We’re trying to teach our young ones that there’s no rocket science to it. It’s about keeping that natural balance and it will just keep giving.” 🌱 Meet Togia Tavita Faletoese, a Samoan organic farmer who set up a youth farm to pass on traditional knowledge

While the coconut shell technology is the easiest and cheapest way to propagate stingless bees, it may not be practical for inter-island transport for pollination of large plantation crops like mango. Thus, a suitable wooden hive was designed for this purpose. This practice describes how to build the wooden hive...

Drought resistance in rice is physiologically and genetically complex. There are a number of traits which are thought to contribute to drought resistance mechanisms. Drought-related traits are influenced by several or many genetic loci. Molecular linkage maps allow identification of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs). Corresponding molecular markers can be used...

This technology describes the performance of flood-tolerant rice varieties in flood-prone areas of Lao PDR, including a comparison with local rice varieties monitored within the same farms. Details on local and improved varieties are provided as well as a step by step description on its usage. Additionally, major costs and...

El Cantón de Juye, un área localizada en una zona de depresión, recibe 500 mm en promedio de precipitación anual. Sin embargo, durante las últimas décadas, la imprevisibilidad del cambio climático ha expuesta esta región a graves sequías, sobre todo en primavera e invierno. Por otro lado, China es el...

Yak (Bos grunniens L.) herding plays an important role in the domestic economy throughout much of the Asian highlands. Yak represents a major mammal species of the rangelands found across the Asian highlands from Russia and Kyrgyzstan in the west to the Hengduan Mountains of China in the east. Yak...

High potential rice production systems have diverse biophysical and socio-economic environments, but there is a lack of rice varieties matching this diversity. A number of advanced breeding lines have recently been developed to match these production systems. Therefore, suitable varieties for diverse rice-producing environments were developed in high potential production...

Early maturing rice can be harvested before local rice varieties, thereby reducing the vulnerability of farmers to extreme events and enhancing the resilience of livelihoods. This technology describes the cost-benefit analysis of growing early maturing rice in Lao PDR and provides information on how to grow this rice variety in...

Coconut shells are used to make honey harvesting easy and to decrease the mortality rate of young bees or the brood. The usual way of harvesting honey from wild colonies destroys a large portion of the nest. The bees spend long time to mend the damaged nest. This problem is...

Chicken diseases can cause significant loss for farmers. Due to the frequency in which diseases affect chickens at nearly every change of season, farmers get discouraged to raise chickens. The most common diseases often infecting chickens in rural areas are Newcastle disease and fowl cholera. This practice includes instructions on...

This Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) good practice technology consists in the introduction of drought-resistant fish species such as common carp for aquaculture production in dry areas of Lao PDR. These fish species grow faster than usually raised species such as Mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala) and tilapia. Furthermore, they can survive in...

Contractors are finishing the construction of a chicken coop which was granted for young farmers in Cambodia who were chosen as beneficiaries of AFOSP-APFP projects Through the Federation of Farmer Association Promoting Family Agriculture Enterprise in Cambodia (FAEC), one of AFOSP-APFP partner farmers organization, this chicken coop was granted directly to select...

Natural Farming applied in Himachal Pradesh, India is a sustainable agroecological practice that can minimize the cost of cultivation, sustain soil fertility, reduce water requirement and enhance farmers’ income. It also bolsters a positive image of the ecologically sensitive mountain state preserving its environment and traditional systems. This will positively...

Nature already mitigates a significant measure of human-made GHG emissions; approximately a quarter of these emissions are absorbed by trees, plants, and soil, while another quarter is absorbed into marine systems. Yet, if protected, sustainably managed, and restored, nature has the power to do even more. Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) are climate...

Special edition: Asia and the Pacific;  This month a special edition of the SSF Update. Come with us to Asia and the Pacific and learn about work in the region to implement the SSF Guidelines!

Fruit flies are a major constraint to the production and export of fruit and vegetables in South Asia. Two techniques were developed. Bait Application Technique (BAT), in which food baits are mixed with a small amount of insecticide to attract and kill adults. Male Annihilation Technique (MAT) is where synthetic...

During a convention organized by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), international experts endorsed the significant efforts to boost agroecological and natural farming approaches in India. NITI Aayog highlighted the transformation and renewal of agriculture in India, addressing agroecology and natural farming as an alternative that can ease the excessive and...

Fish feed/aquafeed is one of the most expensive inputs for small aquaculture farms. At the same time, it is very important to have a well-balanced feed. This practice describes different kinds of fish feed with step by step description on the preparation of fish feed. Two simple recipes for a...

This technology describes the introduction of Farm Yard Manure (FYM) and compost practices for wheat production in Ghotki district in Pakistan under dry spell conditions, during the Rabi season in 2018 (January to April). It also provides a cost benefit analysis of the describe practice compared to the traditional wheat...

For disaster-prone countries like the Philippines affected by landslides, mudslides and widespread flooding, forest enrichment is a good practice option, especially for mountainous regions, to enhance resilience to climate change and livelihood security. Cultivation of Rambutan for forest enrichment addresses slow on setting climate change impacts. The practice has co-benefits...