The potential of composting to turn on-farm waste materials into a farm resource makes it an attractive proposition. Composting offers several benefits such as enhanced soil fertility and soil health, thereby increased agricultural productivity, improved soil biodiversity, reduced ecological risks and creating a better environment. While traditional composting procedures take...

Honey bees may provide livelihood or a source of income for many beekeepers all over the world. This could happen through the services provided by the bees (mainly pollination service, apitherapy and apitourism), or directly through the bee products. The last include: alive bees to guarantee always new queen bees...

The drought-prone areas of western Bangladesh are characterized by high rainfall variability, with different types of seasonal droughts (initial, mid and terminal) posing regular threats to rice production. During monsoon season in wide areas of NW Bangladesh T. aman rice is cropped on rainfed basis. Risk management options need to...

In Zimbabwe and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, farmers use grain stores constructed from grass, stalks of cereal crops and wooden poles. Some of these constituent parts are increasingly scarce. Mud plastered stores, supported on concrete-filled plastic pipes, offer the benefits of improved resistance to termites, insect grain pests and...

The clod breaker is a simple wooden tool made out of a cylindrical log with iron spikes. It can be pulled by animals or even by an adult person. By driving the clod breaker over your field in opposite directions, the soil will become loose, aerated and absorb more water....

Farmers all over the world incur serious losses to stored produce because of insect damage and are frequently forced to sell prematurely. Many use traditional storage protectant practices or, when they can afford it, purchase synthetic chemical pesticides. The effectiveness of traditional practices is variable. Using synthetic pesticides also has...

Growing concerns relating to land degradation, threats to eco-systems from over and inappropriate use of inorganic fertilizers, atmospheric pollution, soil health, soil biodiversity and sanitation have rekindled the global interest in organic recycling practices, like composting. The potential of composting to turn on-farm waste materials into a farm resource makes...

Baobab fruit juice made from the pulp is very healthy, and can be added to porridge and sauces. However, the quality of the pulp can be greatly affected if fruits are not handled well during and after harvest. When baobab pods are damaged and have splits in the shell, moisture...

The Mediterranean fruit fly is a worthy enemy. This pest, also known as the medfly, is widespread over the tropics, attacking and spoiling oranges, mangos and many other fruits. Each female can lay 200 eggs in her brief lifetime—allowing rapid population growth. The medfly damages so much high value fruit,...

La mise en place de pépinières d’arbres, des terrains où l’on plante de jeunes arbres qu’on cultive jusqu’à ce qu’ils puissent être transplantés, pourraient satisfaire la demande croissante de populations en Afrique orientale qui se trouvent confronter à l’épuisement de ressources arbustes. Ces populations dépendent de forêts et d’arbres pour...

Most farmers in Bangladesh depend on subsistence farming with extremely small landholdings. Great parts of Bangladesh are flooded every year and to a large extent agriculture systems have been adapted to this normal flooding. However, besides normal peak floods in July and August and late floods extending in September, early...

Urea Molasses Blocks (UMB) are a high protein concentrated feed source that supplies Non-Protein Nitrogen (NPN) to rumen microbes. The blocks also contain important minerals and vitamins. UMB are a good way of providing readily degradable protein and fermentable energy to ruminant animals. They help increase the protein supply to...

Tomato production can be time consuming especially when it is done to produce and keep small amounts of seeds from several varieties. It is nevertheless important to produce and preserve seeds from interesting varieties which are well adapted to your production system and environment. In a trial conducted over two...

Despite the raise of awareness on the use of pesticides during the last 30 years, pesticide industries grew up thanks to the lack of information about the real damage these products could cause on the environment, human health and on producers’ incomes. The lack of knowledge using large and small...

The following describes the preservation by solar drying of perishable fruits and vegetables. It highlights the features of solar drying as well as its advantages and disadvantages. These include labour saving, livelihood resilience strengthening, equipment, cost, skills, risk and infrastructure.   Description Many perishable fruits and vegetables, such as raisins, prunes, and yams...

Small-stocks play a particularly important role in many forest margin farming systems. A range of simple management strategies, techniques and interventions allow for improved productivity and better integration of animals into these farming systems. In particular, these interventions benefit poorer farmers. In addition to on-farm participatory research activities, a series...

Growing concerns relating to land degradation, threat to eco-systems from over and inappropriate use of inorganic fertilizers, atmospheric pollution, soil health, soil biodiversity, and sanitation have rekindled the global interest in organic recycling practices, like composting. The potential of composting to turn on-farm waste materials into a farm resource makes...

Dû à un écart croissant entre l’offre et la demande de poisson, la pisciculture est l’élevage de poissons qui sert comme source alimentaire et de revenus. La pisciculture du poisson tilapia est une pratique qui se développe rapidement, peut satisfaire cette demande croissante, et permet un entretien facile. L’établissement d’étangs...

The following provides information on the features of manually operated groundnut strippers and maize shellers. The former separates the pods from the plant whereas the latter removes the kernels from the cob. Advantages and disadvantages of these practices are also provided in terms of labour saving, livelihood resilience strengthening, livelihood...

Mung bean cultivation may be one of the most important long-term adaptation options for drought-prone areas in the northern and northwestern parts of Bangladesh. Since mung beans require minimum moisture, they can be cultivated after the t. aman rice harvest, using the residual moisture in the fields, thus responding to...