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Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets

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  1. Corozo oleifera - American Oil Palm, Noli Palm
    Edible Portion: Seeds - Oil A palm.



  2. Cola acuminata - Cola Nut
    Edible Portion: Seeds, Herb, Flavouring, Fruit, Leaves A medium sized tree. It grows 13-20 m tall. In cultivation it is usually 6-9 m high. It commonly has low branches. The bark isdark green or grey. The small branches are smooth. The leaves are near the tip of the branches. They are 7-22 cm...



  3. Diospyros virginiana - American Persimmon
    Edible Portion: Fruit, Leaves - Tea, Seeds - Coffee A medium sized deciduous tree. It can be 30 m tall. In cultivation it is often only 6-9 m high. The bark is dark brown to black. Itcracks into small squares. The leaves are alternate. The leaves are oval and 12 cm long by 7.5 cm across. They are...



  4. Durio zibethinus - Durian
    Edible Portion: Fruit, Seeds, Leaves A large evergreen tree up to 30-50 m high and with buttresses. The bark is dark red-brown and rough and peels off irregularly.The leaves are alternate and oval. They are about 10 to 15 cm long and 3 to 5 cm wide. The upper surface is smooth and shinyand the...



  5. Albizia lucidior - Potka Siris Tree
    Edible Portion: Seeds, Leaves A tall tree. It grows 40 m tall. The crown is dark green. The bark is thin and grey. The leaves are divided with leaflets along thestalk. There are 1-4 pairs of leaflets. These are 5-10 cm long by 2-4 cm wide and the top ones are the largest. The flowers arein groups...
964 more Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets

ECHO Asia Note Articles

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  1. Op-Ed: Forage Plants for Improved Human Development
    This article is from ECHO Asia Note # 33. I read David Price’s concerns about promoting invasive forage plants in Asia Note #25 [Eds’ Note: AN #25 was written in response to AN #23] and would like to respond based on my own experience and observations. My reply will be based on the following...





  2. Creating a Low-Cost Seed Dryer for Use in Local Seed Banks
    This article is from ECHO Asia Note # 31. Saving your own seeds can be a cost-effective way to access crop seed for future planting and to help maintain the planet’s plant biodiversity. Whether you plant your own saved seeds, give them away to friends and neighbors, or distribute them through...





  3. Do all parts of a chaya plant contain hydrocyanic acid?
    Leaves of tropical crops like chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) and cassava (Manihot esculenta) contain cyanogenic glycosides, toxic substances that release hydrocyanic acid (HCN; also referred to as cyanide or prussic acid) when cells are crushed. Consuming these plants without cooking them can...





  4. Seed Fairs: Fostering Local Seed Exchange to Support Regional Biodiversity
    This article is from ECHO Asia Note #12 Introduction When you come across an especially promising local variety of a crop grown in your area, how can you enable other farmers to try out this variety? If a farmer gives you 30 seeds of an exceptional variety, how might you go about distributing...





  5. Producing the Biocontrol Fungi Trichoderma and Beauveria
    This article is from ECHO Asia Note #20 In nature, dozens of species of harmful fungi can quickly kill a plant, including Fusarium spp., the causal agents of Fusarium wilt, and Phakospora pachyrhizi, the causal agent of soybean rust. Fungi are unable to produce nutrients on their own, so they...
100 more ECHO Asia Note Articles

Tropical Production Systems

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  1. AGRO ETHNO ECOLOGY: Foodcrop-Livestock-Forestry Production in the Humid Lowland Tropics. Amazonian Edition 2016
    This technical manual focuses on the development, compilation, validation, and transfer of sustainable and profitable foodcrop-livestock-forestry management practices that favor rural families with limited financial resources on less-fertile hill-lands in the Humid Lowland Tropics; giving...





  2. AGRO ETHNO ECOLOGY: Foodcrop-Livestock-Forestry Production in the Humid Lowland Tropics. Mesoamerican Edition 2015
    This technical manual focuses on the development, compilation, validation, and transfer of sustainable and profitable foodcrop-livestock-forestry management practices that favor rural families with limited financial resources on less-fertile hill-lands in the Humid Lowland Tropics; giving...





  3. Technical Note - Collection of Two Native Cultivars of Phaseolus lunatus f. microcarpus in the Guatemalan Humid Lowland Tropics.
    This Technical Note reports on the seed collection of 2 native cultivars of the “Sieva” group, during the major dry period in years 2008 and 2009. The cultivars were collected in the Humid Lowland Tropics in Southeastern Guatemala in Q’eqchi’ Mayan communities in the regions of Sumach-Rio Pita,...

