How Can NGOs Make Full Use of the CGIAR Network of Agricultural Research Centers?
Filtering Water with Old Clothes to Prevent Cholera
Smoked Rice Hull and Pottery
Rice Bean -Vigna umbellata: Another amazing green manure/cover crop
On-Farm Seed Priming
Terra Preta: the Secret of Rich, Dark Soil in the Amazon
Plant Communication
Articles
Smoked Rice Hull and Pottery
If there are local potters producing terracotta (low temperature unglazed pottery), they can make beads for jewelry, small decorative pieces, etc., and put them into a large fired pot alternating with thick layers of rice husk.
Rice Bean -Vigna umbellata: Another amazing green manure/cover crop
Grace Ju
Rice bean (Vigna umbellata) is one of the top five most commonly grown green manure/cover crops in the world.
On-Farm Seed Priming
Dawn Berkelaar
Poor crop establishment is common in developing countries. However, plants can be given a head start if they are able to germinate and emerge quickly. One way to minimize the time that seeds spend absorbing water from the soil is to soak the seeds in water before sowing them.
Filtering Water with Old Clothes to Prevent Cholera
Dawn Berkelaar
Filtering water through old clothes can effectively remove many of the copepods (a type of zooplankton) that carry cholera-causing bacteria. Researchers from the University of Maryland, College Park, did a study in Bangladesh comparing the effectiveness of old saris and nylon filters for filtering pond and river water. The study was written up in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The following information was obtained from a summary by CBC News online staff.
Terra Preta: the Secret of Rich, Dark Soil in the Amazon
Dawn Berkelaar
Terra preta is very productive soil with long-lasting fertility—unusual in the tropics, where most soils are very weathered, highly acidic, and low in organic matter and essential nutrients. The key to terra preta soils long-term fertility seems to be charcoal; terra preta contains up to 70 times as much charcoal as nearby oxisols.
Plant Communication
Edward Berkelaar
Researchers have discovered that under certain conditions, plants may communicate with insects or other plants
How Can NGOs Make Full Use of the CGIAR Network of Agricultural Research Centers?
Martin L. Price
Did you know that there is a network of agricultural research centers, each specializing in just a few areas of tropical or subtropical agriculture? The network has an awkward name, CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research). Most of the network’s members also have long names and awkward acronyms, like ICRISAT, ICRAF, and ILRI. These centers have a wealth of knowledge, genetic resources and research capability that should make them a valuable resource for organizations working with farmers.