Strengthening agro-ecosystem health and building resilience in Climate Smart Villages
Climate change encourages new and existing pests and diseases to spread and makes management more difficult. This programme addresses this and aims to build resilience of the communities to pests and diseases and their management. It is operating in selected villages in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The interventions feature innovative participatory and climate-adaptive agricultural practices to enrich and restore agro-ecosystem health, manage crop pests and diseases, and improve livelihoods.
Action on Invasives
The global cost of invasive species is estimated at US$1.4 trillion per year – close to 5% of global gross domestic product. Invasives disproportionately affect vulnerable communities in poor rural areas, especially in developing countries which depend on natural resources, healthy ecosystems, trade and tourism for their livelihoods.
Partnerships for improving fruit production in DPR Korea
Despite advances in agriculture in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea), a shortage of fresh produce undermines the population’s nutritional status. Fruit is grown on large state farms and cooperative farms, but pests and diseases reduce yields and quality. CABI is working with key stakeholders in the fruit sector to develop best practice guidelines for fruit integrated pest management.
Producing better cotton in Pakistan
Cotton is Pakistan’s largest industrial sector. In total though, the industry is losing around 10-15% through poor traditional practices. Using the Better Cotton Standard System, we are encouraging farmers to implement Better Cotton production principles and criteria, Good Agricultural Practices by providing participatory training to thousands of small, medium and large-sized farmers and their farm workers.
Improving the rational use of pesticides for locusts in China
Agriculture is very important to China and chemical pesticides are often used to control their associated pests. Biopesticides, which have a low impact on surrounding plants and the environment can be used instead and China wants to switch over to them. Using CABI’s expertise, this project uses Earth Observation (EO) and other data to build a prototype system that provides information on locust control in China.
Building capacity for directly planted rice
As a very important crop in India, the growing of rice and tackling pests and diseases is given lots of attention. Rice thats planted directly into the field cuts effort and water consumption but increases the likelihood of pest damage. Our aim therefore is to develop a sustainable and scalable system of plant health management, especially for directly planted seedlings, to encourage an irrigation-economy for rice production.