Resilience Design

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  1. Resilience Design Mentorship Pilot: Approach, Findings, and Lessons Learned: September 2020
    From May 2019-March 2020, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)-funded Strengthening Capacity in Agriculture, Livelihoods and Environment (SCALE) Award piloted an agriculture mentorship project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with a small group of agriculture technical...



  2. Resilience Design in Smallholder Farming Systems: Measurement Toolkit
    To achieve the overall goal of designing a site that improves soil health and water management to develop a smallholder farm agro-ecosystem that is more resilient to environmental, social and economic shocks and stresses, the indicators are developed from the overall goal and the five main aims...



  3. Resilience Design in Smallholder Farming Systems: A Practical Approach to Strengthening Farmer Resilience to Shocks and Stresses
    The Resilience Design (RD) in Smallholder Farming Systems approach evolved from initial discussions at a TOPS Symposium on Agroecological Principles, Design and Practice in Washington, DC in January 2015, designed to improve agricultural programming in USAID/FFP programs. The two-day event...



  4. Resilience Design Training Facilitator’s Guide
    This Resilience Design (RD) Facilitator’sGuide is a training tool that can be used to cascade the Resilience Design in Smallholder Farming Systems approach (RD approach). Facilitators should ideally have received prior training in the RD approach, agroecology, or agriculture before conducting an...



  5. Resilience Design for Agroecological Production
    As Resilience Design is increasingly implemented across multiple organizations, programs and contexts, these minimum standards serve as a guide for ensuring consistency and quality. They apply to all humanitarian and development programs implementing Resilience Design approaches, whether at a...
3 more Resilience Design

USAID Sector Environmental Guidelines & Resources - SEG

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  1. USAID SEG Water Supply & Sanitation
    This document presents one sector of the Sector Environmental Guidelines prepared for USAID under the Agency’s Global Environmental Management Support Project (GEMS). All sectors are accessible at www.usaidgems.org/bestPractice.htm. Purpose. The purpose of this document and the Sector...



  2. USAID SEG Small Healthcare Facilities
    Small-scale healthcare facilities play a vital role in public health and are a key part of integrated community development. The staff at rural health posts (including immunization and reproductive health posts), mobile and emergency healthcare programs, urban clinics and small hospitals are not...





  3. USAID SEG Construction
    Virtually all small-scale development activities—including aspects of housing, sanitation, water supply, roads, schools, community centers, storage silos healthcare, energy—involve construction. USAID’s global construction and rehabilitation portfolio includes small projects (e.g., individual...





  4. USAID SEG Crop Production
    USAID seeks to facilitate inclusive and sustainable agricultural productivity growth to lift people out of extreme poverty and hunger, giving them the ability to move beyond subsistence and engage in their local, national, and/or global economies. Best achieving these critical development...



  5. USAID SEG - Dryland Agriculture
    The world’s drylands include hyperarid, arid, semi-arid and dry subhumid areas where rainfall is highly variable, droughts are common and water is the principal limiting factor for agriculture. Dryland soils, which are characterized by low levels of moisture, organic matter, and biological...
10 more USAID Sector Environmental Guidelines & Resources - SEG

Trees for the Future

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  1. Forest Garden: Farmer's Workbook, Year 3
    You are on your way to growing a Forest Garden by protecting, diversifying and optimizing your farm with trees and other crops. This is the third year Farmer Workbook which includes activities and resources you will use throughout the second year of the Forest Garden Training Program. We hope you...



  2. Forest Garden: Farmer's Workbook, Year 2
    You are on your way to growing a Forest Garden by protecting, diversifying and optimizing your farm with trees and other crops. This is the second year Farmer Workbook which includes activities and resources you will use throughout the second year of the Forest Garden Training Program. We hope...



  3. Forest Garden: Farmer's Workbook, Year 1
    By joining this training program, you have taken the first step to growing a steady source of nutritious food and income. Over the next four years you will learn to grow a Forest Garden by protecting, diversifying and optimizing your farm with trees and other crops. This training program consists...



  4. Forrest Garden: Training of Trainers Guide
    Trees for the Future is dedicated to ending extreme hunger and poverty across Sub-Saharan Africa by revitalizing degraded lands using the Forest Garden Approach. The Forest Garden Approach, developed by Trees for the Future, diversifies farming systems with trees and food crops that meet...



