Fusarium wilt is a fungal disease that lives in the soil and that spreads through infected seeds. The fungus can survive in the soil for about 3 years. Seed treatment improves germination and helps to keep the crop free from diseases that are in the soil or on the seed....

In his 30 years as a farmer, Illeperuma Arachchilage Rathnayake, or Rathnayake as he’s known in his village, struggled to unlock the full potential of his onion seed cultivation. He began cultivating this crop as a 22-year-old with no official training but relied on lessons and cues from other farmers...

Marine fisheries in India is a caste-based occupation, with a social and political hierarchy in place. For those belonging to the subordinate fishing castes, excluded from decision-making processes at home, migration is an important strategy for gaining economic resources, social power and recognition as skilled and successful marine fishermen. In...

Even seemingly simple tasks, like raising the humble earthworm, can be done in more ways than one, however all variations must follow certain basic principles. In a video from Bangladesh, villagers show the audience how to raise earthworms in cement rings, sunk into the soil. The floor is covered with a...

Momentum is growing for increased South-South cooperation to meet and overcome the challenges of poverty and food insecurity in the Asia-Pacific region, experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said here today on the sidelines of a three-day multi partner EXPO on South-South and Triangular...

A voice comes through the radio. It is Ramkali Mahato’s favourite show. She turns up the volume to hear local women talking with elected officials about empowerment issues and traditional social norms. Inspired by the show, Ramkali now strives to do the same in her daily life, speaking up against...

Agroecologie enables the improvement of agricultural production through the enhancement of local natural resources and traditional know-how. It contributes to maintaining biodiversity and restoring land in drylands, which are particularly threatened by global warming and food insecurity, while contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Within the framework of the...

Some 19.7 million people, almost half of Afghanistan’s population, are facing acute hunger according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis conducted in January and February 2022 by Food Security and Agriculture Cluster partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations World...

Developed in the Hurgaov region of Rajasthan (India), where droughts are frequent, this project allowed the promotion and conservation of rainwater through rejuvenating traditional rainwater harvesting water bodies (Naadi) with the participation of the community. 

The Filipino agricultural sector is exposed to multiple climatic, economic, and social risks that will likely intensify in the near future. Building agroecological resilience has been proposed to protect small-scale farmers’ livelihoods and improve food security in the context of (unexpected) shocks and disruptions, and slow system changes such as...

Countries across Asia and the Pacific are joining an initiative to promote and showcase the ‘best of the best’ of their special agricultural products – a move designed to ensure a high level of participation from smallholders to producers to exporters and others all along the value chain.To help build...

‘The twin shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 5F crisis (food, feed, fuel, fertilizer and finance) have shown up structural weaknesses and the low levels of resilience in our agrifood systems. In conjunction with climate change and conflict, these crises are significantly derailing progress towards the achievement of the...

This paper reflects on the concept of the Plantationocene through an analysis of sugarcane plantations in Guangxi province, China. It argues that although these plantations are owned and operated by local villagers, they are de facto controlled by corporations, and subject to state intervention through a ‘zoning scheme’. They are constructed and...

This guide explores the climate-smart intensification of upland and lowland crop production systems in the dry-zone of Sri Lanka and provides technical guidance to achieve the productive objectives of selected strategic crops (as deemed relevant by the Government of Sri Lanka). The first edition focuses on maize and groundnut upland...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomed an unprecedented $150 million contribution from the World Bank to provide critical livelihood and life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable rural populations in Afghanistan, while boosting local food production and smallholder resilience. Some 19.7 million people, almost half of Afghanistan’s...

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Vanuatu launched a new project to support the country in conducting its third National Census of Agriculture 2022. Under the USD 300 000 project, FAO, the National Statistics Office (NSO), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry,...

The AgriCOOPh Coops4food program was introduced in 2020. This is an initiative that links producers’ cooperatives to consumers’ cooperatives, organizations, and community associations. The Coops4food model is a community-supported, market-driven strategy that generates interest and unlocks the potential of non-traditional markets as procurement organizations of fresh farm products to match...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands launched its 2021 Annual Report on 15 July 2022. The report was launched at the official launching ceremony that took place online and physically in Apia, Samoa and Port Villa, Vanuatu. Ministers from the...

Improving the efficiency of family farms is of great significance to rural revitalization and agricultural modernization in China. In order to find out the development status and shortcomings of family farms in China, and put forward targeted policy recommendations to improve the efficiency of various family farms, this paper applies...

Rose Ongalibang shows off the pinkish-purple powder in a small bag. “It’s taro flour,” explains the genial retiree at her home on Palau’s largest island, Babeldaob. With its distinctive heart-shaped leaves, taro is traditionally cultivated by Palauan women in plots of land around the shores of this tiny Pacific country. The...