Case studies
Listed by region: Africa Latin America North America Asia-Pacific Europe
Key: 
Climate change 
Agricultural market access 
Inputs/tools 
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Education/training
Africa
“Weather Info for All” Programme Will Collect Meteorological Info in Africa
By Editor on June 19, 2009
A new partnership will launch 5000 new weather stations across Africa to help collect meteorological information on the continent. This information can then be used to predict and manage the impacts of climate change.
“Weather Info for All” is a partnership between the UN’s World Meteorological Organization, Columbia University’s Earth Institute, and telecommunicatons companies Sony Ericsson
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Regions, Subjects | Tagged earth institute, principle2, principle4, sony ericsson, weather, zain | Leave a response
A Closer Look at Mozambique’s Agricultural Production System
By Editor on September 11, 2009
In Mozambique, differences in rainfall contribute to higher levels of poverty in drier areas.
Poverty levels in drier regions of the country range from 67 to 85 percent, said Professor Firmino Mucavele, Director for Academic Reform and Regional Integration at Eduardo Mondlane University in a presentation of his analysis of agriculture’s true contribution to the Mozambican
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Africa, drought, maize, market access, mozambique, Mucavele, poverty, principle2, principle3, principle4, principle5, principle6, technology | Leave a response
Agriculture and Enterprise Skills for Women Smallholder Farmers
By Editor on May 12, 2010
Women play a vital, but often ignored, role in addressing hunger. Whilst a large proportion of farmers in the developing world are female, many lack voice and organisation. To boost women smallholders’ productivity and reduce their vulnerability to various challenges, women need to be able to access and apply appropriate training for rural livelihoods.
A recent project
Posted in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CSD, Ghana, India, Training for Rural Development, women farmers | Leave a response
Assisting African Food Processors to Deliver Quality, Nutritious Foods
By Editor on February 3, 2011
Food processing is an important driver of jobs and incomes in many African countries and can also provide access to greater diversity of affordable, high quality and nutritious foods. By improving the capacity of local food processors across sub-Saharan Africa to produce and market healthy food products, while simultaneously improving smallholder farmers’ access to markets,
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Market Access, Regions, Subjects | Tagged African Alliance for Improved Food Processing, General Mills, nutrition, nutrition security, Partners in Food Solutions, TechnoServe | Leave a response
ATP and CropLife Africa Middle East hold workshops to increase farmers’ productivity in West Africa
By Editor on March 3, 2010
In West Africa, a history of deficiencies in maize production is being addressed by a series of workshops to educate farmers on sustainable crop and natural resource management.
A partnership between the USAID-funded Agribusiness and Trade Promotion (ATP) project and CropLife Africa Middle East was set up last year to help farmers in the West African
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, News, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged ATP, CropLife Africa Middle East, integrated pest management, IPM, markets, sustainable, trade, USAID, West Africa, workshops | Leave a response
Building on the success of Malawi’s fertilizer subsidy programme
By Editor on March 24, 2011
Since its introduction in 2004, the Malawian government’s subsidy programme, which gives smallholders vouchers to buy seeds and fertilizer, has more than doubled farmers’ harvests. The example of Malawi is cited regularly as a symbol of how African agriculture can lift itself out of low productivity.
In order to continue the programme’s success, in 2007 fertilizer
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged fertilizer, Malawi Agricultural Partnership, Yara | Leave a response
Building Roads in Africa, Helping Farmers Access Markets
By Editor on April 4, 2009
Poor infrastructure impedes access to resources and markets.
For example, in Africa, less than 50% of the rural population lives close to a four-seasons road. Transport can cost often constitute 50-60% of marketing costs in these situations.
The World Bank estimates that in India, fruit and vegetable post harvest losses amount to 40% of total production, or
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Market Access, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Africa, fertilizers, fruit, infrastructure, market access, principle3, UK, vegetables | Leave a response
Carbon Standards in Agriculture and Food Trade
By Editor on December 1, 2010
At the Hague conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change, Farming First held a side event ‘Best practices in agricultural value chains’, where spokespeople presented examples of initiatives that aim to increase resilience and productivity at different points in the value chain.
Carbon standards
Thom Achterbosch from the International Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Council spoke
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Regions, Subjects | Tagged carbon standards, carbon trade, private sector | Leave a response
Challenge Fund to Accelerate Pro-Poor Growth in Africa
By Editor on June 4, 2010
As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Gavin Onley
The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF)
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged AECF, Africa, AGRA, Challenge Fund, GCARD, RIB | Leave a response
Climate Change Mitigation Strategies in Gabon Help to Preserve National Crop
By Editor on April 30, 2010
Gabon is known for its forest that covers 85% of the country, or 22 million hectares. Only 5% of the land is used for agriculture, and subsistence farming dominates the sector. The principle crop grown by the farmers is manioc, or cassava root, which is an essential source of iron and vitamins for the population.
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Africa, agriculture, agroforestry, cassava, climate change, Gabon, IFAP, manioc | Leave a response
Creative Milk Business Fights Poverty, Links Rural and Urban Economies
By Editor on April 2, 2009
With its high-quality milk, Nairobi-based Brookside Dairy has a 40 per cent share of the Kenyan dairy market. Seven per cent of its 80,000 suppliers are commercial farmers and the remainder are small-scale producers.
The widespread lack of refrigeration facilities means that Brookside employs an army of delivery personnel, including more than 1,000 “bicycle boys” in
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Market Access, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Brookside Dairy, daiy, education, health, infrastructure, Kenya, milk, networking, poverty, principle2, rural, training, urban | Leave a response
Delivering agricultural inputs in Tanzania
By Editor on April 6, 2011
Almost seven years ago, the Tanzanian government approached fertilizer company Yara regarding a fertilizer partnership that would provide a stable supply of mineral fertilizers for the country’s farmers. Two years later, in 2006, the idea for the project expanded: realising that the real challenges extended beyond the supply of crop nutrients, the partnership needed to
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged fertilizer, Tanzania Agricultural Partnership, Yara | Leave a response
DfID Funds Infrastructure, ‘Best Bets’ for Agriculture in Africa
By Editor on July 21, 2009
The UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) has recently launched its new report, entitled “Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future.”
Two implicit dimensions are rreflected in this report’s title. Firstly, the world already has many good solutions for reducing world hunger, but they simply need to be scaled up and funded in order to work
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Africa, biotechnology, climate change, DfID, drought, infrastructure, principle1, principle3, principle5, principle6 | 2 Responses
Dial “A” for Agricultural Markets in Africa
By Editor on March 29, 2009
The West Africa AgriTrade Network provides information on the latest available prices from selected agricultural markets, buy and sell, news, contacts and other information required for commercial decision-making in all 15 member countries of the Economic Community of West African States.
Farmers can receive all this information via text message on their mobile phones.
For example, the
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Africa, AgriTrade Network, Burkina Faso, fish, fruit, Kenya, market access, mobile phones, principle5, rural, Safaricom, Senegal, vegetables | Leave a response
Drip Irrigation Kits for Family Farms in the Sahel
By Editor on November 17, 2010
At the Hague conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change, Farming First held a side event ‘Best practices in agricultural value chains’, where spokespeople presented examples of initiatives that aim to increase resilience and productivity at different points in the value chain.