  5. Forest Garden: Farmer's Workbook, Year 4
    You are on your way to growing a Forest Garden by protecting, diversifying and optimizing your farm with trees and other crops. This is the fourth Farmer Workbook which includes activities and resources you will use throughout the this last year of the Forest Garden Training Program. We hope you...
2 more Trees for the Future

MissionAssist Books - Agriculture and Farming

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  1. Growing Bamboo
    Advice on how to cultivate bamboo plants from cuttings. This material was taken fromFootsteps- the literacy publication of TEAR Fund - with kind permission. This edition was published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by MissionAssist.



  2. Food and Farming
    This book gives an overview of the Shell Books which have been written to help farmers and their families produce, process and store their precious food crops beyond harvest. Adapted from various "Practical Action" publications with kind permission. This edition published in the United Kingdom in...





  3. Small Livestock - Rabbits
    Rabbits are useful animals for individual farmers, village groups and schools as they are very productive, reproduce rapidly and produce good quality meat and fur. This uses material from "Footsteps 10" - the literary publication ofTear Fund, with kind permission. Illustrated by MissionAssist....





  4. DO NOT PUBLISH Olive Trees, Olives and Olive Oil
    This book tells you how to cultivate olive trees and how their fruit and wood can be used, along with some references to olives in the Bible. Written for MissionAssist. Illustrated by Carys Walsh. Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version NIV, Copyright 1973 1978...





  5. Natural Pesticides: Red Chilli Peppers
    This booklet tells you how to use red chilli peppers to help keep pests away from your crops. Taken from "Footsteps 54" - the literacy publication of Tear Fund, used with kind permission. Illustrations on pages 4, 5 and cover courtesy ofClipArtEtc. This edition published in the United Kingdom in...
53 more MissionAssist Books - Agriculture and Farming

USAID General Publications

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  1. USAID Digital Policy (2024 - 2034)
    VISION AND PURPOSE: DEVELOPMENT IN A DIGITAL AGE USAID envisions a world where open, inclusive, secure, and rights-respecting digital ecosystems enable people everywhere to thrive. In today’s digitally connected world, there is a growing recognition that open, inclusive, secure, and...



  2. How to Conduct a Data Quality Assessment
    DQA Fundamentals A DQA is a process to help USAID staff and implementing partners understand the strengths and weaknesses of their data and the extent t o which the data can be trusted to influence management d ecisions. A DQA refers to USAID’s standard practice for assessing data quality,...



  3. Private-sector Engagement Policy
    USAID, 2021 Private-sector engagement is fundamental to our goal to end the need for foreign assistance. This policy is a call to action for staff from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and our partners to embrace market-based approaches as a more-sustainable way to support...



  4. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World: Finiancing to End Hunger, Food Insecurity, and Malnutrition in all its Forms (2024)
    The reverse in progress and the persistently high levels of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in recent years have put the world off track to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Targets2.1 and 2.2 – to end hunger, foodinsecurity and all forms of malnutrition by 2030. Previous editions...



  5. Menstrual Health & Hygiene: Technical Brief
    Despite being a basic bodily function, menstruation has lived in the shadows across cultures, geographies, and history. In recent years, global health, international development, and women’s rights communities have increasingly recognized the role that menstruation plays in achieving their...
22 more USAID General Publications

Seeds for a Future Publications

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  1. The Program In Detail
    This PDF goes into greater detail about the Seeds for a Future Program, and what we’ve learned and incorporated along the way.



  2. Vivir Mejor - An Integrated Approach to Chronic Malnutrition and ‘Living Better’ in Rural Guatemala
    Daillen Nordell Culver, Originally submitted August 2020,MSc International Development, University of Edinburgh,School of Social and Political Science Chronic malnutrition’s disproportionate impact on indigenous Guatemalans remains an obstacle to rural development. Emerging research suggests the...



  3. The INCAP Research Study of SfF Programs
    During 2014 – 2017, the Institute for Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) scientifically documented Seeds for a Future’s Integrated Program, and its positive health impacts for the Program’s participants.
  4. Evaluación de la Adaptabilidad de dos Cultivares de Brassica Oleracea L., Brócoli y Coliflor, Enfocado a la Producción en Campo y en Raciones Para Personas en dos Estratos de Chocolá, San Pablo Jocopilas, Suchitepéquez.
    La vulnerabilidad de las familias guatemaltecas a la inseguridad alimentaria y nutricional, es un problema que se ha agravado ante la crisis de la pandemia del coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19); ante esta circunstancia adversa, la Aldea Chocolá no es la excepción. Bajo este contexto, se ha evaluado la...

