Plantwise publishes its 1000th Factsheet for Farmers!
Today, we are celebrating the publication of the 1000th Plantwise Factsheet for Farmers (PFFFs) on the Plantwise knowledge bank! PFFFs are written by trained partners in Plantwise countries around the world. Each factsheet provides information on how to recognise the problem, some background details about the problem and offers effective management advice to enable the…
Factsheet of the month: August 2015 – Sprays against Tuta tomato leaf miner
In recent years, Tuta absoluta has gained a reputation for being one of the most destructive pests of tomato and can cause losses of 80-100% in the field if left unmanaged. Tanzania are feeling the effects of the yield reduction with a 375% increase in the cost of tomatoes in the past 6 months. A carton of…
Plant Health Rallies Launched in Zambia
Blog written by Dorcas Kabuya Chaaba-National Agricultural Information Services,Zambia Rallies are commonly associated with politics, a time when politicians present their ideologies to the electorates in a bid to win votes. But this time around, officers from the Ministry of Agriculture and livestock implementing the Plantwise initiative in Zambia held plant health rallies with farmers…
Healing Plants to Feed a Nation
Growing up in a small village in Western Kenya, I often accompanied my mother and other village women on customary weeding expeditions. Whenever we came across sick plants in the fields—which was all too often—my mother would instruct me to pull them out and cast them aside. I did as she asked, but wondered to…
Using the crop clinic concept to minimize the indiscriminate use of pesticides
A recent article in the Sri Lanka Plant Protection Industry Journal highlights how the crop clinic concept in Sri Lanka has promoted effective, judicious use of pesticides. PT Bandara and WMDH Kulatunga describe how the Permanent Crop Clinic Programme (PCCP), established in 2009, provides effective advice that both prevents the destruction of natural enemies due…
Sri Lankan plant doctors launch e-plant clinics
24 June marked the launch of the first e-plant clinics pilot in Sri Lanka. Experienced plant doctors from ten plant clinics in Nuwara Eliya district came together to learn how tablet computers could enhance the current Permanent Crop Clinic Programme (PCCP) led by the Plant Protection Service, Department of Agriculture. Plant doctors learnt: how electronic data collection…
A Leap from an ‘Analogue’ to a Digital Platform: The Story of Kenyan Plant Doctors
A blog written by Willis Ochilo The stage is set and all the participants are sitting. Beneath the veneer of silence that pervades the workshop room are deep-seated fears. And it does not take long for the same to come out to the fore. The setting is in Maanzoni Lodge in Machakos County. Here, the…
Factsheet of the month: July 2015 – Prevention of powdery mildew on mango using cultural methods
The use of pesticides in Ethiopia has been increasing in recent years but it is thought that due to a lack of training and awareness, these chemicals are often being used unsafely and excessively. Many groups in Ethiopia are therefore raising awareness of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in which control methods are selected based on…
Honduras- Jornada de salud de plantas en Belén, Ocotepeque
Texto escribido por Carlos Barrera, Coordinador de distrito y Doctor de plantas (SENASA Honduras). English summary follows La organización ALDEAS GLOBALES, en el municipio de Belén, Ocotepeque, está apoyando en coordinación con el Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria (SENASA) y el Centro Internacional de Bio ciencias Agrícolas (CABI), la iniciativa PLANTWISE, atendiendo la Clínica para…