Drip Irrigation Kits
Christian Rouxel from the European Irrigation Association presented on drip irrigation
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged drip irrigation, more crop per drop | Leave a response
Drought Insurance Programme Reduces Risks for Malawi Smallholder Farmers
By Editor on March 25, 2009
An innovative programme launched in 2005 for groundnut farmers in Malawi helps farmers to obtain certified seeds, which produce increased yields and revenues as well as greater resistance to disease.
In addition, the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi, in conjunction with the Insurance Association of Malawi and with technical assistance from the World Bank and
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Climate Change, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Africa, drought, groundnuts, India, insurance, Malawi, principle4, World Bank | 1 Response
Drought-Tolerant Maize
By Editor on March 23, 2009
Drought tolerant crops, such as maize, are better able to withstand drops in water supply and are currently expected to be available within 4-5 years.
The biotechnology industry has been working in partnership with other organisations to ensure stress tolerance traits also reach farmers in developing countries.
For example, Monsanto is partnering with the African Agricultural Technology
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Climate Change, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Africa, biotechnology, drought, maize, principle6, water | Leave a response
Empowering African Cooperatives to Access Markets
By Editor on March 25, 2009
TradeNet, a Ghana-based trading platform allows users to sign up for SMS alerts for commodities and markets of their choice and receive instant alerts for offers to buy or sell as soon as anyone else on the network has submitted an offer on their mobile phone.
Users can also request and receive real-time prices for more
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Market Access, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Africa, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, market access, Nigeria, onions, potatoes, principle5, tomatoes, TradeNet | 2 Responses
Farmer Workshops in Ghana to Fight Forest & Land Degradation
By Editor on July 26, 2010
The wealth of Ghana’s natural resources plays a significant role in its economy through farming, fishing, forestry and mining. However, a history of overexploitation and mismanagement of these resources combined with lack of environmental information undermines the sustainable development of the country.
Estimates put the costs of environmental degradation in Ghana at nearly 10 per cent
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Regions, Subjects | Tagged FONG, Ghana, IFAP, tree planting campaign | Leave a response
Farmer-owned Cooling Centers Create Economic Opportunities for Small-scale Dairy Suppliers
By Editor on November 22, 2010
More than one million households depend on dairy farming as a source of income in Kenya. The vast majority of Kenyan milk suppliers are small-scale farmers who struggle with high costs, poor milk prices and lack of access to business development services.
TechnoServe is working with farmers and processors to improve milk productivity and quality and
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions | Leave a response
Farmers Fostering Crop Rotation
By Editor on February 9, 2011
Encouraging more crop rotation and intercropping is one simple measure that is good for farming and good for diets. Crop rotation means farmers plant a crop such as cereals in their field and then plant a legume and then an oilseed or another crop. In intercropping, at least two different crops are grown simultaneously in
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged crop rotation, intercropping, nutrition | Leave a response
Farmers in Africa Profit from Higher Quality Coffee
By Editor on November 29, 2010
With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, TechnoServe is undertaking a major initiative to help small-scale coffee farmers in East Africa double their incomes. TechnoServe business advisors focus their efforts in four areas: agronomy and training to provide farmers with practical knowledge that will increase yields; installation of wet mills to produce washed
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, coffee, East Africa, TechnoServe | Leave a response
Fertilizer Microdosing on Degraded Soils in Sub-Saharan Africa
By Editor on January 18, 2011
Land degradation affects more than half of Africa, leading to a loss of an estimated US$42 billion in income and 5 million hectares of productive land each year. A precision-farming technique called “microdosing” is helping farmers address the problem of soil infertility.
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), a member of CGIAR,
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged cgiar, fertilizer microdosing, ICRISAT, sub-Saharan Africa | Leave a response
Fighting Poor Nutrition with Biofortified Sorghum
By Editor on January 17, 2011
Africa continues to slip behind in meeting basic nutritional needs, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for half the deaths of children under the age of five within the developing world. The Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) project is a public-private consortium that seeks to use biotechnology to develop a more nutritious and easily digestible sorghum that contains
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Africa, biofortification, biofortified sorghum, Dupont, pioneer hi-bred | Leave a response
Food Security and Technological Developments – Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa
By Editor on February 15, 2011
According to statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), 95% of food producers live in developing countries. Precisely the area that is worst hit by climate change. Droughts are becoming more severe, floods are devastating entire plantations and a lack in infrastructure and knowledge and access to technology means that
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged food security | Leave a response
From Gold to Golden Harvests: Agricultural Enterprise in Kenya
By Editor on September 6, 2010
Former workers in an old mining district in Kenya are being given agricultural skills to farm abandoned mining land and improve their livelihoods.
The Migori District in Kenya used to have a thriving mining industry but in 1966, companies packed up, leaving behind a lot of abandoned land and a lot of unemployed miners. Whilst the
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged agricultural skills, improving livelihoods, sustainable agriculture | 1 Response
HarvestPlus and the Biofortification of the Seven Key Staple Crops in Africa and Asia
By Editor on February 15, 2011
The diets of the poor in developing countries usually consist of very high amounts of staple foods such as maize, wheat and rice, and few micronutrient-rice foods such as fruits and vegetables.
Harvest Plus seeks to reduce micronutrient malnutrition among the poor by breeding and disseminating staple food crops that are high in iron, zinc and
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged biofortification, HarvestPlus, provitamin A sweet potato, Syngenta Foundation | Leave a response
Improving Nutrition through Fortified Staple Crops
By Editor on March 28, 2009
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a biotechnology company, has partnered with Africa Harvest to form the Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) Project, an initiative that works to improve the nutritional value of sorghum to help address widespread malnutrition.
Pioneer donated initial technologies valued at $4.8 million to help with the project and additional funding has been provided by a grant
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Africa, biotechnology, principle6, sorghum | Leave a response
Improving Yields in Zambia through Conservation Agriculture
By Editor on April 6, 2009
In many countries where soil has been degraded or where farmers face difficult conditions, conservation agriculture has also been shown to improve yields through improved soil quality.
For example, in Zambia, a sample of 125 hand-hoe farmers using conservation farming in areas where land had been degraded was found to produce 1.5 tonnes more maize and
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged conservation agriculture, cotton, maize, principle4, soil, yields, Zambia | Leave a response
Innovative Social Enterprise Helps Farmers Use their Bicycles to Grind Grains, Charge Batteries
By Editor on August 10, 2009
Global Cycle Solutions (GCS) is a social enterprise started at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US to develop and commercialize innovative, pedal-powered devices for villagers around the world, ranging from agricultural processing tools to green battery charging. GCS targets the world’s 550 million small-scale farmers living on less than $1/day.
