More than one billion people in the Asia Pacific region work in agriculture – from growing coffee in the Philippines, to harvesting rubber in Indonesia; from rice farming in Thailand to pepper production in Vietnam. This makes the sector one of the largest, and most dynamic in the world. Agriculture...

Across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed stresses on the ability of food systems to deliver their primary functions: providing food security and nutrition to growing populations, supporting livelihoods for farmers, fishers and workers along the agrifood chains, and supporting environmental sustainability and resilience. Pacific Island Countries (PICs) already...

As this is written in mid-September 2022, the world is facing a potential food crisis worse than any since World War II. With a devastating war in Ukraine launched by Russia in late February 2022, a historic drought and heat wave in China, and an uneven monsoon in South Asia, food supplies from...

To reduce the foul odour in your shed, place dry husks, sawdust, coconut dust or straw on the floor and regularly spray it with good micro-organisms. By adding micro-organisms to concentrate feed, silage or green fodder, this improves the nutrition and digestion. You can also add good microbes to the...

Agriculture plays a key role in economic development, alleviating poverty and malnutrition, especially in the early stages of agricultural development. Several studies have demonstrated that neglecting agriculture, especially at the early stages of industrialization, can disrupt the process of economic transformation. This paper reviews the process of agricultural transformation in Asia...

You can add good micro-organisms to your pond water to ensure good water quality. You can also treat the fry before stocking the pond. By adding good micro-organisms to your feed, it will be safer and better for the fish. At the time of harvesting your fish, sprinkle some micro-organisms...

This monthly e-newsletter gives a bird’s eye view of all the exciting updates from Access Agriculture, a world-leading organisation for quality agricultural training videos in international and local languages, working across the Global South.

Bananas are one of the most commonly grown fruit crops in Malaysia, but local production has declined in recent years. Through site visits and interviews with 74 smallholder banana farmers, this study sought to know the current situation of the local smallholder banana industry, the challenges faced in commercial banana...

The global climate change has resulted in huge flood damages, which seriously hinders the sustainable development of rural economy and society and causes famers’ livelihood problems. In flood-prone areas, it is imperative to actively study short and long-term strategies and solve farmers’ livelihood problems accordingly. Following the sustainable development analysis...

This study inquires on the outscaling of the microtiller, a machine developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in the 1990s to address the tedious rice land cultivation in the Cordillera highlands of the Philippines. Stakeholders of the project were interviewed, particularly staff members of PhilRice and the Department of Agriculture; representatives...

The Philippines is one of the most climate change-vulnerable countries. Sea level rise, water variability, rain-induced flooding, and landslides are among the observed impacts across municipalities and cities in the country. Cities and urbanizing areas, have been experiencing these impacts, making localized issues of poverty, food insecurity, unemployment, and conflicting land uses, more complex and challenging. Grounded in...

The COVID-19 pandemic fully exposed the vulnerability of the global agri-food system to shocks and stresses, highlighting the need for transformation and action to make it more resilient and inclusive. This paper offers a unique insight into the global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic by examining impacts and responses in...

This flyer presents key facts from the “Soil Atlas of Asia”, the first ever soil atlas for the region and an important tool to promote its sustainable soil management and preserve soil health. By targeting the general public, decisionmakers, politicians, teachers and even scientists in other disciplines, the atlas aims...

Recognising the lack of clarity and therefore consensus on basic terminology, this article attempts to define some common terms used in discussions around gender and labour in fisheries. Towards a common understanding on gender and labour in fisheries, we define some basic terms commonly used when applying a gender lens to...

Convened under UN auspices, chaired by China, and hosted by Canada, the 15th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity adopted on 19 December 2022 the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework” (GBF), including four goals and 23 targets for achievement by 2030. TARGET 10 on agriculture includes agroecological and other...

This study analyzes the trends and determines the comparative advantage and competitiveness of India’s fish and fishery products trade in the world market and of India’s exports to 10 major destinations over the period of 2000–2021. We use the revealed symmetric comparative advantage (RSCA) index to quantify India’s comparative advantage...

n the framework of the Asia Pacific Symposium on Agrifood System Transformation that took place in Bangkok, Thailand, this hybrid side event – hosted on 6 October 2022 – fully aligns with the implementation of the new FAO Strategic Framework to support the 2030 Agenda through the transition to more...

ICSF’s Archives/Digital library contains ICSF’s collections of more than three decades, built up since ICSF’s documentation centre was set up in Chennai in 1999 with the twin objectives of gathering all kinds of information pertinent to small-scale fisheries and making it available to all stakeholders in an easy and rapid-access...

Nestled in a verdant valley in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, about a four-hour drive southwest of Bangalore, the agroecology learning center Amrita Bhoomi is one of dozens of farmer-to-farmer training hubs around the world focused on agroecology. The center was born out of organizing efforts of the local...

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...