This practice describes, step by step, how to convert traditional agricultural practices to organic agriculture practices. The information provided showcases how first and foremost knowledge on the functioning and the possibilities of the management of natural processes is important. Familiarization with organic practices is also recommended such as mulching, intercropping,...

The Philippines is among the most disaster prone countries in the world. More than 200 climate-related natural disasters were recorded in the last two decades. Alone in 2011 the country was hit by 33 disasters, claiming 1 430 lives. Typhoons trigger landslides, flashfloods, mudslides, widespread flooding, and cause significant destruction...

Yam productivity in the main yam-growing belt of West Africa is reduced by losses in the growing crop, and in subsequent storage, due to diseases and pests. Many of these are either spread in, or exacerbated by, poor quality planting materials. A package of crop protection technologies was developed (based...

SEVA in association with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), IFAD assisted Post Tsunami Sustainable Livelihood Project trained women, self-help group members on herbal treatment for animals upto 21 days. Selected women members were trained intensively to work as Community Livestock Volunteers (CLVs). Then they train local village...

Homestead gardening, which is not designed for marketing/profit-making, aims primarily to improve ongoing access to nutritious food and buffer the sudden fluctuations in prices of the major crops of the farming households during calamities and enhance family nutrition. The use of hazard tolerant crop varieties (like drought-tolerant) in homestead gardening...

The project has validated a participatory breeding approach for developing superior, mosaic disease-resistant cassava, demonstrating that it can provide a means by which farmers, plant breeders and plant pathologists could work together in an effective and inclusive manner. It also provided an environment whereby farmers made a significant and consistent...

Onion is a biennial vegetable grown in temperate regions as an annual crop. Onions are especially suitable for smallholder farming in many countries because they require a small amount of initial capital. Onions require a small piece of land and they take a relatively short time to mature. Onions can...

Organic agriculture is an integrated production management system that promotes and enhances agroecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It emphasizes the use of natural inputs (i.e. mineral and products derived from plants) and the renunciation of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

The objective of implementing the slope agriculture land technology (SALT) is to stabilize the slope and improve the terrace or the contours in order to control soil erosion along the slopes and improve soil fertility. This practice describes how to implement the SALT method.

The technology was developed in collaboration with farmers in the Teso farming system of Uganda. It comprises of the development of appropriate animal-drawn implements, primarily for weeding but also for ridging (sweet potatoes), line planting and lifting (groundnuts). These implements are now being manufactured locally. Impact assessments showed that adoption...

Farmers in Uganda started taking care of pigs in their sties because of problems with the pigs that were free roaming. Farmers would not know where the pigs had gone and what they had eaten or whether they had contracted any disease.

Les bananes sont l’aliment de base des populations dans de nombreuses régions d’Afrique de l’Est. Elles constituent une bonne source de potassium, lequel intervient dans l’équilibre des fluides du corps et un aliment idéal pour les enfants en bas âge, les invalides et les personnes atteintes par le VIH/sida. En...

Natural vegetative strips (NVS) are narrow live barriers comprising naturally occurring grasses and herbs. Wide strips are left unploughed to allow vegetation to grow and to slow surface runoff. Natural terraces form over time as a result of the eroded soil accumulation on the strips. The vegetation on the established...

Rodents consume food in the field as well as in storage. Their contamination of stored food and ability to spread diseases causes them to cut across both the natural resources and health sectors. Research in Mozambique and in South Africa found that people have little understanding of the ecology of...

Maruca vitrata is a major pest of cowpea, resulting in 20 to 80 percent yield losses in West Africa. A pheromone lure and suitable trap developed in Benin and Ghana has successfully trapped male moths. From these trappings a threshold has been calculated to provide farmers with the optimum time for...

Baobab fruit juice made from the pulp is very healthy, and can be added to porridge and sauces. However, the quality of the pulp can be greatly affected if fruits are not handled well during and after harvest. When baobab pods are damaged and have splits in the shell, moisture...

The following technology provides information on the use of aloe vera as a cross-slope barrier structure. This structure is particularly effective barrier to retain soil erosion by decreasing surface runoff and increasing soil infiltration. Aloe vera is a durable herbaceous plant, which is planted in the form of living barriers...

The technology addresses the issue of two maize diseases: Grey Leaf Spot (GLS), and Maize Streak Virus (MSV) on upland maize. Research focussed on identifying and breeding for genetic resistance has been conducted in the southern highlands of Tanzania. Two hybrids have been released (UH615 and UH6303) with high levels...

A honey press is a tool that allows the beekeeper to extract honey from few honeycombs at the same time. The model of honey press presented here is a basic manual model that can be easily made locally as it requires only wood, a plastic bucket, screws, and the work...

This technology describes the cost-benefit analysis of of rearing improved chicken breeds in chicken houses in Uganda. The improved breeds are more resistant to climatic stresses and diseases. Rearing chicken in chicken houses enhances the profitability of poultry production. The transition from free range to chicken houses allows keeping track...