10 results
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.
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.
Accessible best agricultural practices for everyone The "Stepwise Approach" is a structured methodology developed by the IITA research team and its partners, particularly under the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS). This approach is tailored to assist smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda in adopting Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices. It functions by breaking down recommended, yet often unaffordable, best practices into smaller, more economically feasible packages that can be implemented gradually in phases. The Stepwise Approach takes into account specific agro-ecological variables and addresses the needs and aspirations of farmers to guide incremental investments in a systematic manner. It aims to inform and guide farmers on the most efficient investments required to enhance coffee yields, improve farmer livelihoods, and increase resilience to climate change effects. Additionally, it contributes to increasing awareness and knowledge about climate-smart agricultural practices among farmers and assists both the public and private sectors in effectively targeting extension support to smallholder coffee farmers.
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.
A rapid quality plantlets delivery technology for banana In-Vitro Tissue Culture Propagation involves laboratory-based propagation of disease-free banana and plantain through tissue culture. It allows for the rapid production of uniform and disease-free plantlets, aiding in faster recovery from disease outbreaks and extreme weather conditions.
Safeguarding Poultry Health Biosecurity is essential in poultry farming to prevent disease introduction and spread. It involves preventive measures to reduce risks, such as external disease entry, internal transmission, and disease carryover. Diseases can lead to severe consequences, justifying the need for strong prevention. Regional collaboration among poultry producers enhances the effectiveness of biosecurity practices.
Protect crops using natural pest allies for sustainable pest control in Africa The biological control of insect pests with natural enemies is a crucial agricultural innovation, especially in regions like the Sahel in Africa. In the Sahel, the millet head miner and the invasive Fall Armyworm are major threats to food security, causing significant crop losses. This technology leverages natural enemies to combat these pests, reducing the need for chemical pesticides, ensuring sustainable food production, and helping farmers protect their yields. It's an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach that contributes to food security and the well-being of farming communities.
Low-cost natural pest control "Biological control of the pod borer Maruca vitrata with exotic parasitoids" is of significant importance in addressing the extensive damage caused by this pest to cowpea crops. By introducing specific parasitic wasps from the World Vegetable Center labs in Taiwan, this approach has led to a remarkable reduction in the Maruca vitrata population, often exceeding 85%, in regions such as Benin and Burkina Faso. The collaboration between national agencies in releasing these parasitoids and their subsequent establishment on wild vegetation before moving to cowpea fields during the cropping season demonstrates the effectiveness of this biological control method. Furthermore, this technology is complemented by the use of resistant or tolerant cowpea varieties and the application of eco-friendly products like neem or other compatible biopesticides. These additional measures not only help combat companion pests like aphids and thrips but also significantly reduce the reliance on chemical pesticides, if not entirely replacing them. In essence, the biological control of the Maruca vitrata pod borer with exotic parasitoids represents a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to pest management, contributing to higher cowpea yields and food security while minimizing the ecological impact of chemical pesticides.
Aflatoxin-safe fields and crops for safer food in Africa Aflasafe® technology plays a pivotal role in addressing the critical issue of aflatoxin contamination in Africa. Aflatoxins, produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, are highly toxic and cancer-causing poisons that infest staple crops, animal feeds, and processed foods, posing a severe health threat. Aflasafe®, a biocontrol solution developed in Africa, offers a cost-effective and natural alternative to chemical interventions. By reducing aflatoxin levels in food, Aflasafe® not only safeguards human and livestock health but also mitigates economic impacts, making food safer for consumption and trade, improving overall health, and preserving farm animal well-being. This innovative technology stands as a key strategy to combat the silent aflatoxin pandemic, which is responsible for 30% of liver cancer cases in Africa and weakens individuals against other diseases while also stunting children's growth.