55 results
Catch the Rain, Grow with the Grain! The Demi-lune (half-moon) technology is a simple land restoration method used mainly in arid and semi-arid regions. By digging semi-circular pits to capture rainwater and restore soil fertility, it tackles land degradation, water scarcity, and low productivity. First used in Burkina Faso in the 1980s, it has spread to Niger, Mali, Chad, and Senegal. Suitable for millet, sorghum, and legumes, it boosts yields and soil health, helps farmers adapt to climate change, and supports SDGs like No Poverty and Climate Action.
An economically sustainable integrated cassava seed system! Cassava is a major food and industrial crop in many African countries. However, until recently, there was no formal seed system for cassava. Most farmers relied on replanting old stems that were low-yielding and often infected with diseases. This traditional practice limited productivity and spread pests and diseases. The Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Cassava Seed System (BASICS) model was developed to address this. It creates a complete and sustainable cassava seed system. It links farmers, seed entrepreneurs, regulators, and processors into one coordinated framework. The goal is to ensure that disease-free, improved varieties reach farmers reliably and consistently. This model has already been tested and applied in Nigeria and Tanzania.
Virus diagnostic tool for cassava seed health certification by seed producers and seed certifiers. Cassava virus indexing uses PCR and LAMP diagnostic methods to detect and eliminate virus-infected cassava planting materials. It ensures virus-free plants for seed production, improving seed quality, crop resilience, and food security. Key costs include lab setup (USD 20,000) and sample testing (USD 3/sample). Training for staff and collaboration with research and seed certification bodies are crucial for successful implementation.
Building stronger cassava seed businesses for African seed entrepreneurs and farmers. The Cassava Seed Association Model (CSAM) was developed as an institutional support system to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of cassava seed entrepreneurs. The model promotes the formation of structured associations of cassava seed producers, which offer collective benefits such as certification, access to finance, capacity building, and policy advocacy. This approach aims to reduce inefficiencies, improve seed quality, and strengthen market linkages, ultimately leading to a more resilient and sustainable seed production system. Its has been successfully validated in countries like Nigeria and Tanzania and is currently being scaled in Rwanda and Kenya. Over 2,700 seed entrepreneurs have benefited from this model, which addresses many of the challenges faced by individual seed producers in the cassava seed industry.
Transforming Cassava Farming Through Entrepreneurial Innovation! Cassava is a staple crop in Sub-Saharan Africa, crucial for food security and income generation. However, traditional cassava seed systems have been informal and unsustainable, relying on farmer-to-farmer sharing and sporadic free distributions by governments and NGOs. This approach has led to the widespread use of low-quality, disease-prone planting materials, resulting in reduced yields and limited adoption of improved varieties. The Cassava Seed Entrepreneur (CSE) Business Model offers a structured, market-driven solution to revitalize the cassava seed system. It empowers rural men, women, and youth to become certified seed entrepreneurs who produce and sell high-quality cassava planting materials. By integrating training, digital tools, and strategic partnerships, the model ensures the availability of clean, certified seeds, enhancing productivity and livelihoods.
Breeder & Foundation Cassava Seeds—Always Within Reach This technology enables seed companies and certified producers to multiply and supply breeder and foundation cassava seeds directly from research centers. It follows national seed certification standards, uses both in-house and outgrower schemes, and ensures that farmers and seed entrepreneurs get access to clean, high-quality planting material. Registration with seed authorities and proper field inspection are required for participation.
Enhancing cassava productivity through healthy planting material Cassava Seed Quality Management is a national system that ensures the production and distribution of high-quality, disease-free cassava planting material. By regulating and certifying seed quality, governments can control the spread of major cassava diseases, boost productivity by over 100%, and support the formalization of the cassava seed sector for long-term food security and economic development.
Zaï pits are a traditional water-harvesting technique used in the Sahel to combat low rainfall, soil degradation, and poor soil fertility. By digging small pits that trap rainwater and organic matter, farmers can improve moisture retention, nutrient availability, and crop yields by 60–90%. This cost-effective method enables the rehabilitation of degraded lands and enhances the resilience of millet and sorghum crops. When combined with other soil and water conservation techniques, Zaï pits significantly contribute to sustainable dryland agriculture.
