It may be small, but the Fall armyworm is a big deal. As far as being a pest and a threat to African farming and farmer’s livelihoods, the Fall armyworm has a lot going for it. It eats 80 different plant species and travels and reproduces at a rapid rate. Considering this, it is easy … More Uliza and the Fall Army Worm
Radio is a great tool for reaching people that other communication methods often cannot. It’s cheap, portable, shareable, and easy to understand. It doesn’t require sophisticated literacy skills. Good radio is also captivating and fun. Paired with a mobile phone, radio allows an opportunity for conversation, so that anyone listening to the radio can have … More Putting Her Voice on Air
At Farm Radio International, our work requires great partnerships to get great results. We partner with radio stations, key stakeholder groups, and knowledge experts to make informative and entertaining interactive radio programs. These programs share agricultural knowledge and amplify the voices of listeners so rural communities can be empowered in their own development. We know … More Opening the debate on scale and sustainability
If every radio broadcast had the same format, people would get bored and stop tuning in. When Farm Radio International designs a radio campaign, we try to use a variety of segments to keep listeners entertained and engaged in the program. ‘Drama+Discussion’ is one great program type that combines education and entertainment in the perfect … More Drama Queens
At Farm Radio International, we are constantly trying to improve our programs and get the most out of the technologies we have on hand. Radio is a great tool for circulating information, and broadcasting a message to millions of listeners. But how do you hear back from those listeners to understand their questions or expertise? … More Closing the feedback loop with interactive radio
One first step to supporting farmers is to understand their information needs. Farm Radio International aims to strengthen small-scale farming and rural communities, and a key step in doing so is to know the communities better. This is where formative research comes in. We collaborate and learn about the community in order to understand its … More Meeting Our Audience
Workshop participants in Bogra, Bangladesh come together to formulate a multi-stakeholder platform with the potential to establish the Barind Tract as a global leader in practical, integrated strategies for achieving the SDGs. From December 3rd to 5th, 2017, EcoAgriculture Partners led a Landscape Leadership Workshop, Transforming Barind Agriculture: Achieving SDGs and Climate Resilience through Water-Centric … More Achieving the SDGs and Climate Resiliency in the Barind Tract: First Steps Towards a Multi-Sector Strategy
Lack of creativity is not among the barriers to investment in integrated landscape management, test of new Landscape Investment and Finance Tool in the Philippines shows. Investment ideas were sprouting quickly from the stakeholders of the Cagayan do Oro landscape (CDO) in the Philippines. Participants proposed, “What if we went for wind power? What if … More New tool will give communities a LIFT accessing finance for integrated landscape management
A stakeholder workshop reviewed future scenarios for the Atewa Range landscape, and formulated next steps for achieving the outcomes in the “Living Landscape” scenario. A Contested Landscape Everyone agrees that the Atewa Landscape is enormously valuable, but that’s where the consensus ends. There are a wide range of ideas about how the landscape’s ecological and … More Modeling SDG impacts in Ghana’s Atewa landscape under different management scenarios
Toolkit uses participatory process designed to help landscapes connect their plans to achieve the SDGs with the finance and investment they need. Finance plays a critical role in implementing the diverse investments required for a sustainable landscape. There has been a considerable uptick in analysis, programs and investors designed to support sustainable land management. However, most … More IUCN Netherlands and EcoAgriculture Partners debut the Landscape Investment and Finance Toolkit (LIFT)
Chronic or non-communicable diseases are the leading causes of mortality around the globe. Take a look at these staggering figures from the World Health Organization: Of the 56 million deaths in 2015, 40 million or 70 percent were caused by heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. Most of those illnesses can be prevented. … More How gene banks can contribute to a healthier future
It is big and involves so many processes and actors. Some would even say it’s scary. I’m talking about the food system, or the movement of food from cultivation of crops to disposal of food scraps. “It’s everything and it’s nothing. But the important thing about the food system as a concept and as a … More Sustainable food systems: What it means for CIAT research
Innovation has always been part of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture’s (CIAT) DNA. Since its birth in 1967, CIAT has utilized novel tools to breed and improve some of the most important crops in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Genome editing is one such tool. It uses CRISPR-Cas, a revolutionary technology that can “cut” … More Genome editing: A revolutionary tool to speed up plant breeding
It would be extremely difficult – if not impossible – for an organization like the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) to document all of its impacts since its inception 50 years ago. Nevertheless, impact assessment is a necessary exercise, both in the interest of accountability to donors and other stakeholders, as well as to … More The Challenges of Assessing Collaborative Impact
It was a highly emotional moment for Colombian nationals and others alike when Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos stepped onto the stage to take part in CIAT’s 50th anniversary final celebrations at the organization’s headquarters near Cali, Colombia. Adding to the feeling of excitement was the moment when President Santos pledged the equivalent of approximately … More 5 Ways to Get the Best out of your Organization’s Anniversary
The year 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The anniversary was celebrated to reflect two milestones: the first 50 years, covering the period from its inception up till now; and the next 50 years, covering the present to the next 50 years. The first core event, held on … More Towards Food and Nutrition Security: Where is IITA going in the next half century?
Agriculture is central to the development of the African continent, currently contributing 40% to 80% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in several countries. In recent years, it has been put back on to the development agenda of most African governments. In Nigeria, for instance, the agricultural policy document of the current government builds on … More IITA: Transforming African Agriculture
A popular story goes that the idea of establishing agricultural research centers, precursors of the modern-day CGIAR network, was born out of the daily train conversations between two gentlemen on their way to work In New York City in the early-1960s. The story, told by the late Lowell Hardin, former professor at the Purdue University … More Conversations in transformation (why it’s good to talk to people on your way to work)
When setting up a sustainability assessment system, no step is more critical for success than defining good indicators to measure. The COSA library of indicators for smallholder agricultural sustainability is crafted with the following best practices in mind to ensure our sustainability measurement framework is practical, globally consistent, accurate, and useful throughout the supply chain. … More SMART Indicators for Smarter Decision Making
For several years, the paradigm in development has been moving towards ensuring a future that is as sustainable as possible against a whole range of qualitative measures. GDP should count, but so should people’s wellbeing, for example. But when we look at the life of individual projects and the people involved in them, what does … More The Power of Performance Monitoring