Its first products are
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Africa, principle2, principle3, principle6, Tanzania | 5 Responses
Investing in Underutilised Crops to Achieve Food Security
By Editor on May 31, 2010
As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Michael Hermann – Crops for the Future
The need
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Crops for the Future, Michael Hermann, NUS, PPPs, underutilized crops | 1 Response
Linking Community Theatre and Rural Development for Women
By Editor on September 13, 2009
Take your seats: the curtain has risen on a fresh strategy to link small farmers and policy-makers across Southern Africa. Theatre has been chosen as the means to explain agricultural policy to people in rural areas, and carry voices from the countryside back to the seats of power.
The Women Accessing Re-aligned Markets (WARM) programme will be
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Education & Training, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Subjects | Leave a response
Meeting the Grade: The Case of Groundnuts in Malawi
By Editor on July 30, 2010
Work has been taking place in Malawi to enable farmers’ to achieve the grades and standards required to take part in broader markets. Whilst a lack of technical and financial capacities is often the greatest hindrance to meeting these targets, which cover food safety, quality, social and environmental standards, the ever-changing nature of the standards
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Market Access, Regions, Subjects | Tagged alfatoxin, groundnuts, ICRISAT, Malawi, MALs, NASFAM, World Bank | Leave a response
Mobile Phones Help Ugandan Farmers Prevent Banana Disease, Spread Best Practice
By Editor on October 7, 2009
The market for mobile phones is growing more quickly in Africa than anywhere else in the world. Because of a lack of vital telecommunications infrastructure, mobile phone technology is often the only means of communication for farmers working in rural areas of Africa (although new underwater broadband cables are changing this – read here).
According to
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Regions, Subjects | 1 Response
Mozambican Farming Cooperative for Women Shares Knowledge, Builds Local Access and Capacity
By Editor on September 19, 2009
In the past, Celina Cossa would queue for days and even nights just to get the chance to buy a bag of maize to feed her two children, her husband, and herself. She was one of thousands of Mozambican women finding it difficult to feed her family in a country that was newly independent from
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Education & Training, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Africa, maputo, market access, mozambique, principle2, principle3, women | 2 Responses
New Cowpea Varietal Helps African Farmers Increase Profits by 55%
By Editor on March 25, 2009
The IITA recently announced that cowpea farmers in sub-Saharan Africa have seen their profits increase by 55% due to new advances in cowpea varietals. This new research has helped improve the returns per hectare which farmers enjoyed when paired with proper crop management.
The cowpea is an important source of protein for farmers in sub-Saharan Africa,
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, News, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Africa, Asia, biotechnology, cowpea, IITA, principle2, principle6 | Leave a response
New Fertilizer Method Uses Technology to Improve Efficiency, Lessen Impacts
By Editor on June 29, 2009
Across Asia, millions of rice farmers depend on urea fertilizer to meet the nitrogen needs of the continent’s primary crop. Many farmers still spread urea into floodwaters to fertilize rice. This is highly inefficient – about two-thirds of the fertilizer is lost as greenhouse gas or becomes a groundwater pollutant.
Urea deep placement (UDP) is a
Posted in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, News, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Africa, Asia, fertilizers, food security, ifdc, principle3, principle6 | 4 Responses
Producing Bioactive Nettings to Protect Crops Againsts Pests
By Editor on June 24, 2010
As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Anuj Shah – A to Z Textile
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged CIRAD, GCARD, IRD, Olyset net, Sumitomo, WHO | Leave a response
Promoting Agricultural Growth Corridors in Africa
By Editor on June 8, 2009
Africa is the only region in the world where hunger is worsening and per capita food production has stagnated over the last three decades. All research has clearly pointed out the necessity to invest in infrastructure building to unleash Africa’s agricultural potential, as highlighted in Principle 3 of the Farming First plan.
Traditionally, the public sector
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, News, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Research | Tagged Africa, fertilizers, infrastructure, market access, principle3 | 2 Responses
Providing Solutions to Climate Change in Madagascar
By Editor on August 27, 2010
Madagascar is a country rich in biodiversity, but deforestation, land degradation and the effects of climate change are ravaging the nation’s natural resources. It is estimated that 20% of the island is already affected by desertification.
Eighty-five percent of the Malagasy population practice subsistence farming. More than eighty percent of the population survives on less than
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Regions, Subjects | Tagged climate change, IFAP, Madagascar, PANA | Leave a response
Public-Private Partnership to Improve Maize Yields in Africa
By Editor on May 10, 2010
The Improved Maize for African Soils Project (IMAS) has been set up to improve African farmers’ access to maize varieties that are better adapted at capturing fertilizer. By developing new varieties that are more efficient in nitrogen uptake, the project hopes to develop maize crops that have a 30-50% yield improvement over existing varieties.
Launched recently
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CIMMYT, fertilizer, food security, IMAS, Improved Maize for African Soils, USAID | Leave a response
Recycling Agricultural Waste in Uganda to Produce Energy
By Editor on April 14, 2010
The basic source of fuel in Uganda is wood in the form of charcoal or firewood, which over 90% of the population relies on for heating and cooking. This dependence on traditional charcoal and firewood is responsible for the prevailing deforestation and soil degradation, the effects of which have manifested in irregular rainfall, floods and
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Regions, Subjects | Tagged agricultural waste, charcoal, charcoal briquettes, deforestation, energy, floods, fuel, soil degradation, Uganda | 1 Response
Serving Malawi Farmers by Reducing Credit Risks for Agrodealers
By Editor on April 2, 2009
CNFA established credit insurance in 2001 in Malawi to guarantee repayment of half of the money borrowed by agricultural input retailers to stock their shops.
This greatly expanded the number of rural distributors and decreased the distances farmers travelled to obtain inputs, sometimes quite dramatically, resulting in savings in both time and travel costs.
By 2005, retailers
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Market Access, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CNFA, credit, fertilizers, food crisis, inputs, Malawi, principle3, public-private partnership, risk, rural | Leave a response
Sharing and spreading agricultural knowledge as a way of combating malnutrition
By Editor on February 16, 2011
The first of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. According to the World Bank report World Development Indicators 2003, one sixth of the world’s population suffers hunger due to extreme poverty. Part of the hunger problem that is increasingly receiving attention is nutrition insecurity, or malnutrition, which affects one
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, News, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Agfax, Healthy Learning Programme, hunger, information flow, Jacqueline Nnam, malnutrition, MDGs, Narumoru Primary School, Share Fair | Leave a response
Soil Degradation in the Seychelles
By Editor on August 6, 2010
The main threat the Seychelles islands face is desertification and further soil degradation during heavy rainfall. As a small and yet geographically diverse island, the Seychelles consists of many extremely vulnerable ecosystems. Climate change has led to coastal erosion, flooding and more frequent and intense tropical storms, which has resulted in a shortage of arable
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Regions, Subjects | Tagged climate change, IFAP, IPM, Seychelles | Leave a response
Soy Program Boosting Farmer Incomes in Southern Africa
By Editor on November 11, 2010
Sub-Saharan Africa contributes less than one percent of the world’s soy, but the crop has the potential to become a key source of income for the region’s farmers. In the next 10 years, TechnoServe hopes to significantly increase the incomes of 200,000 households in southern Africa through the development of a competitive local soy industry.
