Most soils in Ghana are too acidic, limiting the nutrient uptake of plants. The following video presents one easy way to measure a soil’s pH value using pH indicator strips. Knowing your soil's pH value helps to take action to improve your soil quality.

In the surreality of March 2020, as states closed the doors on business, my colleague Alyssa Hartman had a great idea. Watching businesses struggle, she wondered what she could do as a non-essential worker to help farmers and bakers. We set up a time to chat. Alyssa is executive director of...

For me, becoming an organic farmer is an investment in myself. I encourage people to love nature, love life, and eat organic.” Meet Luljeta, an organic farmer from Albania 🇦🇱 who makes a living growing olives for food and cosmetics.

Directly seeding into mulch is a planting method in which the seeds are sown into mulched plant residues. The aim of mulch seeding is to achieve largely continuous erosion control of the soil throughout the year. Non-inversion tillage is utilised, which only works on the surface of the soil, protecting...

The CSA movement in Norway is growing larger year by year. As per December 2019 there are 82 active CSAs in Norway. Given that Norway is a small country with only around 5,3 million inhabitants and around 3 % of the land area being suitable for agriculture, the number of...

The small hive beetle (SHB), or Aethina tumida, is an external parasite that affects honeybee colonies and other pollinating insects. It is a pest native to sub-Saharan and has spread into various regions of the world in the past few decades. The SHB can cause serious economic damage to the beekeeping...

Agricultural Value Chain Finance Innovations and Lessons: Case Studies in Africa documents key aspects and lessons from selected best practice cases for training and learning. Using site visits to document the information, the 22 practical case studies and examples were developed across Africa to portray a diverse set of experiences...

This practice describes ten strategies to increase earnings from a smallholder farmer’s milk production. Strategies included within this practice are, among others, organizing a marketing group, setting up milk-collection points and starting a small-scale processing plant.

In times of scarcity, preserved foods can be a welcome addition to the diet. Through preservation, sales of out of season products are possible and prices asked are independent of the usually lower market prices during the harvest season. The emphasis is to inform farmers on how to process and...

Family farmers, especially those operating at a small-scale level, are particularly exposed to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Temporary movement restrictions hinder their access to markets, and the perishable goods and small animals they mostly produce and keep are the most affected by being cut off from markets and...

La présente fiche porte sur le montage du fumier BOKASHI

Agriculture, forestry and fi shery statistics provides a selection of recent, topical data. Information is presented for the European Union (EU) and its Member States, and is supplemented (when available) with data for the United Kingdom, EFTA members, candidate countries to the EU and potential candidates. This publication aims to...

From Rio to the present, from ‘green growth’ to implementing social solidarity economy, fighting the climate crisis and ensuring sustainable food systems and nutrition and (re)localisation of the economy.

While small-scale fishers in Indonesia have not been hit by COVID-19 infections, the lockdown measures and economic policies have left them more vulnerable. The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has forced changes across the world. After cases spread rapidly outside Wuhan, China since January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as...

En los últimos años en Latinoamérica se ha reforzado un sentimiento de orgullo y preocupación al mismo tiempo por el Patrimonio Alimentario Regional (PAR) que atesoran sus países, sobre todo en el área rural. Orgullo mostrado en las cartas de restaurantes afamados, circuitos turísticos gastronómicos con identidad, incluso en espacios de...

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, mountain communities face unprecedented challenges due to the lockdown and isolation. The situation brings social difficulties for people, even more those living in remote areas, and financial ones for rural businesses affected by the closure. This item of news aims at sharing experiences and inspiring...

Special edition: Asia and the Pacific;  This month a special edition of the SSF Update. Come with us to Asia and the Pacific and learn about work in the region to implement the SSF Guidelines!

The Soil Doctors programme is developed under the umbrella of the Global Soil Partnership and promotes the establishment of a farmer-to-farmer training system. The Soil Doctors Global Programme aims to build the capacity of smallholder farmers on the practice of sustainable soil management and, by doing so, support governmental agencies...

Trees and shrubs play important roles on the farm and in the environment. Unfortunately too many trees are lost because of overgrazing, excessive fuel wood collection and deforestation. Agroforestry supports the efforts of people in rural areas to plant more trees and to use them to greater advantage, also because...

Fruit flies are a major constraint to the production and export of fruit and vegetables in South Asia. Two techniques were developed. Bait Application Technique (BAT), in which food baits are mixed with a small amount of insecticide to attract and kill adults. Male Annihilation Technique (MAT) is where synthetic...