In the Indo-Gangetic Plains of northern India, nearly 70% of the population is involved in agriculture and extension services. Despite the abundantly fertile soil and farmers’ resilience, the adoption of agricultural innovations and productivity in the region has been slow. This slow progress is often attributed to comparatively low levels of agricultural mechanization in the region and small land holdings
Staff of the International Soil Borne Pathogens Research and Development Center along with the Minister, deputy ministers, TAGEM’s DG, and high-level officials of the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry. (Photo: TAGEM) Soil-borne pathogens (SBP) are a serious threat to Turkey’s food security, especially as climate extremes (temperature, precipitations) become more commonplace. SBP are an array of specific adverse effects, such as
Accelerated delivery with a difference is underway in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia to ensure access to stress-tolerant seeds for underserved farmers in remote areas. Supported by USAID, the Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) project brings public-private and civil society together to address the impacts of climate change, pests and diseases, and food shocks on maize and legume systems.
With many stresses facing agricultural food systems, including climate change, disease epidemics, growing populations, there is not one solution that will answer all the challenges. However, a foundational part of any attempt to strengthen food systems is the effort to conserve crop diversity. Maintaining a robust set of plant varieties serves as a building block for developing favorable traits,
With the harmful effects of climate change, including drought and extreme temperatures moving from the abstract into the practical, the development and deployment of sustainable investments and support for climate action in agricultural and food systems must be accelerated. A hotter and drier world will significantly affect the average yields of key staple crops. Researchers at the International Center
In August 2022, the arrival of a container ship at the port in Cotonou, Benin signaled a major milestone in a developing South-South business relationship that holds the potential to produce a massive change in agricultural practices and output in Benin and across West Africa. The delivery of six-row seeder planters from India marks the initial fruit of a collaboration
Public and private crop research organizations worldwide have worked behind the scenes for decades, bolstering the resilience of staple crops like maize and wheat to fight what is shaping up to be the battle of our time: feeding humanity in a biosphere increasingly hostile to crop farming. In the case of wheat — which provides some 20% of carbohydrates and
To provide a comprehensive overview of women and gender issues in agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently released “The status of women in agri-food systems,” which provides compelling examples of policies and programs with a review of what has worked and specific recommendations. The report concludes that increasing women’s empowerment is essential for women’s well-being and has a