The
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions | Tagged Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, soy, TechnoServe | Leave a response
Strengthening the Supply of Seed to Small and Medium Entreprises
By Editor on June 22, 2010
As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Lucy Muchoki – Pan-African Agribusiness Consortium
The Africa Seed
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Subjects | Tagged AAC, Africa Seed Investment Fund, AGRA, Lucy Muchoki, Pan-African Business Consortium | Leave a response
Supporting Farmers’ Organisations in Kenya to Empower Smallholder Farmers
By Editor on May 18, 2010
As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Edward Kateyia – IFAP/Kenya National Federation of Agricultural
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Agricord, ECART, Edward Kateyia, ESFIM, GCARD, ifad, IFAP, Kenya | 1 Response
Supporting Smallholder Cassava Farmers in Nigeria
By Editor on June 14, 2010
As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Scott Mall – International Fertilizer Development Center
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Market Access, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Subjects | Tagged cassava, Cassava Plus, DADTCO, GCARD, ifdc, Nigeria | Leave a response
Syngenta and CIMMYT Partner to Help Farmers Combat Crop Losses
By Editor on June 7, 2010
As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Marco Ferroni – Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Africa, Asia, CIMMYT, GCARD, maize, syngenta, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, wheat | Leave a response
The Aloe Vera Value-Added Project in Kenya
By Editor on August 4, 2010
The effects of climate change in Kenya are being felt in terms of frequent droughts, floods, land and environmental degradation as well as a general rise in temperatures. These impacts inflict serious losses to smallholder farmers due to crop damage from floods and crop failure in times of drought.
The Aloe Vera Value-added project was first
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Regions, Subjects | Leave a response
The Beira Agricultural Growth Corridor Project
By Editor on April 28, 2010
Launched in early 2009 at the World Economic Forum, the Beira Agricultural Growth Corridor is a project based in Mozambique that seeks to stimulate a major increase in agricultural production in an area whose growth potential has not yet been realised. The Beira Corridor has 10 million hectares of arable land with good soils, good
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Market Access, News, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Africa, Beira Corridor, commercial agriculture, food security, mozambique, WEF, World Economic Forum, Yara | Leave a response
The Ghana Grains Partnership
By Editor on March 31, 2011
Smallholder farmers in Ghana typically face several challenges preventing them from producing better yields. Among the lack of access to credit, inputs, storage facilities and infrastructure, a big influence on them is the belief that increasing production only serves to make the local market crash and prices plummet.
Back in 2008, fertilizer company Yara initiated a
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged fertilizer, Ghana Grains Partnership, Yara | Leave a response
The Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania
By Editor on March 21, 2011
With Dar es Salaam port providing access to the Indian Ocean for the interior of Tanzania and its neighbouring landlocked countries – Malawi, Zambia and the Congo, Tanzania has a large agricultural potential. The Southern Corridor, through serving both regional and international markets, could become a vibrant sustainable commercial farming sector, helping to enhance local food
Posted in Africa, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged fertilizer, SAGCOT, Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania, Yara | Leave a response
Ugandan Case Study Looks at how to Reduce Farmers’ Manual Labour Costs
By Editor on April 6, 2009
A case study done in Uganda found that weeding absorbed over 50% of smallholder farmers’ production costs.
It also occurs at times when the demand for labour is quite high and needed for many farm activities.
Crop protection products such as herbicides and the adoption of best practices can help reduce this burden.
In the Ugandan case study,
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged best practice, crop protection, no till, principle6, Uganda | Leave a response
Ugandan Farmers Getting Tips on Market Prices and Activity
By Editor on March 24, 2009
FICOM, the Farmers Information Communication project in Uganda is helping farmers access information on market prices and activity.
Important tips on growing crops are relayed from the Uganda National Farmers Federation headquarters to district level offices, and then to 24 ‘village phone centres’, in which each farmers’ group owns a mobile phone.
The farmers also send and
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Market Access, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Regions, Subjects | Tagged FICOM, maize, principle2, rice, Uganda, village phones | 1 Response
Using Supply Chain Partnerships to Support Agriculture in Africa
By Editor on April 13, 2009
Unilever has been an active proponent of schemes to broaden the supply-base and support local livelihoods, particularly in its tea and palm-oil estates.
Allanblackia plant
Lipton/Unilever Tea has a partnership with Rainforest Alliance on sustainability certification. Another partnership with Tanzania Forest Conservation Group, Ministry of Natural Resources, World Agroforestry Centre and the World Conservation Union also promotes
Posted in Africa, Case Studies, Market Access, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Subjects | Tagged allanblackia, lipton, ministry of natural resources, principle5, public-private partnership, rainforest alliance, resource constraints, tanzania forest conservation group, tea, unilever, world agroforestry centre, world conservation union | Leave a response
What is the Irrigation Potential for Africa? : A new report by IFPRI
By Editor on October 19, 2011
A new report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) titled “What is the irrigation potential for Africa? A combined biophysical and socioeconomic approach” has been published.
The report argues that although irrigation in Africa has the potential to boost agricultural productivities by at least 50 per cent, food production is almost entirely sustained through
Posted in Africa, Blog, News, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions | Tagged Africa, agriculture, development, food, IFPRI, irrigation, water | Leave a response
Latin America
Cocoa Offers New Hope for Nicaraguan Farmers
By Editor on December 20, 2010
Cocoa beans from the Criollo tree, native to Nicaragua, are prized by gourmet chocolate makers for their exceptional aroma, flavor and quality. Fine cocoa typically commands a price anywhere from two to five times higher than conventional cocoa. Yet Nicaragua exports fewer than 1,000 tons of cocoa a year, almost none of it fine cocoa.
