Using results from the three rounds of Nepal Living Standard Surveys (conducted in 1995, 2003, and 2010), this study empirically assesses whether access to rented tractors or custom hiring services is a binding constraint on the income growth of farm households in Nepal. Because four-wheel tractors of medium horsepower are...

The main objectives of this paper are to analyse the nature of the emerging agrarian structure in the Asia-Pacific countries where family farming comprising small and marginal farmers, tenants and women plays a dominant role in the agricultural sector and to identify the key challenges and opportunities for the viability...

This paper presents background to the agriculture sector and food security within countries that form part of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Following this, a review of current policy approaches used by ASEAN related to agriculture used by ASEAN to address food security is presented. The paper...

Adapting agriculture to a changing climate and world will mean developing and implementing new approaches to irrigation policies and practices the world over, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned today. These new approaches were discussed at the beginning of the 2nd World Irrigation Forum underway today...

The Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources (ISPGR) and Bioversity International, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Right Authority (PPV&FRA) (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare), National Biodiversity Authority (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change), Trust for Advancement of...

Rice and ducks have been ‘good friends’ of farmers in the Mekong Delta for a long time. Traditionally, farmers in the Mekong Delta planted rice paddies and raised ducks by releasing them into the paddy fields after the harvest to eat residues. A Japanese farmer, Mr. Takao Furuno, took this traditional Asian farming...

El Niño is the warming of sea surface temperature in the tropical Pacific, which occurs roughly every 2 to 7 years, lasting from 6 to 24 months. While the main threat to food production is reduced rainfall and drought in some regions, El Niño can also cause heavy rains and...

Gender mainstreaming, as a formalized concept, was established by the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995 and grounded upon international frameworks – both obligatory and voluntary – that provide rationale and commitments upon United Nations (UN) Member States for its implementation. Gender mainstreaming is not an end in...

The Green Gate Organic Farm is the farm operation part of the National Environment Centre (NEC), a vocational education facility part of TAFE NSW Riverina Institute in New South Wales, Australia. The farm was set up in the mid 1990’s. In the process of planning a number of uncertainties were...

The need for restoring forests is increasing in the Asia-Pacific region considering the extensive areas of degraded forests and lands. In this context, a new approach, called forest landscape restoration (FLR) is currently being promoted widely. FLR is an innovative approach that integrates forest restoration work with other activities across...

The 33rd session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) will convene in Putrajaya, Malaysia, from 7 to 11 March 2016, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture & Agro-Based Industry, Malaysia. The conference will focus on the opportunities and challenges in the region and priority areas of...

CEBU, Philippines - Small food producers in the Philippines will soon take advantage of the over 600 million consumers in the ASEAN region, as the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is currently crafting a program in coordination with key agencies to allow producers...

Indoor housing is a convenient practice for raising livestock. If stalls are constructed in an appropriate way, they can fulfill several functions. This practice describes in detail how to construct a goat shed and a feeding trough. The feeding trough is constructed outside the stall, making it easier to clean...

Workshop on Formation of Community Forestry Practitioners' Network (CFPN) in Myanmar

Usually, there is a common practice to raise green manure as an intercrop in sugarcane and to incorporate it as mulch 45 to 50 days after sowing. The present practice, however, shows a modified method by introducing some practices based on close observations in a sugarcane production site in Tamil...

The Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) participated in the just concluded 6th global farmers’ forum held at the headquarters of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome, Italy on February 15-16, coinciding with its tenth anniversary. Farmer leaders, accompanied by technical staff, represented AFA as a...

On the coffee flavor is actually very Universal Indonesia, he can translate a matter of taste in every country and eventually everyone recognizes that Indonesian coffee is the best.

Pulse panchayat is an integrated approach in establishing a sustainable production, value addition and marketing system. The initiative implemented by a Farmer Producer Company in Tamil Nadu, is moving towards achieving self-sufficiency in pulse production.

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a set of farming methods, and also a grassroots peasant movement, which has spread to various states in India. It has attained wide success in southern India, especially the southern Indian state of Karnataka where it first evolved.  The movement in Karnataka state was...

The share of uncultivated foods from the forest has gradually declined in the diets of Paharia tribes in Jharkhand. Initiatives like conservation, preservation, processing of uncultivated foods has helped them regain their position and enhance the dietary diversity of the communities, also addressing the issues of hunger and malnutrition.