Transforming Philippine agriculture remains an urgent need, not just because it is intrinsically connected to food security but also for poverty reduction. The technologies brought by the Green Revolution in the 1960s sparked growth in the sector, but it has remained slow compared to some of its neighboring countries. Although...

A key fisheries and aquaculture development programme implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has highlighted significant potential to boost these sectors in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Tanzania, Guyana and the Marshall Islands, making them more self-sufficient, creating jobs and preserving biological stock levels.The countries are...

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) together with the Regalo ng Kilit Foundation, Inc. convened the First International Conference on School-Plus-Home Garden cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE1) with the theme, “Restoring Biodiversity, Regenerating Agriculture, and Building Businesses.” Held on 8-12 November 2022 at...

Food security is paramount in Bangladesh, which has a high population density (1329 people per km2) and poverty rate (18.7%). Seed is a critical input in agriculture. The timely use of quality seeds of potential varieties can increase yields by up to 25%. Currently, about 46% of the farmers in...

In the Mekong Region, agroecological approaches provide a niche alternative to the dominant traditional or intensive farming systems. We conducted a synthesis of current evidence on agroecological interventions by means of a systematic literature review and mapping of case studies in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. The majority of...

The national council meeting of the National Platform for Small-Scale Fish Workers (NPSSFW) was held in Kolkata, India, on November 6-7, 2023. The main objectives of the first day of the meeting were to discuss the issues and challenges faced by smallscale fishworkers in the country and to strengthen the...

Smallholder farmers are important food producers globally. However, they often struggle to meet international standards on trade and related plant health requirements. Bridging the gap between smallholder farms and the global market is now more important than ever. Through South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) programmes, producers, exporters and technical experts are...

Access Agriculture participated in the Agrowon Agri Expo held in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India, 13-16 January 2023, received very positive response from all the visitors, in particular farmers.  “Many farmers visited our stall, seeking various types of information from us. We distributed flyers on Access Agriculture in Marathi language to about 3,500...

Attracting over 3,000 visitors, the Access Agriculture booth was one of the most happening places at the International Pavilion of Millets & Organics – International Trade Fair, which was held, 20-22 January 2023, in Bengaluru, India. Access Agriculture’s booth was graced by agricultural ministers of various states, farmers, extension agents, university...

With a view to creating an inventory of the existing climatic and nutritional condition of the haor (low-lying land) areas along with their cropping systems, this research was carried out in the Dingaputa haor of the Netrakona district of Bangladesh. The main objective was to study the farmers’ concept of climate change issues and...

The present study reports the population structure, genetic admixture and phylogeography of cattle breeds of Sri Lanka viz. Batu Harak, Thawalam and White cattle. Moderately high level of genetic diversity was observed in all the three Sri Lankan zebu cattle breeds. Estimates of inbreeding for Thawalam and White cattle breeds...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has announced that fishing for seahorses and selling them in markets is now illegal. Anyone caught fishing for seahorses or selling them will face fines and legal action.

With the world’s population larger than ever, and still growing rapidly, more nutritious foods need to be produced worldwide, while also minimising the impact on the environment. The food produced for us moves along a complex value chain to reach the mouths of consumers, while providing livelihoods for many millions...

Participatory Action Research (PAR) is a tool for fostering a new paradigm in natural resources management. Combined with an Adaptive Collaborative Management (ACM) approach, in community-based fire prevention and peatland restoration, PAR facilitates transformative change through a simultaneous process of research and taking action, linked together by critical refl ection....

It was another hot and humid day, another power cut, the generator groaning in the background. Fans were spinning and pumping hot air around as the A/C didn’t work with the generator. I looked around the office, everyone seemed bored, scrolling through Facebook, chatting occasionally. I felt sad that there...

A survey on the diversity of bees and wild pollinators and the status of the bee industry was conducted in the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The data were made available to the respective National Coordinators (NC) for the Management of Animal Genetic Resources and the Food and Agriculture Organization...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), kicked off a two-week training course on animal quarantine management in Sing District, a border area between Lao People’s Democratic Republic and China. The training course aimed to accelerate safer cattle...

It was the monsoon of 2019 when Stefan and I set forth on our agrobiodiversity hunt into the dense forest and other food production systems of Umsawwar community in Meghalaya. Kong Therisa Nongrum and Kong Angela Nongrum, who are custodian farmers from the community, volunteered to lead us on this...

I spent my summer vacations at my grandma’s after my 6th-grade examinations. Grandma lives in a small village in Kerala in India. It was always fun to be at her place, spending my days playing, helping in the kitchen and feeding the cows. I rarely visited grandma every year as...

Oyster farming can help preserve mangroves, said Khadim Tine at FAO’s Science and Innovation Forum debate on addressing climate challenges. An interview with this oyster farmer from Senegal, who is actively involved in efforts by the global fish value chain development program FISH4ACP to make Senegal’s oyster more productive and...