In
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Latin America, Market Access, Regions, Subjects | Tagged cocoa, Nicaragua, TechnoServe | Leave a response
Creating Rural Wealth for Chilean Farmers Through Vegetable Seed Production Training
By Editor on May 14, 2010
As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Dr. Claudio Barriga – Agronegocios Lantinoamericanos Chile Ltda
The
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Latin America, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Agronegocios Latinoamericanos, Chile, Claudio Barriaga, GCARD, seed industry | Leave a response
Credit for Fertilizer Helps Peruvian Coffee Growers Improve Livelihoods
By Editor on January 13, 2011
Coffee-growers in Peru have been receiving a helping hand from a homegrown programme that provides credit for purchasing fertilizer. The “Family Program”, which was set up by coffee exporter Comercio & Cia in 2003, has been giving farmers interest-free credit for three consecutive years, whose crop production is then sold back to Comercio & Cia
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Latin America, Regions, Subjects | Tagged coffee-growers, comercio & cia, families, fertilizer, Peru, yield | Leave a response
Haiti Hope Project
By Editor on November 15, 2010
In the wake of Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake, TechnoServe is partnering with The Coca-Cola Company on the Haiti Hope Project, whose objective is to create a sustainable Haitian mango industry and play a role in the nation’s long-term recovery efforts. TechnoServe will help Haitian mango farmers grow their crops more efficiently, produce additional crops to boost
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Latin America, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Coca-Cola, Haiti, TechnoServe | Leave a response
Helping Fruit Farmers Become Exporters in El Salvador
By Editor on December 13, 2010
Two years ago, farmers of jocote, a fruit native to Central America, were struggling with high post-harvest losses and low prices set by middlemen. The situation was so bleak that several of the jocoteros considered selling the farms they had owned for decades. But with TechnoServe’s assistance, the farmers learned to grow and harvest their
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Latin America, Market Access, Regions, Subjects | Tagged El Salvador, TechnoServe | Leave a response
Promoting No Till Farming Amongst Farmers in the Mercosul Region
By Editor on June 9, 2010
As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Ivo Mello – Confederacion de Asociaciones de
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Latin America, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CAAPAS, GCARD, Ivo Mello, Mercosul, no till farming | Leave a response
Public-Private Partnership Creates Model Farm and Agricultural Resource Centre for Trinidadian Farmers
By Editor on May 16, 2009
The fertilizer company, PotashCorp (PCS) teamed up with the government of Trinidad and Tobago, where their largest ammonia-based fertilizer production facility is located, to build a demonstration farm and research centre. The PCS Model Farm and Agricultural Resource Centre is a 75-acre educational and demonstration farm designed to help teach Trinidadian farmers, extension workers, and
Posted in Case Studies, Education & Training, Latin America, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Regions, Subjects | Tagged fertilizers, knowledge, public-private partnership | Leave a response
Supporting Rural Development in Guatemala
By admin on November 12, 2009
In the Cuchumatanes Highlands in Guatemala, The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has been supporting a rural community development project.
The project aims to improve the livelihoods of 22,000 families with incomes below the poverty line. A needs analysis demonstrated that one of the problems in the area was poor handling and application of crop
Posted in Case Studies, Education & Training, Latin America, News, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Subjects | Tagged food security, infrastructure, market access, principle2, principle3, public-private partnership, resource constraints, rural | 1 Response
Turning Palm Oil to Profits
By Anna on December 6, 2010
The fruit of the oil palm, a tropical palm tree, is a key agricultural product in Honduras. However, many small-scale producers of the crop lack the equipment and organizational capacity necessary for their business to thrive.
In 2007, TechnoServe began working with APROVA, a cooperative of 154 farming families who were earning little for the palm
Posted in Case Studies, Education & Training, Latin America, News, Subjects | Tagged Honduras, palm oil, TechnoServe | Leave a response
North America
Improving Biofuels: Sugar Beets that Produce as Much as Sugar Cane in Half the Time
By Editor on April 3, 2009
To reduce competition between food and fuel and improve the lives of current and future generations, the production of biofuels needs to be made more efficient and sustainable.
Syngenta has developed tropical sugar beet (TSB) varieties that can yield the same quantity of sugar (or alcohol or ethanol) per land unit as sugar cane in half
Posted in Case Studies, North America, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged biofuel, principle6, sugar, sugar cane, syngenta, tropical sugar beet | Leave a response
Interactive Map Celebrates Agriculture’s Success Stories Across the World
By Editor on October 20, 2009
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has just launched an interactive world map highlighting some of the many success stories in agricultural development from around the world. It is part of a wider upcoming launch of their newest publication, Millions Fed: Proven Successes in Agricultural Development, which will be released on 12 November.
The interactive
Posted in Case Studies, North America, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Argentina, Asia, Case Studies, Ghana, IFPRI, Nigeria, principle2, principle3, principle4, principle6, R&D | Leave a response
New ‘Fieldprint’ Calculator Helps U.S. Farmers Measure Sustainability Performance
By Editor on October 21, 2009
A new ‘fieldprint’ calculator introduced by Field to Market: The Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture helps farmers in the U.S. to assess how some of their operational decisions affect their sustainability performances.
The tool can be applied to a variety of crops, including corn (maize), cotton, soybeans, and wheat. It helps farmers to assess their land
Posted in Case Studies, News, North America, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Regions, Research, Subjects | Leave a response
Nitrous Oxide Emission Reduction Protocol
By Editor on November 24, 2010
At the Hague conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change, Farming First held a side event ‘Best practices in agricultural value chains’, where spokespeople presented examples of initiatives that aim to increase resilience and productivity at different points in the value chain.
NERP
Clyde Graham from the Canadian Fertilizer Institute introduced the Nitrous Oxide
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, North America, Regions, Subjects | Tagged fertilizers, NERP, nitrous oxide | Leave a response
US Crop Advisor Scheme Holds Promise for Agricultural Production in Developing Countries
By Editor on July 5, 2010
Voluntary training and certification programs for ‘crop advisors’ may provide an effective way to promote growth in agricultural output and efficiency in the developing world. Trained crop advisors work with farmers personally and at local levels to train growers in best practices and provide expert advice on matters ranging from seed selection, nutrition, and pest-control
Posted in Blog, Education & Training, North America, Principle 2: Share knowledge | Tagged American Society of Agronomy, ASA, CCA, Certified Crop Advisor, Soil Science Society of America | Leave a response
Asia-Pacific
Transferring knowledge to farmers in Taiwan
By Editor on January 20, 2011
In line with the Taiwanese government’s aim to turn the country’s agriculture industry into a competitive and green sector, the plant science industry is actively involved in helping growers harness technology to increase yields while adopting environmentally friendly farming practices.
Recognizing that farmers may not have expertise in protecting their crops, CropLife Taiwan has been reaching out to farmers
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CropLife Asia, sustainable agriculture, Taiwan | Leave a response
‘e-Choupal’ Internet Kiosks Brings Market Information to Village Farmers
By Editor on April 7, 2009
To overcome low literacy rates and limited connectivity, some projects provide “mediated access” through kiosks.
For instance, through its e-Choupal kiosks, agri-exporter ITC Limited in India works with independent small farmers.
Village internet kiosks managed by farmers themselves, enable the agricultural community access to information in their local language on the weather & market prices, disseminate knowledge
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Market Access, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Subjects | Tagged e-choupal, India, market access, principle5 | Leave a response
‘Waterproof Rice’ Could Help Prevent Losses from Flooding
By Editor on April 1, 2009
Losses to crops can also come from excess water rather than drought or damage from pests.
In areas prone to flooding, the development of ‘waterproof rice’ could make a dramatic difference.
Scientist at IRRI have identified a gene which allows rice plants to withstand be submerged for two weeks without damage. The gene has already been transferred
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Bangladesh, drought, flood, principle4, rice, water | Leave a response
Accessing Micro-credit in India
By Editor on April 12, 2009
Improving access to credit is essential to allow farmers to invest and grow. The Grameen Foundation is one of the leader in the field of microfinance and its loans are changing women’s lives.
For example, in India, Ellevva and her husband, Durgiah, live in a small, one room house made of mud and sticks. Before taking
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Subjects | Tagged grameen foundation, India, microcredit, microfinance, principle3, women | Leave a response
Agriculture and Enterprise Skills for Women Smallholder Farmers
By Editor on May 12, 2010
Women play a vital, but often ignored, role in addressing hunger. Whilst a large proportion of farmers in the developing world are female, many lack voice and organisation. To boost women smallholders’ productivity and reduce their vulnerability to various challenges, women need to be able to access and apply appropriate training for rural livelihoods.