Natural Allies for Mango Mealybug Control This technology provides an effective, cost-efficient intervention to protect mango value chains in Africa. The release and establishment of two parasitoid species—Gyranusoidea tebygi and Anagyrus mangicola—has shown a dramatic impact in reducing mango mealybug populations, leading to increased yields and farm income. With research costs already covered, the expansion to new countries requires only modest investments in rearing and monitoring. This intervention aligns with sustainable agriculture goals, reduces pesticide use, and strengthens the resilience of smallholder farming systems.
Enhancing Cassava Resilience: Targeted Biocontrol with a Beneficial Wasp Biological control of the cassava mealybug (CM) involves introducing natural enemies, such as the parasitoid wasp Anagyrus lopezi, to manage CM populations without chemical pesticides. This method has been successfully implemented in over 20 countries, reducing mealybug populations by about 90% and protecting cassava crops, thereby saving farmers significant amounts of money.
Comprehensive tools to guide initiatives and organizations in implementing FAIR principles across data-rich agricultural development investments! The FAIR Process Framework is a structured approach designed to enhance the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability (FAIR) of agricultural data. It provides practical steps, guidelines, and tools to help national programs, funders, and project implementers maximize the value of data across agricultural development initiatives. By integrating FAIR principles, stakeholders can improve data sharing, reduce duplication, enhance decision-making, and ensure long-term impact. The framework is flexible, allowing its adoption at any stage of a project or program. Additionally, expert support from CABI helps facilitate training and implementation, ensuring effective data governance for sustainable agricultural development.
Rice-Fish System Boosts Profits, Enhances Lowland Land Use for Food Security and Prosperity The rice-fish farming system emerged as a solution to address various agricultural challenges. It was developed to counter widespread food and nutrition insecurity, the vulnerability of smallholder rice farmers to market shocks due to a lack of diversification, and environmental pollution resulting from excessive agrochemical use. This innovative approach not only enhances food and nutrition security but also boosts smallholder farmers' income through the combined sale of rice and fish. Additionally, the system promotes environmental safety by eliminating the need for agrochemicals, contributing to sustainable and resilient agricultural practices.
Smart Solutions for Safer Farming The technology "Integrated Management of Insects, Diseases, and Weeds" is of paramount importance that addresses several critical issues in Pest and Disease Vulnerability, Inappropriate Pesticide Usage, Pesticide Resistance, Food Security Concerns, Environmental Impact. The technology provides a solution through integrates various biological, mechanical, physical, and cultural methods to achieve more effective and sustainable crop protection. IPM is a vital strategy to combat the challenges posed by pests and diseases, ensuring food security, and promoting responsible agricultural practices.
Empowering Beans, Sustaining Growth! The technology is a low-cost and sustainable solution for staking climbing beans, offering lower-cost, environmentally friendly alternatives, reducing the required number of stakes and addressing yield limitations associated with traditional staking methods.
Pest control for optimum yields The "Seed Dressing with Fungicide and Insecticide" technology is crucial in mitigating yield losses in common beans caused by fungal diseases like anthracnose and insect pests such as stem maggots in Africa. These issues significantly impact crop productivity and jeopardize the profitability of improved varieties and fertilizer inputs for farmers. The use of chemical control agents in seed dressing offers an affordable and eco-friendly approach to prevent losses and boost production. This method, utilizing minimal pesticides, facilitates better seedling emergence and enhances the crop's resistance throughout the growing season, thereby aiding in maintaining and improving common bean yields in the face of prevalent diseases and pests.
Balanced Protection for Sustainable Harvests Integrated Management of Insects, Diseases, and Weeds in Wheat (IPM) is an approach designed to minimize the use of chemical pesticides while maximizing natural control mechanisms for pests. It involves a combination of biological, mechanical/physical, and cultural techniques tailored to local conditions. IPM is crucial in preventing the emergence of pesticide-resistant pests, ensuring lasting crop protection, and maintaining food safety and environmental integrity.
Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Farming In regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where dry tropical conditions and diminishing soil fertility pose significant challenges to wheat production, the adoption of Minimal Tillage and Surface Mulching of Soils is paramount. Traditional farming practices, characterized by excessive tillage and minimal organic matter incorporation, have led to the degradation of crucial soil functions, including nutrient retention and water management. With dwindling water resources due to drought spells and overexploitation, Conservation Agriculture (CA) emerges as a cost-effective solution. CA enhances wheat grain yields, ensures resilience to water scarcity, and benefits both farmers' incomes and the environment by promoting soil biodiversity, reducing emissions, and sequestering carbon, making it a vital strategy for sustainable wheat production in dryland farming systems.