Food Plants International - Publications

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  1. Edible Leafy Greens of Papua New Guinea
    This book is designed as a simple introduction to the more common leafy greens of Papua New Guinea. It is hoped people will take greater pride and interest in these plants and become confident and informed about how to grow and use them. Many of the local food plants that occur in every country...



  2. Food Plants for Healthy Diets in Papua New Guinea
    In a land full of beautiful, tropical, fruit, vegetables, nuts and root crops, sadly many people are starting to grow temperate “European” vegetables as they think they are more “sophisticated” or better. This is a tragedy for the health and well-being, of the people and the nation. Many of these...



  3. Food gardening on Misima Island
    A brief introduction to the crops inMisima Island, Papua New Guinea.Misima is mountainous and densely forested. Mt. Koia Tau, at a height of 1,036 meters, is the highest peak of the Louisiade Archipelago.The island measures 40 km by 10 km and has an area of 202.5 km2.It has a population of about...



  4. Food Plants and Good Gardening for Healthy Diets in Malawi
    This book is designed as a simple introduction to good gardening in Malawi. It is hoped people will take greater pride and interest in these plants and become confident and informed about how to grow and use them. Many of the local food plants that occur in every country are very good quality...



  5. Tropical Trees for Fruit, Nuts, and Seeds
    A brief introduction to some of the group Genera p-z. There are lots of tropical fruit and nut trees that have not been given the attention they deserve. The aim of this publication is to help people become aware of this diverse and useful group of plants. www.foodplantsinternational.com
11 more Food Plants International - Publications

Other Farmer Training Guides

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  1. Collective Marketing
    The editable source documents (.docx and .pub)of these materials are available in many other languages fromthe CFGB database. The source documents are updated periodically so check here for the most current formats. We encourage you to adapt the source for your purposes. The marketing exercises...



  2. Integrated Pest Management
    The editable source documents (.docx and .pub)of these materials are available in many other languages fromthe CFGB database. The source documents are updated periodically so check here for the most current formats. We encourage you to adapt the source for your purposes. Learning Outcomes –...



  3. Manure Management
    The editable source documents (.docx and .pub)of these materials are available in many other languages fromthe CFGB database. The source documents are updated periodically so check here for the most current formats. We encourage you to adapt the source for your purposes. Learning Outcomes –...



  4. CA & Livestock Integration - Facilitator's Guide
    2020-04-20 The editable source documents (.docx and .pub)of these materials are available in many other languages fromthe CFGB database. The source documents are updated periodically so check here for the most current formats. We encourage you to adapt the source for your purposes. Learning Outcomes At the...



  5. Integrated Soil Fertility Management - Facilitators Guide
    2020-04-20 The editable source documents (.docx and .pub)of these materials are available in many other languages fromthe CFGB database. The source documents are updated periodically so check here for the most current formats. We encourage you to adapt the source for your purposes. Learning Outcomes –...
9 more Other Farmer Training Guides

CAN Nutricion

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  1. Complementary Food - Poster Porridge Mirror, Nutritive Density
    Organización: ODIM





  2. Diabetes - How to Prevent and Live Healthy with Diabetes? Hospitalito, Kaqchiquel
    Spanish with Kaqchiquel Organización: Hospitalito de Atitlán





  3. Complementary Food - Poster Recipes for a 6-month-old baby
    Organización: ODIM





  4. Complementary Food - Unit 4. Complementary Feeding
    Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social





  5. Complementary Food - First Month Meal Plan
    Organización: ODIM
3 more CAN Nutricion

MissionAssist Books - Crafts and Skills

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  1. Preserve your Food by Drying
    A tent drier can be used to dry fruit and vegetables in the heat of the sun. Food so preserved will keep long past harvest time and can be sold later in the year in the market place. This material was taken from Footsteps - the literacy publication of TEAR Fund - with kind permission.This edition...





  2. Protection from Lightning
    Advice on how to protect buildings from lightning strikes. This material was taken fromFootsteps- the literacy publication of TEAR Fund - with kind permission. The original text was by Ronald Watts, Zambia. This edition was published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by MissionAssist.
  3. Mixed Fruit Juice
    Two women sell passion fruit and pineapple mixed juice. One has not made it correctly so it makes her customers ill. The other knows how to make it safely and she tells the other woman what to do. Full instructions on how to manufacture mixed juice are included in the appendix. This uses material...





