Brussels Development Policy Briefing No. 43: South to South Cooperation
Oct 26 2015   The Brussels Development briefing No 43, South to South Cooperation will take place on the 27 th October this year in Brussels, with the title, “Emerging donors and rising powers in agriculture in the ACP countries. The briefing will address key...

INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE TRAINING COURSES
Introduction: On a continent where over 60% of the population subsists on agriculture, the significance of proper land management cannot be overstated. With the fast evolving wave of climate change and land degradation, adoption of practices that...

INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE TRAINING COURSES
Oct 23 2015   Introduction: On a continent where over 60% of the population subsists on agriculture, the significance of proper land management cannot be overstated. With the fast evolving wave of climate change and land degradation, adoption of practices that...

Where to Target Conservation Agriculture for African Smallholders? How to Overcome Challenges Associated with its Implementation? Experience from Eastern and Southern Africa.
Oct 14 2015   Since the paper by Giller et al. (2009), the debate surrounding the suitability of conservation agriculture (CA) for African smallholders has remained polarized between proponents and opponents. The debate also gave rise to a few studies that...

Effects of Conservation Agriculture and Fertilization on Soil Microbial Diversity and Activity
Oct 14 2015   Soil microbial communities perform critical functions in ecosystem processes. These functions can be used to assess the impact of agricultural practices on sustainable crop production. In this five-year study, the effect of various agricultural...

Mulching and Fertilization Effects on Weed Dynamics under Conservation Agriculture-Based Maize Cropping in Zimbabwe
Oct 14 2015   A two-year study was conducted to assess how mulch influences weed dynamics following imposition of different fertilization treatments under three crop establishment options: (i) conventional; (ii) ripping; and (iii) basin, in a two-year...

Evidence and Lessons Learned from Long-Term On-Farm Research on Conservation Agriculture Systems in Communities in Malawi and Zimbabwe
Oct 12 2015   A long-term study was carried out in the Zidyana Extension Planning Area (EPA), Malawi and in the Zimuto Communal Area, Zimbabwe, to evaluate the effect of different conservation agriculture (CA) systems on crop productivity, soil quality and...

New partnership to promote sustainable mechanization of agriculture
Oct 12 2015   FAO and the European Agricultural Machinery Industry Association CEMA, an international non-profit organisation, have forged a new partnership that aims to promote wider use of sustainable agricultural mechanization in developing countries. The two...

Notification of the Regional meeting on Agroecology in sub-Saharan Africa
FAO would like to send a notification of the Regional Meeting on Agroecology in Sub-Saharan Africa scheduled to take place on 5 and 6 November 2015 in Dakar, Republic of Senegal . This meeting aims to encourage dialogue around the scientific basis...

FARMERS’ SOIL PRACTICES VIDEO CONTEST
Sep 17 2015   Soils are in danger, more than ever. Due to the expansion of urban areas, deforestation and/or unsustainable and inappropriate soil management techniques this valuable resource is becoming progressively degraded, polluted or unusable. The soils of...