Download or read book Unlocking the potential of agriculture innovation for family farmers Thematic catalogue for smallholder farmers to promote innovation written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: TECA is an FAO online platform for the exchange and sharing of agricultural technologies and practices for smallholder farmers and producers. The platform facilitates the transformation process in rural areas by making relevant and innovative technologies available to farmers in the field. In doing so, TECA further enhances the access to knowledge of smallholder producers in rural areas increasing their capacity to innovate and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This catalogue promotes a set of successful innovations for farmers on the occasion of the FAO International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers: Unlocking the potential of agricultural innovation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, which will be celebrated in FAO Headquarters on 2123 November 2018. The technologies presented are concrete actions that have solved specific development challenges and promote sustainable and inclusive rural transformations. The technologies and practices are designed following the FAOTECA platform standards and have been tested and refined in the field. Each practice supports smallholder farmers and those providing advisory services to agricultural producers, to identify specific needs, select the correct practices and to implement technologies adequately. Developed with the help of FAO in cooperation with the FAO Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and other key partners, the GIZ, ICRAF, IFOAM and Swisscontact, this catalogue aims at illustrating how sharing knowledge may unlock innovation throughout the farming process.

Download or read book Rainfed Agriculture written by Suhas Pralhad Wani and published by CABI. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rainfed agriculture is generally overlooked by development investors, researchers and policy makers due to limited confidence in its ability to increase agricultural production and development. However, research undertaken by a team of leading scientists from global organizations demonstrates its potential in achieving food security, improving livelihoods and most importantly addressing issues of equity and poverty reduction in dryland areas - the hot spots of poverty. On the basis of case studies from varied agricultural and ecological regions in Asia and Africa, chapters discuss the need for adopting new paradigms between rainfed and irrigated agriculture, catchment/micro-watershed management approaches, upgrades in science-based development and more investments in rainfed areas. Yield gaps for major rainfed crops are analysed globally and possible ways and means including technological, social, and institutional options to bridge the yield gaps are discussed in detail. Covering areas such as rainwater harvesting and its efficient use, the rehabilitation of degraded land and assessment methods for social, environmental and economic impacts, this book will be necessary for both academics and policy makers working in water management, agriculture and sustainable development.

Download or read book Unlocking the Water Potential of Agriculture written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2003 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All statistical evidence confirms that agriculture is the key sector for water management, now and in the next decades. Nevertheless, the rural water development sector fails at present to get priority, compared to other competing sectors, in international fora. Strong and new arguments are needed to bring rural water back "on line." Agriculture policies and investments will need to become more strategic. They will have to unlock the potential of agricultural water management practices to raise productivity, spread equitable access to water, and conserve the natural productivity of water resources base.

Download or read book Farming for Us All written by Michael Mayerfeld Bell and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2010-11-01 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Farming for Us All gives us the opportunity to explore the possibilities for social, environmental, and economic change that practical, dialogic agriculture presents.

Download or read book The Urban Farmer written by Curtis Allen Stone and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2015-12-14 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are twenty million acres of lawns in North America. In their current form, these unproductive expanses of grass represent a significant financial and environmental cost. However, viewed through a different lens, they can also be seen as a tremendous source of opportunity. Access to land is a major barrier for many people who want to enter the agricultural sector, and urban and suburban yards have huge potential for would-be farmers wanting to become part of this growing movement. The Urban Farmer is a comprehensive, hands-on, practical manual to help you learn the techniques and business strategies you need to make a good living growing high-yield, high-value crops right in your own backyard (or someone else's). Major benefits include: Low capital investment and overhead costs Reduced need for expensive infrastructure Easy access to markets Growing food in the city means that fresh crops may travel only a few blocks from field to table, making this innovative approach the next logical step in the local food movement. Based on a scalable, easily reproduced business model, The Urban Farmer is your complete guide to minimizing risk and maximizing profit by using intensive production in small leased or borrowed spaces. Curtis Stone is the owner/operator of Green City Acres, a commercial urban farm growing vegetables for farmers markets, restaurants, and retail outlets. During his slower months, Curtis works as a public speaker, teacher, and consultant, sharing his story to inspire a new generation of farmers.

Download or read book Unlocking markets to smallholders written by Herman D. van Schalkwyk and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-03-10 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book assesses the institutional, technical and market constraints as well as opportunities for smallholders, notably, emerging farmers in disadvantaged areas such as the former homelands of South Africa. Emerging farmers are previously disadvantaged black people who started or will start their business with the support of special government programs. Public support programs have been developed as part of the Black Economic Empowerment strategy of the South African government. These programs aim to improve the performance of emerging farmers. This requires, first and foremost, upgrading the emerging farmers skills by providing access to knowledge about agricultural and entrepreneurial practices. To become or to remain good farmers they also need access to suitable agricultural land and sufficient water for irrigation and for feeding their cattle. Finally, for emerging farmers to be engaged in viable farming operations, various factors need to be in place such as marketing and service institutions to give credit for agricultural inputs and investments; input markets for farm machinery, farm implements, fertilizers and quality seeds; and accessible output markets for their end products. This book develops a policy framework and potential institutional responses to unlock the relevant markets for smallholders.