  4. How to Make Indigo Dye
    This book explains how to make indigo dye: the best plants to use and the equipment needed. Written and illustrated for MissionAssist. This edition published in the United Kingdom in 2020 by MissionAssist.





  5. How To Make Green Mango Chutney
    Howto make chutney from green, unripe mangoes or tomatoes. This material was taken fromFootsteps- the literacy publication of TEAR Fund - with kind permission.This edition was published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by MissionAssist.
57 more MissionAssist Books - Crafts and Skills

MissionAssist Books - Health and Hygiene

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  1. Disability: Walking
    For children with conditions that make it difficult for them to walk, a few simple aids can make all the difference; this book explains how they can be used. It uses material fromFootsteps 108, the literacy publication of Tear Fund with kind permission This edition published in the United Kingdom...



  2. Disability: Vision Impairment
    This book gives a brief overview of the most common diseases and problems affecting eyes, along with a description of their causes and possible treatments. It also offers practical advice on how best to manage everyday life with impaired vision or even total loss of sight. This book uses material...





  3. First Aid
    Basic instruction for people who have no medical knowledge on how to care correctly for sick or injured persons whilst awaiting the arrival of medical experts. This uses material fromFootsteps 18- a literacy publication from TEAR Fund used with kind permission. This edition published in the...





  4. Baby Care, Book3
    This is the third book in a series of three about baby care. It is about weaning a baby.The baby was born strong and he was brought up healthily and well nourished on his mother’s milk. He continues to grow and reaches the third stage of his life, when he begins to feed on other foods apart from...





  5. Albinism
    This book explains the cause of albinism and stresses the importance of ensuring that albinos receive the care and respect that will enable them to lead as normal a life as possible. This book uses material from the public domain Illustrations by MissionAssist This edition published in the United...
44 more MissionAssist Books - Health and Hygiene

General Technical Documents

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  1. A Step-by-Step Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation
    This resource is designed to help groups working on community led approaches to climate change and energy conduct their own Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). It aims to provide an accessible background to the principles of M&E, together with selected links to resources and approaches that...



  2. Digital Data Callection
    Data Visualization Introduction Outline: Waht is digital data Collection? The advantages of Digital Data Collection Challenges of Digital Data Collection Guide to Digital Data Collection Digital Data Collection Steps Top Open-Source Data Collection Tools and Research Case Studies



  3. Vermiculture_Garden_Composting
    Benefits 1. Efficient recycling of clean vegetable residues. 2. Feed and multiply earthworms to populate a garden area of up to 1000 sq. ft. (32’ X 32’). 3. Protect young worms from animal predators. 4. Worm numbers per bed increased 25 fold, over 6 months at ECHO in N. Fort Meyers, FL. 5....



  4. How to Develop Actionable Recommendations
    This Guideline provides practical guidance on content and process issues around developing actionable recommendations. A critical component of the National Evaluation System (NES) is supporting evaluation use. This is done through the development of recommendations in the evaluation report which...



  5. Design and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Standards
    High quality monitoring, review, evaluation, and learning (MEL) ensures investments have a credible basis and can be used to make timely and important strategic and tactical programming decisions. It supports accountability, learning and, when implemented well, improves program effectiveness and...
96 more General Technical Documents

Research - Posters

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  1. Poster - Oxalates Present in Monstera Fruit and Plant Matter
    Plants contain oxalates for a few reasons. The first is that plants do not have an excretory system like animals, so oxalates allow plants the ability to bind up excess calcium (Webb 1999).Plants high in oxalates can have negative effects on the ability of animals to absorb calcium after eating...





  2. Poster - Cyantesmo Paper for Detecting Cyanide
    Some tropical crops contain cyanogenic glycosides, toxic substances that release hydrocyanic acid (HCN; also referred to as cyanide) when cells are crushed. Consuming these plants without cooking them can cause cyanide poisoning, with varying effects depending on cyanide levels and how long a...