A recent project
Posted in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CSD, Ghana, India, Training for Rural Development, women farmers | Leave a response
Climate Change Risks and Food Security in Bangladesh
By Editor on July 13, 2010
In the last two decades, an ever-increasing frequency of floods, droughts and cyclones have caused extensive economic damage and have impaired livelihoods in Bangladesh. Agriculture, a key economic sector accounting for nearly 20 per cent of GDP and 65 per cent of the labour force, is greatly at risk. Adapting to and mitigating the effects
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Bangladesh, climate change, Earthscan, GDP, World Bank | Leave a response
Drip Irrigation Helps Farmers in Bangladesh Grow Crops in Salt-affected Soil during Dry Season
By Editor on October 11, 2009
March and April are the driest months in Bangladesh. During this time, up to 880,000 hectares of land is left fallow because of the intrusion of saltwater into the soil.
Bangladesh is benefiting from new research into how to make this land productive during the dry season. Using simple drip irrigation technology on raised planting beds,
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Bangladesh, principle2, principle3, principle4, principle6 | 4 Responses
Early Mustard Seed Harvests Protect Indian Crops
By Editor on April 13, 2009
Sometimes simple solutions looking at the issue of timing and planting cycles can provide effective solutions.
For example, in India, mustard seeds were planted in September and harvested in late December/January.
But often, up to 30% of the harvest was often lost to frost.
In response, breeders worked on a seed with a shorter duration period, which enabled
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged biotechnology, harvest, India, mustard seed, principle4, principle6 | 1 Response
Experts discuss Asian Food Security in Singapore
By Editor on August 17, 2011
Last week in Singapore, leading policymakers and influencers from throughout Asia and the world met to discuss the food security challenges and priorities facing the region at the first International Conference on Asian Food Security (ICAFS), themed ‘Feeding Asia in the 21st Century: Building Urban-Rural Alliances’.
As part of the conference, participants were invited to discuss
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, News | Tagged Asia, Farming First Principles, food security, ICAFS | Leave a response
Farmer Outreach Boosts Crop Yields and Income
By Editor on December 3, 2010
For millions of farmers in Bangladesh, increasing crop yields and boosting income is a struggle amid challenges such as lack of access to technology, post-harvest losses, financing and natural calamities. As most farmers know little about using crop protection products responsibly, pollution of the environment has been a common problem in rural Bangladesh.
Mizanur Rahman, the
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Bangladesh, crop yields, CropLife Asia, sustainable agriculture | Leave a response
Fighting Iodine Deficiencies in China through Fertilizer and Irrigation
By Editor on February 3, 2011
Iodine is an essential micronutrient to sustain human and animal health, yet it is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies in malnutrition. Globally it is estimated that 2.2 billion people in the world are at a risk of iodine deficiency. Iodine deficiencies can cause a wide range of physiological abnormalities (Iodine Deficiency Disorders), mainly related
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged fertigation, fertilizer, iodine, micronutrient deficiency, nutrition security | Leave a response
Filipino Farmers Given Fertilizer Advice Via Text Message
By Editor on February 12, 2011
Rice farmers in the Philippines are being given advice on best fertilizer use through a new text message programme.
The scheme, thought to be a worldwide first, has been launched by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) where scientists have spent 18 years refining a computerized system to advise farmers on optimal fertilizer use via their
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged fertilizer, IFA, IRRI, Nutrient Manager for Rice, rice | Leave a response
Gains to Punjab’s cotton farmers
By Editor on January 3, 2011
To help Pakistani cotton farmers in Punjab reduce pesticide use, cut input costs and improve crop yields, CropLife Pakistan has been reaching out to growers, partnering with the Agriculture Department in establishing farmer field schools in the region.
In 2008, 1,050 farmer field schools were set up across the region, offering training programs to 31,500 participants on reading
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CropLife Asia, Pakistan, sustainable agriculture | Leave a response
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition Promotes Food Fortification
By Editor on February 15, 2011
Food fortification, which adds essential vitamins and minerals to foods, is an important strategy to fight malnutrition. The cost of food fortification to reduce widespread malnutrition can be as low as a few cents per individual per year for adding iodine to salt, and up to US$ 0.25 for more complex vitamins and minerals.
GAIN, the
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged food fortification, GAIN, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition | Leave a response
Google Application Could Help Farmers Share Knowledge
By Editor on April 7, 2009
Google recently launched a beta verison of a new knowledge-sharing software called Google Noticeboard in India. Noticeboard can be installed on a shared computer which can be accessed by a village’s farmers.
Users can then either record a voice message or write a text message which they can publish for others to see at a later
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, News, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Regions, Subjects | Tagged google, India, knowledge, noticeboard, principle2, software | Leave a response
Green farming: a living legacy
By Editor on December 30, 2010
Across vast tracts of lush farmland in Malaysia, farmers used to dump pesticide containers in waterways and clearings after use, causing pollution to the environment. Such practices resulted from a lack of knowledge amongst farmers and adequate facilities for responsible disposal.
In a move to encourage sustainable agriculture, the Malaysian CropLife & Public Health Association (MCPA)
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CropLife Asia, Malaysia, sustainable agriculture | Leave a response
Green Rice: Climate-Friendly Rice Strains in Thailand
By Editor on May 2, 2009
As a response to methane emission from rice production being flagged as part of the global climate debate, Thailand’s agricultural ministry, as reported in the Bangkok Post, has prioritised its research efforts towards developing climate-friendly rice strains.
Prasert Gosalvitra, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives’ Rice Department said:
We are developing a number of
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Climate Change, News, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Asia, climate change, R&D, rice, Thailand | Leave a response
Growing quality crops brings wealth to Indonesia’s farmers
By Editor on December 24, 2010
Farmers in Indonesia’s North Sumatra used to suffer from low productivity and lacked knowledge about fertilizer use, as well as responsible ways of protecting their crops. In addition, farmers were also putting their health at risk due to poor understanding of the use of personal protection when applying crop protection products.
To solve these problems, CropLife
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CropLife Asia, Indonesia, sustainable agriculture | Leave a response
Hariyali Kisaan Bazaar: Developing Rural Businesses in India
By Editor on August 14, 2009
Hariyali Kisaan Bazaar (HKB) is an innovative chain of rural agricultural supermarkets set up in India since 2002 by DCM Shriram Consolidated Ltd. (DSCL).
HKB is an innovative effort aimed at empowering farmers and meeting the needs of rural households by providing access to agricultural products, services and retail. Established in the countryside, the stores offer:
•
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Subjects | Tagged India, market access, principle2, principle3, principle5 | 16 Responses
Harnessing Technology for Food Security
By Editor on December 10, 2010
Ensuring food security in China, the world’s most populous nation, requires concerted efforts by the central and local governments as well as the private sector. From raising farm productivity to improving food safety, steering China’s millions of farmers towards agricultural technology is key in achieving self-sufficiency.
