Healthy soils contribute to resilient food production. Soil carbon is a key to healthy soils but, today we see the long-term consequences of agricultural management that has neglected soil carbon – degraded soils, polluted waters, and unprecedented rates of hunger and malnutrition. There are good examples of agroecological practices that...

In semi-arid cropping regions of West Africa, fallow periods are getting shorter. As land becomes more scarce, farmers are not able to give their soils enough time to rest. This is leading to depletion of soil organic matter, severely threatening soil fertility and damaging soil structure. In the worst cases,...

This publication looks at managing agricultural systems through an ecological approach, building upon beneficial biological interactions and finding positive synergies between pollination and weed management. These two aspects of agriculture consist of a multitude of interactions, both beneficial and harmful for the farmer and agriculture in general. If the practices...

The brochure provides an overview of sustainable land management and climate change Adaptation in Central Asia and how they relate to the partnership between ADB and ICARDA.

The arid southern highlands of the Bolivian Andes are a harsh environment for even the most hardened farmers. The ‘quinoa boom’ and the move to mechanisation have led to shortened fallows and a drastic drop in soil organic matter. The dry sandy soils and the natural vegetation they support are...

El presente es un trabajo que plantea un marco teórico y metodológico para el funcionamiento del Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Pequeña Agricultura Familiar (PAF) en la región pampeana de Argentina. El Capitulo I inicia con un breve diagnóstico sobre el Paradigma Dominante de Investigación y Desarrollo (I+D) tecnológico para el Agro, haciendo mención a los problemas y contradicciones que este Paradigma no ha...

Ce présent guide porte sur la recette de compostage de la jacinthe d’eau en anaérobiose

Incorporar plantas frutales en nuestra huerta nos permitirá mejorar la variedad de alimentos ricos y sanos para la familia y para compartir con los vecinos

Le conseiller bio Maurice Clerc, le producteur Nicolas Oppliger et Christian Rytz (du Moulin Rytz à Biberen BE) décrivent de manière simple et pratique l’itinéraire technique des cultures associées. Les cultures associées de légumineuses à graines et de céréales sont une option très prometteuse pour produire des protéagineux indigènes de...

At least nine countries in the region stand united on the need to restore limited soil resources and stop alarming soil degradation trends. The “Izmir Communique’” and a related draft five-year implementation plan for the Eurasia region were adopted at the Second Plenary Meeting of the Eurasian Soil Partnership earlier...

Competition between farmers and pests has been fierce in Moldova. As pests and diseases continued to affect agriculture, it became clear that farmers lacked the knowledge and capacity in crop and pest management to prevent and manage outbreaks. In response, FAO and Moldova’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry recently...

DK aims to double its organic agricultural land by 2020, which involves a shift of 18 000 ha/year, far from being reached. Organic agriculture improved during recent decades, but this knowledge has not always been passed on to agricultural schools and consultancies. The risk is that new generations taking over...

Soils contain the largest stock of organic carbon (C) in terrestrial ecosystems and changes in soil C stocks may significantly affect atmospheric CO2. A significant part of soil C is present in cultivated soils that occupy about 35 % of the global land surface. Agricultural intensification has led to practices that...

Despite the growing interest in Ecosystem-based Adaptation, there has been little discussion of how this approach could be used to help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change, while ensuring the continued provision of ecosystem services on which farming depends. Here we provide a framework for identifying which agricultural practices could...

Soils are a non-renewable resource on which 95% of our food supply depends. Short-sighted chemical fertilizer applications in conventional farming are depleting soils at an alarming rate. Instead of using potent chemicals that degrade soil, organic farmers continuously give back to the soil, maintaining soil health and fertility for future...

The real solution to our pest and weed problems lies in non-toxic, ecological methods of agriculture, not in pulling the pesticide trigger. In organic systems, farms are managed to maintain and build soil fertility, improving the overall health of microbes, plants and animals as one ecosystem. 

Provee de información básica necesaria para la capacitación en riego parcelario a las organizaciones de usuarios de agua con fines agrarios, especialmente acerca de los conceptos básicos para realizar el riego a nivel parcelario, lo cual se resume en tres aspectos fundamentales: la preparación del terreno, construcción de composturas y...

From 2011 to 2015, in the frame of InterVeg project, four field experiments were carried out in Italy, Slovenia, Germany and Denmark in order to study the effect of the living mulch introduction.In 4 different European climatic areas, ecological services have been exploited by use of living mulches in intercropping...

The Good Practices Platform for Sustainable Development is a virtual environment for dissemination and sharing of replicable good practices initiative set in the areas of environment; agriculture; food and nutrition security; renewable energy and; socio-productive inclusion, developed in Brazil's southern region, providing dialogue and exchange of experiences, to contribute to the promotion...

In semi-arid cropping regions of West Africa, fallow periods are getting shorter. As land becomes more scarce, farmers are not able to give their soils enough time to rest. This is leading to depletion of soil organic matter, severely threatening soil fertility and damaging soil structure. In the worst cases,...