Smart Irrigation, Bountiful Harvests Furrow Irrigated Raised Bed Wheat Production is an efficient cultivation technique that optimizes water use in wheat farming. By creating raised beds and controlled furrows, this method reduces water consumption, improves soil moisture, and enhances crop productivity. It addresses the challenge of limited freshwater supply for agriculture, making it a crucial practice for dryland wheat cultivation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Growing Resilient Wheat, Even in the Hottest Seasons. The technology of "Expanded Production of Irrigated Wheat" is crucial due to the impact of heat stress on traditional wheat cultivation in the hot rainy seasons of Sub-Saharan Africa. The innovative approach involves growing wheat during the cool season (winter production) to circumvent heat-related crop damage. However, this necessitates the implementation of irrigation systems due to limited precipitation. The technology enables stable, high wheat grain yields and quality, promoting a climate-resilient food value chain and allowing wheat cultivation in non-traditional dryland areas. Successful implementation not only advances self-sufficiency but also reduces the need for expensive wheat imports in various key regions of Africa.
Weed-free Fields, Bountiful Yields! The "Six Steps Cassava Weed Management" technology is a vital innovation in cassava cultivation in Sub-Saharan Africa. It offers a comprehensive approach to tackling the persistent problem of weed encroachment in cassava fields. By addressing key control measures such as site selection, weed identification, herbicide application, tillage operations, plant spacing, and post-emergence weeding, this technology significantly boosts cassava yields. It's a game-changer for cassava farmers, enabling them to achieve higher yields and improve food security in the region.
Level Up Rice Yields with Precision Irrigation and Resource Conservation Precision Rice Irrigation and Surface Leveling technologies play a pivotal role in optimizing rice farming. They ensure efficient water distribution, leading to resource conservation, improved crop production, and enhanced input efficiency. By leveling soil surfaces and utilizing innovative water lifting systems, these technologies revolutionize traditional farming practices.
Harvest More, Worry Less with Sweet Potato-Legume Relay Intercropping Relay intercropping of sweet potato with legumes revolutionizes agriculture by increasing yields, optimizing land and resource use, and reducing pest damage. This method enhances soil nitrogen availability, promoting sweet potato tuber production while reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizers. It not only ensures a more nutritious diet for subsistence farmers but also safeguards against food shortages during crop failures caused by drought or pests.
Fodder Enrichment for Thriving Livestock The technology of silage production from sweet potato vines and tubers plays a pivotal role in sustainable agriculture by converting leftover plant material into high-quality animal fodder. It addresses the challenges of resource wastage under unfavorable environmental conditions and contributes to bridging gaps in animal feed availability for farmers. Silage enhances feed digestibility, preserves essential nutrients, and significantly benefits the growth and well-being of ruminants and pigs, making it a valuable asset in modern agriculture.
Raise tuber yields with raised beds The raised bed technology for sweet potato production involves elevating soil beds above the surface. These beds, constructed by heaping up loosened soil, create optimal conditions for sweet potato growth. They prevent soil compaction and waterlogging, which can hinder crop development and promote soil-borne diseases. By placing sweet potato crops on these raised beds, farmers effectively reduce weed encroachment throughout the growing season. This method proves highly beneficial in various agro-ecosystems, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it enhances yields and minimizes labour-intensive weed management. Additionally, raised beds promote efficient water drainage, making them adaptable to different rainfall conditions. Overall, this technology provides a fundamental foundation for successful sweet potato cultivation.
Extend shelf-life of fresh cassava The technology of waxing fresh cassava roots is a solution designed to address the challenges of rapid deterioration and limited shelf-life of cassava post-harvest. By applying a protective wax layer, it preserves the freshness of the roots and extends their shelf-life from two days to about 14 days or more. This not only enhances the marketability of the roots by protecting them from physical damages but also contributes to food security by ensuring their availability for a longer period. The wax used is safe and approved, ensuring the eating quality and safety of the cassava roots are not compromised.
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