Since 2003, CropLife China has joined with the National Agri-Technical Extension
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged China, CropLife Asia, sustainable agriculture, sustainable development | Leave a response
Improved Rice Cultivation in Cambodia
By Editor on April 19, 2010
Being essentially an agrarian country, Cambodia is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The main staple food is rice – and rain-fed lowland rice production accounts for more than 80% of the total rice area – but flooding, drought, and pests and disease are increasingly common due to changes in the climate, thus
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Cambodia, CamFAD, climate change, rice, SRI, sustainable farming | 1 Response
Improving Harvests Through Integrated Pest Management
By Editor on December 17, 2010
Chili farmers in Andra Pradesh used to lose up to 40 percent of their harvest to pest infestations. With poor quality crops, farmers failed to secure high prices in the market. In addition, excessive use of crop protection products resulted in high pesticide residue levels in produce, compromising food safety and risking rejection for export.
Muvva
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged chili farmers, CropLife Asia, India, sustainable agriculture | Leave a response
Innovation and training improve livelihoods of mango growers
By Editor on January 10, 2011
To protect mature mango trees from disease and insect infestations, growers in the Philippines in provinces such as Batangas, Laguna, Pangasinan, Davao and Cebu used to be heavy users of crop protection products. Spray applicators would regularly climb the trees with equipment to apply products. Accidents involving workers falling from trees and sustaining injuries were
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged crop protection, CropLife Asia, Philippines, sustainable agriculture | Leave a response
Innovative Research Could Save Indian Potato Farmers Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Each Year
By Editor on October 8, 2009
Potato blight is a disease caused by a fungus which targets potatoes both in the field and in storage. It can destroy an entire crop of potatoes within one or two weeks, and it can survive year after year in the tubers of infected potatoes, which release millions of new spores when the next rainy
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged blight, India, potato, principle1, principle3, principle4, principle5, principle6, R&D | Leave a response
Integrated Farm Approach Restores Wastelands in India
By Editor on September 28, 2010
The Indian Farm Forestry Development Cooperative (IFFDC) was established in 1993 to scale up eco-restoration and wastelands development efforts, predominantly afforestation, in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The initial activity was launched further back in 1986 by the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO).
The mission of the cooperative is “to enhance
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Regions, Subjects | Tagged forestry, sustainable natural resources management | Leave a response
Leaf Colour Charts Help Asian Farmers Manage Nitrogen Fertilizers
By Editor on January 25, 2011
Leaf colour charts are an effective, low cost tool to assist farmers in improving their nitrogen fertilizer management. These standardised guidelines developed by IRRI for efficient fertilizer use are based on the colour of the plant’s leaves. Using LCCs for rice in Asia has helped Asian farmers estimate plant nitrogen demand, to produce high rice
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Asian rice, IRRI, leaf colour charts, nitrogen fertilizer | Leave a response
Making a Difference with Farmer Training in Vietnam
By Editor on February 7, 2011
In Vietnam, where some 55 percent of the labor force is involved in agriculture, traditional farming methods dominate the way small growers in the country work. Lacking access to technology and knowledge on how to protect their harvests, millions of farmers in Vietnam struggle with low yields.
To transfer skills and technology to Vietnam’s farmers, CropLife
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CropLife Asia, sustainable agriculture, Vietnam | Leave a response
New Fertilizer Method Uses Technology to Improve Efficiency, Lessen Impacts
By Editor on June 29, 2009
Across Asia, millions of rice farmers depend on urea fertilizer to meet the nitrogen needs of the continent’s primary crop. Many farmers still spread urea into floodwaters to fertilize rice. This is highly inefficient – about two-thirds of the fertilizer is lost as greenhouse gas or becomes a groundwater pollutant.
Urea deep placement (UDP) is a
Posted in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, News, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Africa, Asia, fertilizers, food security, ifdc, principle3, principle6 | 4 Responses
One-stop Shops for Remote Indian Farmers
By Editor on March 24, 2009
Tata Chemicals, a subsidiary of the Tata Group, has established the Tata Kisan Sansar (TKS), a network of franchised rural retail outlets which offer a comprehensive range of agricultural inputs and services to farmers.
The TKS has the objective of becoming a “onestop farmer’s solution shop” and follows a “hub and spoke” model with 32 hubs
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Subjects | Tagged education, India, market access, principle3, Tata Chemicals | 2 Responses
Optimizing Water Use in Palestine
By Editor on August 16, 2010
Currently in Palestine, water demand greatly exceeds water supply and the high price of water severely limits the 20% of the Palestinian labour force who are employed in agriculture. Subsequently, farmers’ livelihoods are threatened, as is food availability for the Palestinian people.
In 2007, the Palestinian Farmers’ Union (PFU) set up a Water and Environment Program
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged IFAP, irrigation, Jericho City, Jordan Valley, Palestine, PFU | Leave a response
Partnership to Train Female Dairy Farmers in Pakistan
By Editor on June 28, 2010
As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Hans Joehr – Nestec
Nestle buys around $7 billion
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Nestec, Nestle, Pakistan, UNDP, women farmers | Leave a response
Post-harvest Losses Demonstrate the Need for Better Storage Techniques
By Editor on April 10, 2009
A study by the Inter-American Development Bank (ADB) in Vietnam and Cambodia recognized that farmers in the two countries could require two or three times as much rice grain as they consume to meet their food needs because of spoilage from poor storage techniques.
The full article is available here.
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Market Access, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged ADB, Cambodia, Inter-American Development Bank, post-harvest losses, principle4, rice, spoilage, Vietnam | Leave a response
Reaping the Fruit of Training in Thailand
By Editor on February 9, 2011
Thailand is a major fruit exporting country. Yet thousands of the country’s small fruit farmers used to struggle with poor yields. In addition, many lacked knowledge about food safety and meeting global standards for export.
Since 2006, the Thai Crop Protection Association (TCPA) has been actively reaching out to smallholders in Chantaburi, a key fruit production
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CropLife Asia, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, Thailand | Leave a response
Saving Water by Improving Rice Production in Asia
By Editor on March 30, 2009
Around 90% of the agricultural water in use in Asia is used for rice production.
It takes about 5,000 litres to produce 1 kg of rice. Practices such as seeding pre-germinated rice have saved about 15-20% water compared with the traditional transplanting method.
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Asia, principle1, rice, water | Leave a response
Training Courses in Vietnam Use Contests, Storytelling to Reach Out to Farmers
By Editor on October 28, 2009
Vegetable production is very important to Vietnam’s economy, with many farmers seeking access to export markets as a means of improving their livelihoods. However, meeting quality requirements for export produce can be a challenge for farmers.
As a response to this issue, the Plant Protection Department (PPD) of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Education & Training, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Subjects | Tagged education, principle2, principle3, Vietnam | 2 Responses
Training Farmers in Best Practice in Sri Lanka
By Editor on December 17, 2010
Millions of farmers in Sri Lanka struggle to deal with pest infestations, leading to low crop yields. In addition, a study in 2007 by the University of Peradeniya on the use of pesticides in southern Mahaweli found that about 35 percent of the 250 farmers surveyed have experienced adverse reactions to pesticides while spraying their
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CropLife Asia, Sri Lanka, sustainable agriculture | Leave a response
Turning Lost Nutrients into Feed Grass
By Editor on April 13, 2009
Livestock is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, especially in New Zealand.
