This mini Barefoot Guide is an introduction to the Seed Knowledge Initiative (SKI) partners’ journey of landscape-level work with communities in the Southern African region. It is a resource to those communities and those working with them to think about why this landscape-level work is important. They will find inspiration and lessons from successful...

Cette technologie décrit méthodiquement comment faire une ruche à barre supérieures (modèle du Kenya). Une ruche à barres supérieures, (ou une ruche à barres mobiles) est une caisse rectangulaire couverte avec des barres d’une largeur fixées. Les abeilles commenceront la construction de leurs rayons à partir du centre des barres...

As effective weed control may increase yields by more than 50 percent, it surely is worthwhile taking a closer look. In this video we learn to differentiate between annual and perennial weeds, while farmers in Mali explain to us how and when to control weeds most effectively. This video presents...

“Yields are much higher when rice is transplanted. Compared to broadcasting, yields are two or three times higher.” This video presents methods of transplanting rice and explains the effect of planting depth, distance and age of seedlings on rice tillering.

The Rwanda Youth in Agribusiness Forum (RYAF) adhered to the youth engagement initiative launched by FAO ICA programme by launching a special Youth Knowledge Exchange session on April 2, 2020 addressing the key consequences and potential implications of COVID-19 for youth-led agribusinesses. The online consultation was conducted both in English and Kinyarwanda using RYAF social media...

Pests and diseases cause substantial economic loss to crop farmers. Other than reducing yield and lowering harvest quality, pest and disease control increases production costs in terms of buying the chemicals to control them. Besides chemicals being expensive and not readily available, they also have adverse effects on the environment,...

Based on hard real-life experience, the women of the Maria village have devised some very effective techniques for seed preservation. The video describes the importance of storing seeds in airtight containers, using insecticidal plants and other clever practices that Bangladeshi women apply to preserve rice seeds. This video presents the...

The most recent estimates of the prevalence of undernourishment (POU), presented in the joint report by FAO, UNECA and African Union Commission “2019 Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition” shows that the trend of deterioration in 2014-2018 has slowed in 2017–2018. However, there remain 256 million hungry people in Africa today, or...

Nambiro Fatuma is a single mother of 4 kids that fully depend on her. She, on the other hand, depends on her income that comes from a family farm owned by her father. “I produce bananas, maize, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes, mangoes and avocados…” she says. “I once thought about starting a poultry...

The following technology provides features about the use of improved seeds and less labour-intensive crops. It also details the advantages and disadvantages of their use. The advantages include labour-saving, livelihood resilience strengthening, livelihood diversification, inputs, skills, cost and infrastructure. Disadvantages include inputs, costs, infrastructure and risk.  Description Plant seeds are saved from...

Farmers face great difficulties with drying their seeds because seed absorbs moisture from the soil. As a result, seed quality deteriorates, and no-one can expect good yields by using poor quality seed. In this video you can see how farmers of the Maria village in Bangladesh solved this problem by...

In Senegal, the COVID-19 youth engagement initiative promoted by FAO was launched through various groups of young agripreneurs across the country and through the national youth council, Conseil National de la Jeunesse du Sénégal (CNJS). The CNJS gathers youth organizations with its regional and departmental chapters, and serves as the interface between young people,...

The solar maize dryer is a construction that dries maize through solar energy. It is a construction that resembles a greenhouse. It takes three days to reduce the moisture content of maize from 24 to 14 percent. Drying maize reduces the risk of mould and aflotoxins and helps farmers to...

The following technology provides an overview and details features of hand seeders and planters including jab planters to plant in rows. The advantages (labour saving, livelihood resilience strengthening, equipment, skills and cost) and disadvantages (labour and cost) are also highlighted.  Description Details of planting in rows for closely and widely spaced crops...

When farmers take out their seeds from storage and open the lid of the container, they may find flying insects. To confirm if the seeds have been attacked, farmers take a sample of seeds in their hands and on close observation may find holes in the seed. Insects eat the...

The following provides an outlook on the main renewable energy sources of biomass, solar, hydropower and wind. It highlights their advantages in terms of labour saving, livelihood resilience strengthening, livelihood diversification and cost. Disadvantages include technical issues, equipment, cost, skill, knowledge, risk, and infrastructure.  Description 1. Energy sources 1.1 Biomass energy The wood used...

There are many problems with poor quality seeds. Spotted and discoloured seeds are some of the major ones. Spotted seeds cannot be removed by winnowing or seed flotation. They can only be removed by manual sorting. By watching this video you will learn how to clean seeds as one of...

Without access to reliable information to enable farmers to make better use of their natural resources, a majority of artisanal fishing communities are unable to halt trends towards reduced fish catches. Stock assessments are an important component for managing fisheries. These assist in the provision of advice on recommended exploitation...

 The following includes the features of raised bed cultivation from a practical perspective, including tips and recommendations. Advantages include labour-saving, livelihood resilience strengthening, equipment and risk. Disadvantages include labour, skills and technical limitations.  Description Repeated tilling of the soil to the same depth, either by hand or draught animal, causes plough pans...

The following practice describes the features of integrated pest management, listing various agricultural practices to prevent development and spread of pest populations. The advantages and disadvantages are also detailed in terms of livelihood resilience strengthening, livelihood diversification, skills, cost, risk labour and infrastructure. Description Pesticide application using a knapsack sprayer can be...