  3. Poster - Seed Storage: Effectiveness of containers on temperature and relative humidity control
    After modifications to the ECHO Global Seed Bank storage unit, seed storage techniques already in use were assessed for effectiveness in achieving appropriate seed storing conditions within the renovated cooling and dehydrating system.Seed type influenced the effect of container on relative...
  4. Test
    Test





  5. Leafy Greens for Health
    Add greens to foods for healthier meals!
23 more Research - Posters

ECHO East Africa News

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  1. East Africa Newsletter Issue 14
    In this issue: 1. Nutrition in dryland areas symposium 2.Nanenane Agricultural show 3. Appropriate technology 4. ECHO EA seed bank updates 5..Parthenium 6. Upcoming events 7. News in brief





  2. ECHO East Africa Newsletter Issue 2
    In This Issue Seed Bank Update Students Visit ECHO EA Local CA Training Events Staff Transitions Resources for Organic Certif. The Debate over GMOs New Online Resources



  3. The chaya delivery model at homes has yielded great results





  4. ECHO East Africa Newsletter Issue 12
    In this issue: Nanenane Agricultural show Appropriate technology ECHO EA seedbank updates Highlights Innovation News in brief ECHO RIC‟s Best Practices
  5. East Africa Announcements
    2021-03-17
11 more ECHO East Africa News

Christian Veterinary Mission (CVM) Publications

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  1. Learning Together - The Agricultural Worker's Participatory Sourcebook
    When we begin a training program we want to encourage people's growth. We want to equip them for the future and for change. Because participatory training can cause change, it can also affect power, authority, and control. Therefore, training of any kind is not neutral. Every kind of training can...





  2. Where There is no Animal Doctor
    Dr. Maureen Birmingham and Dr. Peter Quesenberry,Revised Edition 2016 ISBN 978-1-886532-45-8 The idea for a book "Where There is No Vet" was conceived years ago. Work was officially started in 1985 by the late Dr. Bill Baker who worked as a veterinarian in Haiti for eight years. Dr. Baker...



  3. Raising Healthy Sheep
    This handbook will help the sheep producer select production goals, select the type of sheep most suitable for a particular area, and will serve as a guide for the production of healthy sheep.Sheep are one of the most common livestock and among the first to be domesticated. They are very...





  4. Raising Healthy Goats
    2006-01-20 The author's sincere desire in preparing this booklet is that it will serve to be readily used as a reference and aid in the raising of goats. Veterinary information and assistance are in short supply or nonexistent in many areas of the world. The author has endeavored to write this booklet in a...



  5. Disease and Parasite Prevention
    2006-01-20 Why do our farm animals get sick and how can we keep them healthy?" This is a question veterinarians and other specialists who work with small farmers hear frequently. Most of these farmers work very hard, giving time, effort, and loving care to their animals in the hope that their farm will be...
10 more Christian Veterinary Mission (CVM) Publications

ECHO East Africa Notes

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  1. EAN Issue #2
    A Combination of Approaches to Conserve Soil and Water Tephrosia: A Multipurpose Tree for GM/CC, Soil Conservation and IPM



  2. EAN Issue # 9
    Food from the Wild Sweet Potato Promoting Biodiversity on Maize Smallholdings



  3. EAN Issue #7
    Families Benefited with Dairy Goats Project A Research Project:Packed Biogas in Bags Green Manure/ Cover Crops: jack bean



  4. EAN Issue #5
    Moving towards energy self-sufficiency: addressing challenges to biogas technology uptake for improving rural livelihoods Improving soil nutrients by planting Jack Bean Parthenium hysterophorus



  5. EAN Issue #4
    New seed to try: Banana Passionfruit Sweet Potato Varieties in East Africa Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease in East Africa A Focus on Perennial Vegetables
7 more ECHO East Africa Notes

FAO Publications

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  1. Training Manual on Mushroom Cultivation Technology
    Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of macrofungi. They include both edible/medicinal and poisonous species. However, originally, the word “mushroom” was used for the edible members of macrofungi and “toadstools” for poisonous ones of the “gill” macrofungi. Scientifically the term “toadstool” has...



  2. A data portrait of smallholder farmers
    The FAOSmallholder Farmers’ Dataportrait is a comprehensive, systematic and standardized data set on the profile of smallholder farmers across the world. It can generate an image on how small family farmers in both emerging and developing countries live their lives. It is about putting in...



  3. Adopted International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (Last updated 2023-07)
    Parent page Adopted Standards (ISPMs)





  4. Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) User guide
    2022-01-20 FAO. 2022. Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) User guide. Rome. https://doi. org/10.4060/cb8611en AGORA is a programme of Research4Life – a public-private partnership between Cornell and Yale Universities, FAO, the International Association of Scientific, Technical and...