A compound developed by Lincoln University scientists, when applied to urine patches in pastures, helps prevent the formation of these gases and nutrient leaching. Keeping nutrients in the soil improves pasture growth and provides an inexpensive form of additional feed.
The product is
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged greenhouse gas, Lincoln University, livestock, New Zealand, nitrate, principle1 | 1 Response
Using Mobile Telephony to Provide Agricultural Services and Advice to Smallholders in Rural India
By Editor on April 27, 2009
In March 2008, the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) launched a project to leverage communication technology, in particular mobile telephony, to disseminate expert agricultural knowledge to small-scale farmers in rural India. The newly created business, IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL), is a joint venture between one of India’s largest retailer of agri-inputs (IFFCO) and
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, News, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Asia, fertilizers, India, principle2, principle3 | 1 Response
Walking on Water: Low-cost Treadle Pumps Help Indian Farmers
By Editor on October 23, 2009
The Gates Foundation has provided this video to show how one of their grantees’ low-cost treadle pumps are helping Indian farmers access irrigated water for their crops.
These water pumps are supplied by International Development Enterprises (IDE). They are designed to be cost-effective and low-maintenance, with only one part needed to be changed each year at
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Case Studies, News, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged Case Studies, fertilizers, India, principle2, water | 7 Responses
Wireless Reach Programme Looks to Bring Phones to Rural Farmers in Indonesia
By Editor on January 15, 2010
Although research into agricultural development is extensive, and markets continually evolve, this information doesn’t often reach the farmers who could benefit most from it.
In remote areas of many developing countries, lack of access to telecommunications means that farmers either struggle to keep up-to-date market and agronomic information, or they are forced to spend time and
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Blog, Case Studies, Inputs & Tools, News, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Regions, Subjects | Tagged agriculture, community, farmers, markets, micro-loan, pricing information, principle 2, principle 3, principle 5, telecommunications, weather, wireless | Leave a response
Europe
Anti-Soil Erosion Practices Help Preserve Biodiversity in Albania
By Editor on August 9, 2010
Albania is gifted with a rich biodiversity, but this variety is vulnerable to climate change impacts. The coastal habitats in the Mediterranean are fragile ecosystems, and the land is under threat of coastal erosion, waterlogging and increased salinity. Inland, approximately 25% of the land suffers from natural soil erosion due to the corrosive effects of
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Europe, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Albania, IFAP, soil erosion, World Bank | Leave a response
Facilitating Smallholder Farmers Access to Horticultural Training
By Editor on June 18, 2010
As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Rémi Kahane – CIRAD and Global Horticulture
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Europe, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Subjects | Tagged CIRAD, GCARD, GlobalHort, horticulture | Leave a response
Increasing Water Efficiency in Pesticides
By Editor on April 4, 2009
Improving the formulation of pesticides and moving towards more precise irrigation and applications systems can help increase water efficiency.
For example, the use of air induction nozzles, which mix air with the spray liquid, can reduce water volumes used from 1,500-2,000 liters with conventional sprayers to 200-800 litres.
If the water-based sprays are combined with high precision
Posted in Case Studies, Europe, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged irrigation, pesticides, principle1, water | Leave a response
On-farm Biogas in the UK
By Editor on August 25, 2010
In the UK, farmers and growers are exploring how agriculture can better contribute to combating climate change. According to a National Farmers Union (NFU) case study, farming and forestry account for about 7% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Ninety million tonnes of agricultural organic material, such as manure, are produced per year,
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Europe, Regions, Subjects | Tagged biogas, GHG, IFAP, NFU | Leave a response
Operation Pollinator: Helping Farmers Preserve Biodiversity and Secure Food Supply in Europe
By Editor on May 23, 2010
Pollinating insects are crucial for many natural habitats and the production of the majority of food crops. However, the number of pollinating insects has declined significantly across Europe, and the rest of the world, which exacerbates an already insecure food supply. According to a EU-funded research project, pollination services provided by insects are worth EUR
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Education & Training, Europe, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged biodiversity, Operation Bumblebee, Operation Pollinator, pollination, syngenta | Leave a response
Selenium Fortified Fertilizers in Finland
By Editor on January 27, 2011
Selenium is an essential micronutrient to sustain human and animal health. However it is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies in malnutrition. Low levels of selenium (Se) have been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer in humans Selenium is mainly provided by plant foods (such as cereal), meat and dairy products.
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Europe, Inputs & Tools, Regions, Subjects | Tagged Finland, IFA, malnutrition, nutrition security, selenium fortified fertilizer | Leave a response
Skylarks in the UK: Protecting Biodiversity
By Editor on March 27, 2009
Innovative solutions can also help protect biodiversity – for example in the UK, farmers were encouraged to leave small plots of bare soil in their growing crops for skylarks to nest.
The results were very positive: in fields where skylark plots had been made, skylark fledglings increased by 49% .
No-till also helps protect food sources for
Posted in Case Studies, Education & Training, Europe, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Regions, Subjects | Tagged biodiversity, no till, principle1, skylarks, UK | Leave a response
Testing Climate Scenarios in the Netherlands
By Editor on August 20, 2010
In the Netherlands, agriculture is a major economic sector. The effects of climate change in the Netherlands may cause a rise in temperature and a higher CO2 concentration, which would result in higher yields. However, climate change also poses serious threats. To anticipate the effects of a changing climate and limit the risks, whilst maximising
Posted in Blog, Case Studies, Climate Change, Europe, Regions, Subjects | Tagged ARK, climate scenarios, IFAP, Netherlands | Leave a response
UN Agencies Team Up to Help Predict Future Food Shortages
By Editor on September 11, 2009
Two UN groups are teaming up to help identify and respond to areas likely to be impacted by food shortages in the future.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has agreed to share data concerning floods, hurricanes, mudslides, drought and other forms of severe weather with the World Food Programme (WFP).
This information can help the WFP provide better
Posted in Case Studies, Europe, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Regions, Research, Subjects | Tagged climate change, drought, flood, principle2, principle3, un, wfp, wmo | Leave a response
Using Zinc Fertilizer to Boost Yields and Public Health in Central Anatolia, Turkey
By Editor on April 15, 2009
Zinc is an essential micronutrient needed by crops and people. Almost half of the world’s cereal crops are deficient in zinc and zinc is the fifth leading risk factor for disease in the developing world.
Research has shown that regions with zinc-deficient soils often produce poor crop yields and widespread zinc deficiency in humans. This was
Posted in Case Studies, Europe, Inputs & Tools, News, Principle 1: Safeguard natural resources, Principle 2: Share knowledge, Principle 3: Build local access and capacity, Principle 4: Protect harvests, Principle 5: Enable access to markets, Principle 6: Prioritise research imperatives, Regions, Subjects | Tagged development, fertilizers, health, micronutrient, principle2, principle3, principle6, Turkey, zinc | 2 Responses
