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In EDN 133 we described a cereal/legume intercropping strategy in which two rows of a cereal crop are alternated with four rows of a legume. This “2:4:2” planting sequence is an outcome of research done by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and national partners, with cowpea as the [...]

Recurrent drought, degraded rangelands and reduced access to traditional grazing lands have left pastoral communities in the Horn of Africa’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) more vulnerable and facing severe livestock feed shortages. During dry spells, pastoral communities suffer from food and nutrition insecurity, as well as shrinking incomes occasioned [...]

On s’attend à ce que les changements climatiques provoquent de plus en plus d’événements extrêmes (sécheresses et inondations) au Mali, rendant la production de cultures et l’élevage plus difficiles pour les agriculteurs et réduisant ainsi la sécurité alimentaire et les revenus des plus pauvres du pays. Le projet visait à fournir [...]

This handbook is a companion to Community seed banks: concept and practice: facilitator handbook by Ronnie Vernooy, Bhuwon Sthapit, and Guy Bessette (Bioversity International 2017). The three booklets making up this handbook were written and designed for rural producers who are interested in establishing, supporting, and managing a community seed [...]

This curriculum focuses on how to grow beans and other legumes for seed, since it is difficult to find a large selection of varieties available to plant that are good for the soil and eating. This guide also provides information on how to grow seed that can be sold through [...]

Key guidelines and advice on effectively and sustainably managing FAW include: Visit the field and look at the status of the crop: its health and signs of presence of the FAW. Farmers can take direct action by crushing egg masses and young larvae. FAW damage can look alarming, but maize plants have [...]

The farmer field school (FFS) concept has been widely adopted, and such schools have the reputation of strengthening farmers’ capacity to innovate. Although their impact has been studied widely, what is involved in their scaling and in their becoming an integral part of agricultural innovation systems has been studied [...]

Video recorded during the webinar organized by FAO and Dgroups on 22 March 2018 explaining the role of discussion groups to strengthen practitioners' networks and exchange of knowldge.

Case study Science Field Shops (SFSs) in Indonesia promote farmers’ agrometeorological learning enabling them to adapt their farming activities to cope with increasing climate variability. Seven climate services forming the core of SFSs are based on transdisciplinary collaboration between farmers and scientists.

In this interview, Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security (SD=HS) Program Leader Gigi Manicad explains the principles of Farmer Field Schools, the role of women as managers of biodiversity, and the way the program strengthens smallholder farmers to articulate their needs to influence policies.