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A nursery can be as small as a farmer’s seedbed for the immediate planting of a single crop or as large as a complex business with hundreds of species and varieties for sale to the public. Small-scale nurseries supply trees and other perennial plants for community use. Effective nurseries are tailored to meet specific needs of the communities they serve. Food security, for example, could be addressed by producing fruit trees. Nurseries can also meet needs for greater crop diversity, erosion control, livestock fodder and forage, fuelwood, income generation, nutrition, reforestation, decorative landscaping, and timber. ECHO’s resources and training focus on participatory approaches to establishing nurseries that fit the local context and maximize community assets. Topics include site selection, propagation material, options for growing media, and irrigation. More advanced subjects in nursery development, such as grafting, can be covered on an as-needed basis.



  1. Key Resource 29-03-2021 Cultivating plants, sharing seeds and cuttings with neighbors, and seeking better crop varieties are as old as agriculture. We use the word “nursery” for places where we care for and nurture things that are precious and vulnerable, like children and plants. Creating habitats to grow healthy...
  2. 01-01-2020 In a tropical setting, growing seedlings can be difficult. A major factor of concern for nursery production is water logging (Zhu et al. 2007). During the rainy season, oversaturated soils can effectively suffocate root systems of a seedling by restricting flow of oxygen and other important...
  3. 20-01-2008 Sustainable nursery practices can increase plant marketability and reduce a nursery’s impact on the environment. This publication focuses on the sustainable production of woody and herbaceous nursery plants, both in containers and in the fi eld. It is not a primer for inexperienced growers, but a...
  4. Key Resource 01-04-2014 ECHO frequently receives questions from members of our network, asking how available land could be used to grow food and/or create income to augment an otherwise non-agricultural project. Broadly speaking, they are asking how to begin an institutional agriculture project—a coordinated agriculture...
  5. Nurseries are places where seedlings are raised for planting purposes. In the nursery the young seedlings are tended from sowing to develop in such a way as to be able to endure the hard field conditions. Whether local or introduced species, nursery seedlings are found to have better survival...
  6. 19-01-1999 Good tree nursery practices for research nurseries is more than a checklist of do’s and don’t’s for nursery managers and researchers. It presents concise but thorough information on all aspects of raising high-quality planting stock, with lists of contacts and nursery suppliers. In addition to...
  7. This training manual deals with certain teaching and learning strategies that enhance knowledge and skills of the targeted participants focused on the various concepts of nursery management practices and techniques used in the production, maintenance and marketing of quality tree planting...
  8. 20-01-2008 Mbora A., Lillesø J-PB., Jamnadass R. 2008. Good Nursery Practices: A Simple Guide. Nairobi. The World Agroforestry Centre. 36 pp. Agroforestry plays an important role in the socio–economic development of communities, as trees planted on farms provide timber, fuelwood, fodder, fruits, medicine,...
  9. By Joel Buyinza and Vincent I Opolot Project: Improving Sustainable Productivity in Farming Systems and Enhanced Livelihoods through Adoption of Evergreen Agriculture in Eastern Africa Funded by: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
  10. 20-07-2010 Dan Hemenway wrote to us after reading EDN 106. “By the way, one reason why charred rice hulls may work well in potting mixes is that any form of charcoal improves the capacity of soil to hold nutrients and release them to plants.
  11. 19-03-1995 Coconut coir can be used in place of peat for nursery mixes. Coir is the fibrous part of the coconut husk. Tests in Australia and Europe show that this product makes a remarkably adequate substitute for peat.
  12. 12-05-2015 An overview of the Aloha House’s nursery and how it is run.
  13. As long ago as the 1978 World Forestry congress the notion of the importance of 'Forests for People' has been a part of the formal discourse of foresters, even if many did little more than pay lip-service to the idea. While few have been prepared to go as far as Jack Westoby, who clearly...
  14. 20-01-2014 A Guide to Starting and Operating a Nursery for Native and Traditional Plants This handbook was written for anyone endeavoring to start and operate a nursery for native and traditional plants in the tropics. Because the tropics cover a vast area of the world, however, the scope of the handbook is...
  15. byLars Schmidt The Field Manual refers to the three conventional macropropagation methods, viz. propagation by cuttings, air-layering and grafting. Micropropagation/tissue culture, although a way of vegetative/clonal propagation with wide use in Tree Improvement Programmes, is considered to...
  16. 01-01-1983 What are the advantages and disadvantages of growing citrus from seed when that is possible? One obvious advantage is that it is much less labor intensive to simply sow citrus seeds and eliminate the grafting step. Another advantage is that the seedling will most likely be free from viruses that...
  17. Access Agriculture Training Video Onion seedlings need a healthy, loose soil. Add well-aged manure or compost. In the rainy season you need to raise the seedbed so the onion roots will not rot. If you use quality seed, most of the seed will germinate and you need much less of it. Onion seedlings...
  18. Many cost conscious home gardeners and do-it-yourselfers are often looking for cheaper ways of growing plants for home and garden use. One way to achieve this may be by making homemade potting media rather than purchasing pre-made materials at garden centers and home supply stores. Although...
  19. Agriculture and Horticulture are vital sciences as they suffice the very basic need of food for the Human beings. Qualitative and quantitative food can essentially be produced from healthy plants which in turn are produced only when their seedlings/sapplings are vigorous and healthy. Nursery is...
  20. 01-01-2007 This book serves as a companion to 100 Tropical Fruits, Nuts, and Spices for the Central African Home Garden. Drawing on over 30 years of experience in Central Africa, Roy Danforth and fellow authors have developed this manual to guide people in establishing a variety of multipurpose trees in the...
  21. Key Resource 01-11-1987 This 505 page book is an exceptionally exhaustive source of information on tropical and subtropical fruits. It is a well-illustrated and very readable, practical guide for those interested in growing tropical and subtropical fruits either for the home garden or commercially. The fruits are...