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...

Many national legal frameworks still do not include laws and measures specifically intended to tackle climate change in the agriculture sectors. However, national laws and institutional frameworks are necessary for good governance and can operate to support the implementation of national policy and international commitments, including on climate change. Indeed,...

Chemical insecticides are usually used to fight pests and save crops from damage. However, chemical pesticides are harmful to farmers’ health and to the environment. An alternative to chemical insecticides is botanical insecticides, which are made from plants and are useful against insect pests without harming the environment or having...

To reduce crop loss due to climate uncertainties, rural communities in Bangladesh need to implement risk management strategies. Crucially important is the transplanted t. aman rice, since it is the most widespread crop. Protective measures include the adoption of flexible timing of transplanting in order to bypass the consequences of...

Based on how much milk each cow gives, you can calculate the amount of balanced feed needed for your cows. You should also feed your cow green grass each day. This helps to increase the total quantity of milk as well as the amount of fat in the milk. It...

For healthy crops you need a healthy soil, because a healthy soil contains many good microbes and earthworms. To prepare biofertilizer for half a hectare, you need 10 kg fresh cow dung, cow urine, flour from chickpeas or another pulse, jaggery or unrefined sugar, and a handful of healthy soil....

La récupération des eaux de pluie est le captage et la concentration de l’eau de ruissellement à la surface du sol avant qu’elle ne s’écoule dans un ruisseau ou une rivière. L’eau de pluie ainsi collectée sert pour des travaux agricoles, des besoins ménagers ou autres. Cette technologie décrit des...

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...

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...

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...