The centralised plant breeding techniques of the green revolution have yielded good results in the more favourable agricultural environments. However, most low-resource farmers in marginal areas have not benefited from these varieties. As an alternative to centralised breeding, farmer participatory approaches using Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS) and Participatory Plant Breeding...

Representatives from various sectoral bodies in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) met virtually Thursday for a high-level roundtable to discuss accelerated actions to leverage social protection to address COVID-19 pandemic and to officially launch the ASEAN Guidelines on Disaster Responsive Social Protection to Increase Resilience.  The ASEAN region is facing...

The WAT4CAM project was initiated in Cambodia in 2018 to develop irrigation networks for rice crops in Cambodia. The majority of the paddy areas are now highly dependent on rainfall, and climatic hazards and irrigation development would improve rice systems' productivity and profitability. This project concerns five provinces in Cambodia,...

This good practice note based on the experiences of BAIF Development Research Foundation (Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation - BAIF), shows the importance of restoring common property resources by involving the communities directly, as a way forward for impacting positively on their quality of life. “Protection of Commons” has led to...

Poor farmers in marginal areas have benefited little from high yielding, "green revolution" varieties that have transformed the productivity of more favourable areas. In the states of northeastern India, farmers who cultivate upland rice on low-fertility, sloping soils continue to grow low yielding landraces that are susceptible to diseases and...

Floating garden agriculture (locally known as vasoman/dhap chash) is a local innovative crop production technology for the submerged ecosystems of the southern region of Bangladesh. Traditionally, farmers of the Gopalganj, Pirojpur and Barisal districts have been practising the farming technology for about two centuries as an adaptation to the flooded/submerged...

The Agroecology Fund’s second global Agroecology Learning Exchange, held in February 2020 in Karnataka, India, was an extraordinary gathering of more than 70 farmers and agroecology advocates from frontline organizations, researchers, allies, and donors. The Agroecology Fund’s mission, at its core, is to support a growing global agroecology movement to...

Common Property Resources (CPRs) are important for the livelihoods of the rural communities, especially poor. Various INGOs, NGOs and government organisations have facilitated and successfully demonstrated the model for development of common lands. This has been done by developing village institution mechanisms to bring in a bottoms-up approach to development...

The high rate of adult obesity observed in Samoa (almost 46 percent in 2016) points to access to an amount of dietary energy that is well above the minimum amount of dietary energy needed by the population to be in good health and to be socially active. The analysis of...

The Asia and Pacific region is very dynamic and the countries vary in terms of socio-economic status, physical size (and that of their populations) and agro-climatic zones. Therefore they can often face both similar and/or very different challenges. The kind of support programmes that FAO provides also vary widely, with...

This note highlights the importance of engaging members of the community in documenting the wealth of traditional knowledge regarding feed and fodder systems across different agro-ecological regions. This process enhanced their self-respect and dignity in terms of their heritage and inspired them to revitalise and reintegrate some of these practices...

Increased availability of fodder biomass (e.g. grasses, shrub and tree leaves) is possible through protected commons. This increased availability of biomass has in turn directly resulted in improved livelihoods. This Good Practice reveals how management of village dynamics, building awareness, finding local solutions and building technical acumen can create ownership...

The floating garden practice is a local indigenous production system the successful in the wetland/submerged/flooded areas in the selected south and south-western districts (Pirojpur, Barisal and Gopalganj) of Bangladesh. Floating garden agricultural practices have been adopted by the local farmers for the past two centuries. This technology describes in detail...

This practice describes how poultry vaccinators reached out to women poultry rearers with vaccination services, extension messages covering different aspects of poultry rearing, and provided disease surveillance.

Farmers in Bangladesh are facing serious problems during this time of crisis. Citizens are asked by the government to stay at home to avoid being infected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, farmers find it difficult to go to their farms to check on their crops. Shops including those...

Over the years, Bhoomi Ka has been working to promote safe and indigenous food among farmers and consumers in India. And to achieve its objective, it was imperative for smallholder farmers to come together, get trained on ecological farming and certification processes, and meet the growing demand of organic produce....

The Aseel is reared under backyard poultry management systems and is a vital source of meat and income. However, this bird is threatened due to high production losses, infectious diseases and policies promoting non-local breeds. This practice describes how disease prevention and biodiversity conservation strategies helped women farmers in preserving...

In Fiji, establishments such as hotels and restaurants have closed to adhere to the government's measures to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In effect, farmers in the country can no longer sell their products anywhere. Thus, they appeal to the Fijian government for support so they can sell...

To the untrained eye it might look like a scruffy forest with a messy understory of weeds. But on closer inspection, Tomas Pinto has created a multilayered ecosystem rich in biodiversity. Under Tomas’s careful stewardship, this forest feed communities in Timor-Leste.

A well organized pro-poor initiative from a private company, Yashwant Agritech Pvt Ltd (YAPL), has produced and sold a productive synthetic hybrid bird suitable for rearing in harsh agro-climatic rural environments. It has proved to be a valuable source of income for the poor households. This practice has promoted participatory,...