Download or read book Proceedings of the International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers written by Food and Agriculture Organization and published by Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). This book was released on 2019-08-15 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This first International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers called for inclusive research and education systems to facilitate innovation; robust bridging institutions; support to family farmers; and integrated policies and increased investments to create an enabling environment for innovation and scaling up. Innovation is the process whereby individuals or organizations bring new or existing products, processes or ways of organization into use for the first time in a specific context. Innovation in agriculture cuts across all dimensions of the production cycle along the entire value chain - from crop, forestry, fishery or livestock production to the management of inputs and resources to market access. The symposium provided inspiration for innovation actors and decision makers to unlock the potential of innovation to drive socio-economic growth, ensure food and nutrition security, alleviate poverty, improve resilience to changing environments and thereby achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Download or read book Unlocking High Performance written by Jason Lauritsen and published by Kogan Page Publishers. This book was released on 2018-10-03 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traditional performance management processes are often ineffective in increasing workforce engagement and fostering a positive employer-employee relationship. The established method of annually scoring employees against a list of static objectives can make employees feel undervalued and frustrated and can hinder, rather than advance, staff development. Unlocking High Performance shows you how to transform this process to get the best out of your workforce. It presents a new model for performance management based on the three components of planning, cultivation and accountability, and situates this process within the wider aims of promoting work as a healthy relationship between employer and employee rather than a restrictive contract to be complied with. Unlocking High Performance equips you with the tools needed to create clear expectations and goals, deliver feedback effectively, and to develop a culture of coaching rather than criticism. This book also provides practical guidance on how to identify and remove obstacles, effectively manage underperformance, and how to get buy-in for change. Packed with tips, tools and examples from organizations including Vistaprint, NVIDIA and South Dakota State University, this book provides everything needed to design a performance management process which will improve employee experience, help them reach their full potential, and ultimately deliver exceptional business results.

Download or read book Empowering farmers and their organizations through the creation of social capital written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2020-10-13 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social capital is a key factor that concerns the ability of people to cooperate for common goals. What we have learned over the past decades, from organizational experiences in developing countries and countries in transition, is that physical and human capital accumulation by itself is not sufficient to induce development. Investments in physical capital (infrastructure and equipment) and human capital (skills development) are necessary conditions, but they are far from sufficient; they need to be complemented with the development of social capital (Stiglitz, 1998). This Learning Guide for Trainers focuses on “Empowering farmers through the creation of social capital,” recognizing the fundamental role that social capital plays for healthy and sustainable organizations. Encouraging farmers and their groups to form associations or federations enhances their capacities to learn from each other, exchange reliable information about what works and what does not work, and monitor the accountability of their members.

Download or read book The Vertical Farm written by Kheir Al-Kodmany and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2024-10-25 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amid economic uncertainties, fluctuating oil prices, and a rising environmental consciousness, the need for sustainable and efficient food production has become dire. The Vertical Farm: Scientific Advances and Technological Developments systematically navigates the realm of vertical farming (VF), rooted in a robust, scientific foundation. Unveiling the intricate convergence of plant biology, environmental science, and agronomy, it provides a profound understanding of contemporary agriculture. The book spans lighting systems and climate control mechanisms, focusing on sustainability. From small urban initiatives to significant commercial endeavors, real-world case studies showcase VF's adaptability, scalability, and resilience. Addressing multiple challenges, the book explores economic considerations and public perceptions, recognizing their roles in fostering meaningful advancements in agricultural innovation. A volume in the Nextgen Agriculture series, this book is valuable to scientists, practitioners, and students in urban agriculture and planning, horticulture, engineering, landscape architecture, and plant/technology sciences.

Download or read book Innovation Africa written by Pascal Sanginga and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-05-04 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agricultural research, extension and education can contribute greatly to enhancing agricultural production in a sustainable way and to reducing poverty in the developing world, but achievements have generally fallen short of expectations in Africa. In recent years, growing economic and demographic pressures - coupled with the entry of new market forces and actors - have created a need and an opportunity for more interactive approaches to development. Understanding the existing innovation processes, recognizing the potential for catalysing them and learning how to support joint innovation by different groups will be the key to success. This book covers new conceptual and methodological developments in agricultural innovation systems, and showcases recent on-the-ground experiences in different contexts in Africa. The contributions show how innovation is the outcome of social learning through interaction of individuals and organizations in both creating and applying knowledge. It brings examples of how space and incentives have been created to promote collaboration between farmers, research, extension and the private sector to develop better technologies and institutional arrangements that can alleviate poverty. In 25 broad-ranging chapters the book reflects cutting-edge thinking and practice in support of innovation processes in agriculture and management of natural resources.

