Farmers face great difficulties with drying their seeds because seed absorbs moisture from the soil. As a result, seed quality deteriorates, and no-one can expect good yields by using poor quality seed. In this video you can see how farmers of Maria village solved this problem. Now they are no...

In the coastal savanna of West Africa, farmers explain how a mucuna cover crop helped to revive their highly degraded soil, and suppress the noxious weeds Striga and Imperata. They show how to grow it to benefit your maize and cassava, and why discussing land tenure in your community really...

In the semi-arid savannas where rainfall is limited and highly unpredictable, retaining more water in the soil can make the difference between a poor and a good harvest. You can slow down the runoff water by establishing contour bunds. Contour bunds are permanent ridges of earth that follow positions located...

Fanya juu means "throw the soil up" in Kiswahili. The terraces formed are ideal for fodder grasses and help prevent soil erosion. Cultivation becomes easier as the terraces spread out to make the land more level and when combined with manure/fertilizer yields increase.

This technology gives an overview of the beneficial insects that might appear in cotton fields in Western Africa. Knowing the pests and beneficial insects present on a cotton plant is a crucial decision-making tool for applying Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Fruit flies inject their eggs in fruit. A single fruit fly can lay hundreds of eggs, which turn into white worms that eat the inside of fruit. If no action is taken, fruit flies quickly increase in numbers and can destroy your entire crop. Always combine different methods: • Place...

One fruit fly can lay a few hundred eggs during her life. Fruit flies puncture the skin of fruit to lay their eggs, which cause the fruit to drop prematurely and rot. The worms that hatch from these eggs leave the spoilt fruit after one week and crawl into the...

The Plantwise Diagnostic Field Guide is intended for all plant doctors and other plant health advisors around the world. The job of being a plant doctor is not an easy one. Since farmers can bring any crop with any type of problem to a plant clinic, there are many different...

This working paper presents an overview of the results of an ICARDA project to provide Awassi sheep farmers in Syria and Lebanon with the latest knowledge on best practices for managing sheep to improve their income. The project provided ICARDA the opportunity to actively convert scientific knowledge generated over many...

Healthy soils contribute to resilient food production. Soil carbon is a key to healthy soils but, today we see the long-term consequences of agricultural management that has neglected soil carbon – degraded soils, polluted waters, and unprecedented rates of hunger and malnutrition. There are good examples of agroecological practices that...

In semi-arid cropping regions of West Africa, fallow periods are getting shorter. As land becomes more scarce, farmers are not able to give their soils enough time to rest. This is leading to depletion of soil organic matter, severely threatening soil fertility and damaging soil structure. In the worst cases,...

This publication looks at managing agricultural systems through an ecological approach, building upon beneficial biological interactions and finding positive synergies between pollination and weed management. These two aspects of agriculture consist of a multitude of interactions, both beneficial and harmful for the farmer and agriculture in general. If the practices...

The brochure provides an overview of sustainable land management and climate change Adaptation in Central Asia and how they relate to the partnership between ADB and ICARDA.

The arid southern highlands of the Bolivian Andes are a harsh environment for even the most hardened farmers. The ‘quinoa boom’ and the move to mechanisation have led to shortened fallows and a drastic drop in soil organic matter. The dry sandy soils and the natural vegetation they support are...

El presente es un trabajo que plantea un marco teórico y metodológico para el funcionamiento del Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Pequeña Agricultura Familiar (PAF) en la región pampeana de Argentina. El Capitulo I inicia con un breve diagnóstico sobre el Paradigma Dominante de Investigación y Desarrollo (I+D) tecnológico para el Agro, haciendo mención a los problemas y contradicciones que este Paradigma no ha...

Ce présent guide porte sur la recette de compostage de la jacinthe d’eau en anaérobiose

Incorporar plantas frutales en nuestra huerta nos permitirá mejorar la variedad de alimentos ricos y sanos para la familia y para compartir con los vecinos

Le conseiller bio Maurice Clerc, le producteur Nicolas Oppliger et Christian Rytz (du Moulin Rytz à Biberen BE) décrivent de manière simple et pratique l’itinéraire technique des cultures associées. Les cultures associées de légumineuses à graines et de céréales sont une option très prometteuse pour produire des protéagineux indigènes de...

At least nine countries in the region stand united on the need to restore limited soil resources and stop alarming soil degradation trends. The “Izmir Communique’” and a related draft five-year implementation plan for the Eurasia region were adopted at the Second Plenary Meeting of the Eurasian Soil Partnership earlier...

Competition between farmers and pests has been fierce in Moldova. As pests and diseases continued to affect agriculture, it became clear that farmers lacked the knowledge and capacity in crop and pest management to prevent and manage outbreaks. In response, FAO and Moldova’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry recently...