Ecological intensification of smallholder farms in Kenya
There is limited knowledge on the agronomic potential of biodiversity-based ecosystem services such as natural pest control and pollination in smallholder systems. To sustainably intensify production, there is an urgent need to develop safe, sustainable and affordable methods to reduce pest burdens whilst increasing yields.
Integrating advanced Earth Observation and environmental information for sustainable pest and disease management
Forecasting and monitoring insect pests and disease outbreaks is vital for protecting China’s economically important agricultural sector. By combining information gathered from Earth Observation and environmental data, CABI and partners will design innovative data products and communications tools to help decision makers sustainably manage wheat yellow rust and migratory locusts. A biopesticide development model will also be developed to help end-users decide when to use a biopesticide over a chemical pesticide.
Addressing scale insect threats in Kenya
In Kenya, scale insect pests are damaging native trees and crops and, consequently, causing yield losses of up-to 91%. Smallholders’ awareness of the threats posed by these insects is low because they are small and cryptic, whilst local entomologists cannot easily identify them.
Funding boost to help CABI ensure greater global food security
CABI has today received a funding boost from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) which will help it increase its efforts to help ensure global food security by stepping up the fight against crop pests and diseases.
CABI collaborates to improve resistance of Kenya’s cabbage and kale crops to TuMV disease
A team of international scientists from the Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Kenya), NIAB EMR (UK), University of Warwick (UK), CABI (Kenya) and Syngenta (Netherlands) are seeking to improve the resistance of Kenya’s cabbage and kale crops to TuMV.
Partnership explores the ecological intensification of smallholder farms in Kenya
CABI is working in partnership to explore the prospect of smallholder farmers in Kenya achieving greater yields through ecological intensification (EI), thereby helping to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals ‘Zero Poverty’ and ‘Zero Hunger’.