  5. Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Sourcebook
    2022-01-20 FAO, Rikolto and RUAF.2022.Urban and peri-urbanagriculture sourcebook– From production to food systems.Rome, FAO and Rikolto. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb9722en The purpose of this book is to set out the key lessons learned and to provide recommendations and guidance based on existing cases and...
11 more FAO Publications

Food Plants International - Posters

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  1. Tropical Food Plants of India - 4
    Poster of some of the edible plants of tropical India. Being compiled by Bruce French of Food Plants International. www.foodplantsinternational.com



  2. Tropical Food Plants of India - 3
    Poster of some of the edible plants of tropical India. Being compiled by Bruce French of Food Plants International. www.foodplantsinternational.com



  3. Tropical Food Plants of India - 2
    Posters of some of teh edible plants of tropical India 2. Being compiled by Bruce French of Food Plants International www.foodplantsinternational.com



  4. Tropical Food Plants of India - 1
    Poster of some of the edible plants of tropical India. Being compiled by Bruce French of Food Plants International. www.foodplantsinternational.com



  5. Nut Foods of the Solomon Islands
6 more Food Plants International - Posters

MissionAssist Books - Illness and Disease

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  1. Hypertension & Blood Pressure
    A story to encourage people to have their blood pressure checked, with advice on how to prevent high blood pressure, and what to do if one has it. The second part of the book is more practical; it explains what hypertension is and what causes it, and has more detail on prevention and cure....





  2. Cholera
    This booklet describes what cholera is; what you can do to stop people catching it; how to recognise if someone has it and how to help them get better. This booklet uses material from a number of web sites and from the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency with kind permission. This edition...





  3. Glandular Tuberculosis
    This booklet contains notes on the prevention and treatment of glandular tuberculosis. This has been adapted from "La Tuberculosis Pulmonar" (Pulmonory Tuberculosis) by the Ministry of Health of Peru, in collaboration with SIL Peru. Text and illustrations 1976 Ministry of Health of Peru and SIL...





  4. Living with Diabetes
    This book gives advice on how to live with diabetes and other non-communicable diseases. Adapted from "Footsteps 87", the literary publication ofTearfundwith kind permission. This edition published in the United Kingdom in 2021 by MissionAssist.





  5. Dengue Fever
    There is no cure for dengue fever but this book gives details on how to help people suffering from the disease. This uses material from "Dengue Fever" by Three Strands Consulting Services Pvt. Ltd. with kind permission. 2018, Chiranjib Chatterjee This edition published in the United Kingdom in...
14 more MissionAssist Books - Illness and Disease

ATTRA Publications on Sustainable Agriculture

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  1. Butterfly Pea: A Cover Crop for Hot and Humid Areas
    Butterfly Pea: A Cover Crop for Hot and Humid Areas – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture Butterfly peas (Clitoria ternatea) are known for their showy flowers, but their twining, delicate-stemmed growth habit also makes them a great cover crop candidate. They have pinnate leaves with five to seven...





  2. Cover Crop Options for Hot and Humid Areas
    Cover Crop Options for Hot and Humid Areas – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture Cover crops can be better adapted to some regions better than others. This publication discusses the characteristics of cover crops that are better suited for areas with hot, humid summers, like the southern portions of...





  3. Biochar and Sustainable Agriculture
    https://attra.ncat.org/publication/biochar-and-sustainable-agriculture/ Biochar is a potentially valuable soil amendment produced from biomass, through pyrolysis. Biochar improves soil aggregation, enhances nutrient- and water-holding capacity, provides habitat for soil organisms, modulates...





  4. Seeding Root Crops
    As a nongenerational farmer, most of my agricultural experiences before entering the field of farming and food systems had huge impacts on my decision to farm, from childhood memories of wild blackberries to college-age harvesting of carrots.





  5. Microgreens: Tiny Crops, Big Profits – A Nutritional Powerhouse for Farmers and Winter Menus
    Tiny but mighty, microgreens are sprouting up on plates everywhere, adding a burst of flavor, vibrant color, and a hefty dose of nutrition to every dish. These miniature greens aren’t just a pretty garnish—they’re nutrient-packed powerhouses that can turn your meals and your income around....
13 more ATTRA Publications on Sustainable Agriculture

International Biochar Initiative Publications

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  1. IBI Technical Bulletin #101
    Biochar can be made from a wide variety of feedstocks and under a wide variety of conditions, yielding a wide variety of potential product characteristics. Not all biochars are suitable for soil application as supplied. This Technical Bulletin covers two rapid tests that can be used to assess the...



