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The largest free resource for biological plant protection! In the face of growing concerns about the environmental and health impacts of synthetic pesticides, governments are under increasing pressure to promote safer and more sustainable crop protection strategies. However, the lack of accessible, up-to-date information on registered bioprotection products often hinders effective policy formulation and implementation. The CABI BioProtection Portal addresses this gap by offering a free, multilingual platform—available online and offline—that provides verified national data on registered bioprotection products by crop and pest. It supports evidence-based policymaking, enhances regulatory oversight, and enables governments to guide farmers toward eco-friendly alternatives that align with national agricultural and environmental goals.
Yam leaf-bud cuttings, rapid quality seed production! The Leaf-bud Cuttings technology is a strategic solution to increase yam productivity and food security by enabling the rapid multiplication of seed yam from vine segments rather than bulky tubers. This approach addresses a key constraint in yam production—limited access to quality planting material—by producing 100–300 new plants from a single vine, reducing the reliance on food-grade tubers for propagation. For governments, this means stronger national food systems, reduced vulnerability to climate shocks and conflict-related seed loss, and improved farmer resilience. Integrating this technology into national seed programs and extension systems will support broader agricultural development goals.
Learn, Advise, Transform Agriculture! CABI Academy is a digital learning platform that consolidates CABI’s global expertise in plant health, crop pest management, soil, water, and bioprotection practices into self-paced, interactive courses aligned with the global Skills Framework for Agriculture. Backed by accredited certifications and partnerships with universities, it supports national agricultural training systems, helping extension services and agri‑dealer personnel develop targeted skills to improve farmer productivity, national food security, and sustainable development outcomes
Knowledge, resources, and tools for plant health! The Crop Health Knowledge Library supports national efforts to improve food security and plant protection by providing reliable, science-based resources for managing pests, diseases, and crop threats. It helps strengthen extension services, align with sustainable agriculture policies, and improve farmer outreach through practical, ready-to-use materials.
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.
Making Cassava Seed Systems Work Better ME-CASS is a digital platform that tracks cassava seed from breeder to farmer. It improves traceability, monitors seed quality, and supports better planning and coordination across the cassava seed system.
Sell Smart, Grow Fast The Marketing Strategies technology is a toolkit designed to help cassava seed producers improve market access, visibility, and demand for certified seeds. It provides tools for understanding customer segments, developing effective pricing models, and leveraging both digital and traditional marketing channels. By enhancing seed producers' ability to engage with farmers, build trust, and promote high-quality seeds, the toolkit supports sustainable business growth and addresses key challenges in seed marketing, such as low market awareness, distribution inefficiencies, and poor customer engagement.
From Knowledge to Yield — Empowering Cassava Seed Systems. The Building Capacity technology aims to strengthen cassava seed systems by addressing capacity gaps among seed producers. It provides a comprehensive toolkit with training resources, business development tools, and partnership frameworks to enhance technical skills, market access, and regulatory collaboration. The technology promotes sustainable seed production, boosts productivity, and ensures seed quality. Key activities include capacity assessments, tailored training curricula, and stakeholder collaboration. By improving seed systems, it supports economic growth, food security, and climate resilience, benefiting seed producers and farmers alike.
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.
From Advocacy to Action: Replicating Success with Lasting Investment This model promotes sustainable cassava seed systems by embedding innovations—such as SAH, nodal cuttings, and digital certification—into national policies and programs. It replaces short-term interventions with long-term strategies based on advocacy, local ownership, and coordinated partnerships. The model has influenced seed policies in over 10 African countries and enabled USD 26.6 million in seed system investments. Results include stronger entrepreneurship, better varietal access, and improved food system resilience.
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.
From planting to certification—seed production made simple. The Cassava Seed Field Multiplication Protocol is a standardized agricultural method that enables the field-based production of high-quality cassava planting material. It combines clean seed sources, agronomic best practices, regulatory compliance, and digital tools to support certified cassava seed production by seed companies, farmers, and institutions.
Structure, Trace, Scale & Connect with Solutions eProd is a digital supply chain management platform designed for agriculture. It helps organizations register farmers, monitor production, ensure traceability, and manage payments efficiently. The system is modular, works offline, and integrates easily with other digital tools.
Build an efficient seed system! SeedTracker is a digital tool that supports national efforts to strengthen seed systems. It provides a transparent, traceable, and secure platform for managing certified seed—from registration to inspection, certification, and distribution—supporting better regulation, planning, and farmer access to quality seed.
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.
Improved cassava varieties crucial for enhancing food security, increasing farmer incomes, and reducing poverty in Africa. The technology is a market-driven cassava breeding system that develops improved varieties based on market needs, such as for fresh consumption, processing, or biofortification. It involves stakeholder input, standard breeding methods, and regulatory collaboration for variety release. Adoption is promoted through trials, launch events, and media campaigns, aligning breeding with market demand to boost cassava productivity and value chain performance.
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.
Optimizing Pesticide Application for Sustainable Agriculture The CABI Crop Sprayer is a mobile application designed to assist farmers and agricultural extension workers in accurately calculating pesticide quantities for crop protection. By ensuring precise application, it promotes effective pest control while minimizing environmental impact.
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.
Multiplying Seeds, Securing Harvests, Ensuring Food Security! Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) is an innovative, cost-effective technique for the rapid multiplication of yam using leaf nodal cuttings. It enables mass production of high-quality planting materials in a controlled environment, significantly reducing the dependency on traditional seed yam sources. SAH ensures year-round seed availability, supporting seed companies, breeders, and farmers in meeting demand. This technology is key to improving yam productivity, lowering production costs, and enhancing food security.
Empower the soil data community with best practice tools and lessons learned for a sustainable SIS! The SIS Framework, developed by CABI and ISRIC, provides a step-by-step guide for designing soil information systems. It integrates financial, institutional, and technological considerations across four practical phases: initiation, planning and design, implementation, and operationalization.
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