Download or read book Fintech innovation for smallholder agriculture written by Benni, N. and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2024-01-22 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study is a result of the growing interest on the part of FAO on the analysis and use of financial technology (fintech) applications as effective enablers of financial inclusion for smallholder farmers, as well as that of other financially underserved actors active in the agricultural value chains of developing and emerging countries. Many of these countries have witnessed, in recent years, an exponential rise in the number and variety of fintech start-ups focused on the agriculture sector, which have emerged with the specific intent of seizing the enormous clientele segment composed of small-scale rural actors whose financial needs are not adequately serviced by traditional financial institutions, such as commercial banks, microfinance institutions, and financial cooperatives The objective of this publication is to analyse and illustrate some of the most interesting business models and innovations brought forward by fintech companies that have sought to address the common financing constraints associated to small-scale agriculture all around the world, showcasing in particular the challenges they have faced to become profitable and sustainable, the solutions they have found to overcome such challenges, the positive developmental externalities that they have generated through their activity, and the possible lessons that can be drawn from their experience which can inform further replications or adaptations of their specific model in other contexts.

Download or read book Community Seed Production Sustainability in Rice Wheat Farming written by Narayan Prasad Khanal and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-05-07 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyzes the sustainability of community seed production under a rice–wheat farming system from microeconomic perspectives, considering how seed producers benefit from community seed production and how those benefits continue into the future. Seed producers’ performance in resource management, governance and marketing strategies indicates current benefits, whereas soil conservation and risk-management practices provide the basis for future benefits. Community seed production is a local-level seed management system owned by farmers. This system provides the institutional mechanism to supply diversified seed demands of open-pollinated varieties of food crops in a cost-effective way in rural regions. Being able to address the concerns of food insecurity, poverty, climate stress and biodiversity loss in programs and policies of development agencies, community seed production is gaining popularity among the farmers and the policy makers in developing countries. This book discusses the issues of organizational governance of the community seed producers’ groups and links them with household-level benefits to understand the organizational dynamism and the probable development paths of such organizations in the future. It also highlights the necessity to institutionalize lessons learned in community seed production in the stakeholders’ programs and policies. These understandings provide a basis for formulating policies for strengthening the system in developing countries. Students, researchers, policy makers and donor agencies working with CSP in the developing world will find this book useful in broadening their understanding of CSP in general and its sustainability in particular.

Download or read book Study on impacts of farmer led research supported by civil society organizations written by Wettasinha, C. and published by WorldFish. This book was released on 2015-01-15 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ÿDecades of scientific research related to agriculture and natural resource management have brought limited benefits to smallholder farmers, including crop farmers, fishers, livestock keepers and other resource users. Therefore, donors, policymakers and civil society organizations (CSOs), such as farmer organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), are urging the formal research sector to make its work more useful to smallholder farmers. Many institutions of agricultural research and development are now seeking ways to engage more closely with smallholders in order to conduct research that is more relevant for and accessible to them, and are seeking examples and good practices as sources of learning. Some examples of research that is focused on smallholders and in which the process is co-managed and driven by smallholders can be found in ?informal? research initiatives --specifically, those which are facilitated by CSOs. The purpose of this study was to identify such examples of informal agricultural research and development that could be documented and thus made accessible to formal researchers. This report also describes farmer-led research findings and their dissemination, and analyzes available evidence on the impact of farmer-led approaches to agricultural research and development on rural livelihoods, local capacity to innovate and adapt, and influence on governmental institutions of agricultural research and development.

Download or read book Agricultural Protectionism in the Industrialized World written by Fred H. Sanderson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-03-17 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1990, Agricultural Protectionism in the Industrialized World takes a detailed look into the domestic and international agricultural policies of the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. These areas are some of the most industrialised in the world and this study focuses on the benefits, policies and costs related to protectionism of their agriculture. These papers offer detailed analysis of the evolution, objections and domestic and international implications related to agriculture in specific countries as well as taking a global view of issues such as policy, trends and costs and concluding with a discussion on the effects of free trade. This title will be of interest to students of environmental studies.

Download or read book World Soil Resources and Food Security written by Rattan Lal and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2016-04-19 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil-The Basis of All Terrestrial LifeAncient civilizations and cultures-Mayan, Aztec, Mesopotamian, Indus, and Yangtze-were built on good soils, surviving only as long as soils had the capacity to support them. In the twenty-first century, productive soil is still the engine of economic development and essential to human well-being. The quality of

Download or read book Innovations in Achieving Sustainable Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa written by Workneh Negatu and published by African Books Collective. This book was released on 2016-06-13 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Innovations in Achieving Sustainable Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa addresses roles and issues related to social and institutional innovations and approaches in food security in Southern and Eastern Africa. They include implementation of food security policy, rural livelihood and agricultural innovation, land consolidation for food security, interdisciplinary school-based health for food security, harnessing indigenous and modern knowledge for food security, household food resource handling for food security, institutions for technological innovation, role of land tax in food security, trade protectionism and food security, and gender-power relations in food security.