The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today welcomed approval from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for five FAO-led projects in eight countries, totaling more than $46.6 million in funding.  The decision was made during the 60th GEF Council Meeting and the 30th Least Developed Countries Fund Council...

This publication presents a collection of case studies by Mountain Partnership (MP) members from around the world, highlighting experiences of agroecological mountain farming systems. It aims to increase attention toward agroecological principles and approaches and showcase their potential. The MP, the only United Nations global voluntary alliance dedicated to sustainable...

Ensure your soil is rich in organic matter and grow a legume intercrop to help keep your soil loose. Plant your cuttings horizontally or at a slant so the roots grow closer to the surface. With a simple tool you can uproot your cassava twice as fast.

Although all the colonies of Apis Mellifera in Asia belong to the same racial group, no unified colony-management scheme exists which is suitable for the entire continent. How a beekeeper handles his colonies at a given time of year depends on the bees, their environment and how they react to changes in...

A very important part of the skill of beekeeping is to learn to handle bees with confidence and manage them well. FAO’s publication Beekeeping in Asia discussed Pongthep Akratanakul’s experiences with European honeybees (Apis mellifera) introduced in northern Thailand; It also discussed the principal features of beekeeping activities in the...

A period of over a century of widespread movable-frame beekeeping with the common honeybee Apis mellifera in many parts of the world has resulted in the development and marketing of virtually all types and sizes of beekeeping equipment. Many innovations in design and the use of different materials enable beekeepers...

Several geographical races of the oriental honeybee (A.Cerana) occupy the vast Asian mainland. They possess different behavioural characteristics, particularly those contributing to the bees' capacity for survival. Among the major behavioural characteristics exercising a direct influence on colony management are migration, absconding, colony reproduction rate, colony population size, foraging and...

Maintaining colonies of oriental honeybees in box hives is an improved and often less expensive version of loghive beekeeping. In view of current wood prices in many parts of Asia, the cost of building hives from good solid logs can be prohibitive. In some coastal areas of tropical Asia, coconut...

This practice describes how to manage water in organic agriculture. It provides in depth techniques on how to keep water in the soil ranging from keeping soil moisture to evaporation reduction and how to make better use of seasonal rainfall. Water management also encompasses how to harvest water through a...

Bench terraces with narrow beds are built on hillsides cleared from forests and used for growing tea, coffee and horticultural crops. This technology describes how terraces can be used to improve crop cultivation on hillsides.

Determining the factors that influence intentions towards organic farming (IOF) is a challenge. This research applied the theory of planned behaviour to determine factors which influence farmers’. There are six causal factors: attitudes towards farming behaviour, group-norm influences on farming behaviour, perceived behavioural control of farmers, comparative usefulness of behaviours,...

Les manques d'eau en agriculture est chose courante dans de nombreux pays du monde. Dans certaines régions, il est presque impossible de cultiver sans irriguer. Même pour les régions qui reçoivent de grandes quantités de précipitation lors de la saison des pluies, les cultures subissent souvent de sérieuses sécheresses pendant...

Most flowering plants, including wild species and many food crops, are pollinated by animals and are vital, therefore, for biological production and the maintenance of biodiversity. Pollinators benefit from diverse natural habitats for forage and nesting, especially when these are limited in plant production systems. Landscape and forest management practices...

FAO contributions to this UN Thematic Working Group report are chapter 4, "Working Conditions for Migrants in Thailand's Agricultural Sector" and chapter 5, "Working Conditions for Migrants and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in Thailand’s Fisheries Sector."

With increasing concerns on the sustainability of agricultural systems, many tools have been developed to assess farm sustainability. The main objective of this study was to assess and compare the sustainability of different forms of family farm organization. A second objective was to test the relevance of the IDEA method...

The Asia-Pacific region is taking important steps to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) associated with aquaculture in order to to mitigate risks to humans, animals and fish stocks, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today. Antimicrobial resistance is recognized as a serious global threat to human and animal health...

The Mekong region has undergone rapid socio-economic growth over the past two decades alongside pronounced transformations in a number of key sectors and relations between the rural majority and increasingly-affluent urban centres. Land—as both a foundation for national development and the livelihood basis for millions of rural and agricultural households—continues...

TBTI is planning to organize two special sessions at the 11th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum, which will be held on August 3-7, in Bangkok, Thailand. The theme of the 11th AFAF is ASEAN Seafood for the World & Asian Food Security for the World. Presentations and discussion will be...

Forests have, historically, had a very important role in food security in upland areas of South and Southeast Asia – both as sources of wild food and as sites for grazing, planting food trees and bushes, and various types of shifting agriculture. However, since at least the early 20th century,...

Many inspiring stories are waiting to be discovered in the field of Agroecology. Since 2010, Towards Organic Asia has been working to promote young organic farmers and successfully build up the network of over 80 alumni from 25 organizations. Here is the testimony of a young organic farmer in Thailand...