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.

Twenty-one Asian countries are participating in a roundtable discussion as part of the FAO’s World Programme for the Census for Agriculture 2020 (WCA 2020).  The roundtable discussion was opened by Kundhavi Kadiresan, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific. The census, held once every ten years,...

Floods, droughts, heat waves, cold spells, and other natural disasters are large sources of risk for farmers. For instance, in semiarid areas of India, 89 percent of farming households cited drought as the largest risk to agricultural production. Climate change may make weather patterns more extreme and unpredictable, further exposing...

In Vietnam rice is grown on 85% of cultivated land. Annual paddy (unmilled) rice production grew from 19.2 million metric tons in 1990 to 42.4 million metric tons by 2011, and in 2012, Vietnam exported eight million metric tons of rice. These yield increases were achieved through improved seeds, but...

Tubers, pulses and millets are important for the livelihoods and nutrition of poor farmers, especially in fragile regions. These crops are not only underutilized, but are also under researched. Ama Sangathan, a women federation consisting of 1200 indigenous women, have revived these crops in two blocks in Odisha, by their...

This practice focuses on facilitating the nursery germination and plantation of the “Malabar Neem” (Melia dubia), which is locally known as “Malaivembu”. The tree is found in forest plantations in India and is a fast growing tree crop with up to 20 m height. It produces greater bio-mass in a...

Within the SPOTS Project, L’Oréal has committed to purchasing RSPO-certified production from smallholders in the Sabah Region (Malaysia) over five years, through a partnership with the NGO Wild Asia and its suppliers. The initiative gives these smallholders a long-term access to the international market, allowing them to improve their agricultural...

This report, achieved through a two-month consultancy, was only possible with equal financial contributions provided by the Western and Central and Pacific Commission’s Japan Trust Fund (JTF) and the Pacific Fisheries for Food Security Program funded by the Australian Government. Artisanal fisheries in Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) provide...

The international community is increasingly aware of the link between biodiversity and sustainable development and its direct impact on wealth, health and well-being. Biodiversity is the origin of all crops and domesticated livestock. It is also the source of vital ecosystem services and functions, including soil conservation, water cycling, pollination,...

Mariam Mayet is the director of the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB). In a recent report, ACB turns their attention towards genetic modification of non-commercial ‘orphan crops’ and the way this technology is replacing farmer managed food systems. In this interview Mariam explains what is wrong with genetic modification of...

FAO welcomed an agreement by Indonesia and the European Union (EU) to issue the world's first Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) timber license as a major achievement in the fight against illegal logging. As of 15 November, the FLEGT license can accompany shipments of timber exported from Indonesia to...

This practice describes how moringa plant can be propagated by air layering to promote vegetative propagation of trees and produce seedlings. Farmers nowadays might prefer propagation of moringa through air-layered cuttings rather than through seed propagation because through vegetative propagation the air layered seedlings represent the characteristics of selected mother...

The increased consumption of dairy products in Asia and the Pacific is playing a vital role in improving child nutrition and boosting the livelihoods of small farmers across the region, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced. The announcement was made during the opening session of the...

ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) have adopted a common regional position on agriculture sector issues and will be promoting it at the forthcoming 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that begins this week in Morocco. The ASEAN Common Position on Issues...

China is a large country with diverse agro-ecosystems and numerous different agricultural production systems. These agricultural systems are managed by more than 200 million households who provide agricultural products to meet the needs of almost a fifth of mankind. Agriculture plays numerous key functions, including not only the provision of...

Adoption of new cattle management practices by Indonesian smallholders occurs less as a ‘technology transfer’ in the classical sense but rather as a series of conscious decisions by farming households weighing risks and resources as well as matching innovations to livelihood strategies. This paper uncovers the context of decisions and...

The critical role of smallholder farmers in ensuring global food security has been widely acknowledged. Smallholders produce up to 80% of food supply in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa and not only are they supporting their families, but also rural communities and ultimately all of us. In Asia, we have 74% of...

New agreement aims to ensure capacity development, farmers’ access to productive resources, knowledge exchange. India's Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) and FAO are strengthening their collaboration to boost rural development and reduce poverty in Asia and Africa via local initiatives focused on empowering rural women and youth.

Key forestry leaders from Asia-Pacific began deliberations today on a series of critical natural resources issues challenging the region. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience to the negative impacts of climate change are among the priority topics on the agenda for the five-day meeting that will be the main...