with Plantwise in Nepal
In Nepal, the Community Business Facilitator (CBF) plant doctor programme is a successful pilot. Linking with the private sector, it reaches those in remote rural areas – or ‘last mile’ communities – with plant protection services, substantially increasing incomes and reducing losses for smallholder farmers. The CBF plant doctors conduct clinics at their own cost…
New plant doctors in India “monitor the field through a farmer’s eyes”
Launching of Plantwise training in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. With the support of the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, under an RKVY scheme, a 6-day training programme on Plantwise modules was conducted at the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), Jabalpur, in technical collaboration with CABI.
Clinica de plantas con la participación de jóvenes estudiantes del tecnológico de tarata
En Bolivia, ubicado en el Departamento de Cochabamba, Municipio de Tarata, se encuentra el Instituto Tecnológico Agropecuario Industrial Tarata, ITAIT. Fundado en 1983, dependiente del Ministerio de Educación, provee formación superior no universitaria y su misión es formar profesionales altamente calificados, comprometidos y responsables que respondan a las demandas del mercado laboral local y nacional.…
Strong partnerships between agro-dealers and plant doctors promote responsible pesticide use in Ethiopia
A study conducted in 2016 revealed a significant increase in use of chemical pesticides in Ethiopia over the last decade, showing that the attitudes, knowledge and practices of farmers and farm workers regarding safe use of pesticides are poor. Similarly, another study from 2015 shows that farmers apply pesticides in violation of the manufacturers’ recommendations;…
Reducing extreme poverty in Rwanda thanks to CABI-led Plantwise plant clinics
New research into the positive impacts the CABI-led Plantwise programme is having has revealed that its plant clinics have helped reduce incidences of extreme poverty in Rwanda by helping farmers fight crop-devastating pests and diseases.
Farmers helping farmers to solve crop problems in Nepal
A farmer has to organize a thousand things before getting the final returns from the crop they planted. Choosing the right season and variety of crop, managing the labour forces during the critical crop periods, water management or waiting for rainfall, crop nutrient management, harvesting the crops, managing the post-harvest losses, and then finally selling…
Personalised plant health advice from sowing to harvesting at plant clinics in India
It has been proven that access to extension services is one of the key pathways to enhancing technology uptake, promoting innovations, and improving production among smallholder farmers. These studies have pointed out the very high rates of return (13-500%) of extension as an economically viable way to increase productivity and income. In fact, the same…
Plantwise impact – what have the last eight years taught us?
Eight years ago, in 2011, CABI launched its Plantwise programme, an ambitious endeavour, which has involved more than 200 partner organisations in 34 countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas since inception. Plantwise became CABI’s flagship programme and quickly caught a lot of attention due to its innovative, system-oriented approach to deliver practical plant health advice to smallholder farmers.