Meet Claudia: The Bolivian tomato grower embracing natural pest control
Insect pests can significantly reduce tomato crop quality and yield. To protect their crops, growers often rely on repeated insecticide applications. However, this can increase production costs, create health and environmental risks, and contribute to pesticide resistance. Claudia Sainz, a tomato grower in Cochabamba, Bolivia, wanted to find an alternative, more sustainable way to protect…
CABI Academy helps strengthen plant health capacity building through digital learning in India
A partnership between CABI and NIPHM has strengthened plant health capacity building by embedding CABI Academy’s digital learning courses into India’s postgraduate curriculum. It provides a model that agricultural colleges across India and beyond can follow. Agriculture employs nearly 44% of India’s workforce, yet pests and diseases destroy up to 40% of the country’s crops every…
Pest preparedness starts on the farm: Discover how Ghana’s farmers are helping protect crops
While institutional pest preparedness is essential, farmers are often the first to notice the spread of crop pests. In Ghana, invasive pests continue to make their way across borders through trade, travel, and tourism. Farmers and farm labourers form the frontline of pest discovery. They are among the earliest to identify unusual symptoms in affected…
Reducing pesticide risks through public–private collaboration and long-term capacity building
Across Latin America, misuse and overuse of pesticides continue to pose risks to human health, the environment, and farm productivity. Addressing the improper use of pesticides requires not only technical knowledge but also strong partnerships. Public-private collaboration can support activities and embed safer practices over the long term.
In photos: how plant clinics support advisory services in Bangladesh
Over the past decade, CABI has worked in Bangladesh to strengthen national plant health systems, first through Plantwise and since 2021, PlantwisePlus. The programme works with partners to ensure farmers have access to reliable, science-driven crop health advisory services. Plant clinics and digital support platforms are helping with early detection, diagnosis, and management of crop…
5 ways digital agriculture tools are transforming pest management
Finding accurate, locally contextualised information at the right time is essential for tackling crop pests. Digital agriculture tools are helping farmers and those who advise them by putting expert knowledge directly in their hands.
How PlantwisePlus and partners are supporting Assam’s agricultural future
From July to December last year, Assam Agricultural University (AAU) in Jorhat hosted a series of initiatives under the CABI-led PlantwisePlus programme to strengthen plant health services and enhance crop productivity. Co-organized by CABI, M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), and AAU, the events demonstrated how Integrated Pest Management (IPM) trainings, plant clinics, plant health…
Most read blogs of 2025
As 2025 comes to a close, we’ve tallied the numbers to reveal the top 10 most read blogs on the PlantwisePlus Blog this year, plus a few firm favourites! Our most read blogs feature voices from those benefiting from our work, as well as crop pest guides, digital tools, and invasive species management, highlighting the…
PlantwisePlus generating long-term impact and economic returns – here’s how
PlantwisePlus is changing lives. Today, Anthony Ssenyonga, 29, is an agro-input dealer, plant doctor, and entrepreneur in Uganda, but his story began very differently. Before his rise to digital agricultural champion, Anthony was a small-scale vegetable farmer, helping local households and schools to grow produce more cost-effectively. PlantwisePlus has played a transformative role in his…
Plant clinics in Malawi: Reducing pest threats to increase crop yields and farmer incomes
Plant clinics in Malawi are empowering smallholder farmers to manage crop pests more effectively. In 2025, scientists published a paper in Plant Environment Interactions reviewing the impact of plant clinics on farmers in Malawi. The clinics have created a frontline support system for smallholders in remote, rural locations. In addition, they have helped to strengthen…