A Union of African Universities Supporting Smallholder Farmers
Smallholder farms dominate African agriculture but have long been relatively neglected in international development circles. Global interest in Africa is increasing, and African universities possess an enormous well of talent. […]
Community Seed Banks are Quickly Becoming Mainstream
Farmers have been storing, repurposing, and even sharing seeds for thousands of years. Formal public seed banks to preserve important seeds may have existed as early as ancient Persia. In […]
Bringing Advice to the Smallholder Farm with Online Maps
Smallholder farmers often face harsh or idiosyncratic growing conditions, and techniques developed for optimal conditions often don’t work. But information technology is starting to help. Geomapping tools have convinced banks […]
Rodent Control – The Natural Way
Most efforts to support smallholder farmers focus on initiatives and innovations deployable in the daytime. Few innovators think up interventions that work mainly at night, when farmers are asleep. Luwieke […]
Bring Back the Chocolate: Building a Better Cocoa Bean in Malaysia
Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and White Day wouldn’t be the same without cacao. And smallholder farming in Malaysia isn’t the same as it was back when the crop was more […]
Farm Certification Schemes – Do They Work?
Smallholder farming is a tough business sometimes described as, ‘Buy retail, sell wholesale’. Governments around the world have tried lots of things to help farmers add value, from supporting high-value […]
India Wants Innovators to Get Excited About Millet
It’s nutritious. Drought-resistant. And yes, you can make it into alcohol. No wonder the UN declared 2023 the International Year of Millets. The consumption of millet has declined relative to […]
The Secret to the Perfect Organic Fertilizer? Worms.
Vermiculture is the practice of deliberately cultivating worms, specifically earthworms, either at large scales or in smaller artisanal systems. It’s how bait and tackle shops next to popular fishing lakes […]
Keeping Ethiopia’s Wheat from “Rusting”
Of all the natural threats to the world’s food supply, few are more dreaded than wheat rust, a category of fungal infections that can ruin a harvest. In the US, […]
Developing a Farm Management Information System for Smallholders
Farming is often more mental than physical. Farmers need to keep track of planting and harvesting dates, revenues and expenses, yields, pests and diseases, markets, weather, and more. Larger American […]