  2. IBI Technical Bulletin #102
    Biochar should always be tested for safety before applying to soil (see IBI Technical Bulletin #101: Quick tests to determine whether a biochar material contains compounds that are potentially harmful to plants). Biochar is not a single material and can vary in its composition according to how it...



  3. IBI Technical Bulletin #103
    Biochar is mostly composed of highly stable forms of black carbon and it can be used as a tool for carbon sequestration in soil. There is also interest in using biochar to create permanent landscape art, including as part of projects (such as 350.org) aimed at raising public awareness about...



  4. IBI Technical Bulletin #104
    Biochar has been shown to be beneficial for growing crops. For farmers and gardeners, biochar provides a unique opportunity to improve soil fertility for the long term using locally available materials. Used alone, or in combinations, compost, manure, and/or synthetic fertilizers are added at...



  5. The Use of Biochar in Composting
    2015-02-20 Marta Camps, Massey University; and Thayer Tomlinson, International Biochar Initiative February 2015 Both compost and biochar production are methods to utilize and recycle organic wastes. This paper provides information on the use of biochar in composting and highlights the potential benefits,...
7 more International Biochar Initiative Publications

USAID Crop Publications

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  1. Chili Production Manual - Chili Production, Harvest & Post-Harvest Management
    USAID - Pakistan - Chili Production, Harvest & Post-Harvest Management



  2. Farmers Handbook for Onion Production
    Onions are one of the oldest vegetables in continuous cultivation, dating back to at least 4,000 BC as recorded by ancient Egyptians. This fact is documented in the Bible and Holy Quran. » The common dry onions (Allium cepa), a member of the Amarylli-daceae family, originated in central Asia...



  3. Onion Production: Planting Through Harvest - USAID
    2012-01-20 This manual was prepared to assist USAID-Inma field staff in working with cooperating growers. It does not cover all issues or answer all questions. The USAIDInma horticulture team or Ministry of Agriculture specialists can be consulted to answer additional questions. Onions clearly represent an...

Zambia Agribusiness Society - ZAS

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  1. C - Chicken Coops: 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock - Judy Pangman
    Chickens have very basic needs: food and water, adequate shelter and space, and predator protection. Chicken owners go to all different lengths to meet those needs, from the simplest to the very elaborate. The beauty of raising chickens is that there is no set formula and no way that you must do...



  2. C - A Guide to Organic Livestock Farming: Poultry Disease Prevention - Ruth Enoch-Agore
    Organic Livestock Farming refers to the treatment and growth promotion of livestock with Natural products. Topics discussed in this resource include: Organic Farming Natural and Organic Products Poultry Infections and Diseases Tips on Management



  3. C - Planting, Growing and Harvesting Onions - ZAS
    Onions are consumed in almost every household in Zambia. Not only are onions grown for domestic consumption but are also grown for commercial purposes. Onions are one of the few crops in Zambia that will always have a ready market. This simple guide will equip onion growers with recommended...



  4. C - Growing Onions - GROW Jamaica
    Onion (Allium cepa L.) cultivation in Jamaica dates back to more than 50 years ago (ADC, 1963). It is a culinary ‘must use’ for Jamaican diets and more than 10 million kg is consumed annually. Over the last 18 years, onion production has declined significantly from 4,200 tonnes in 1996 to 680...



  5. C - Nutritional Recommendations for Onion - Haifa
    Topics reviewed in this resource includes: Onion economy Growing onions Varieties Growth stages Favorable growth conditions Nutrition and fertilization Soil analysis guide Leaf analysis guide
107 more Zambia Agribusiness Society - ZAS

Grower Talks

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  1. Grower Talks - Insecticide, Miticide, and Fungicide Guide
    GrowerTalks magazinemay be the best-known greenhouse trade publication in the world. While it’s published in America’s Midwest, just outside of Chicago, its reach and influence is global, with its editors historically on the road and in the air to find the stories, trends and news. ARTICLES FROM...



  2. Grower Talks - Insecticide, Miticide, and Fungicide Guide
    2021-01-01 GrowerTalks magazinemay be the best-known greenhouse trade publication in the world. While it’s published in America’s Midwest, just outside of Chicago, its reach and influence is global, with its editors historically on the road and in the air to find the stories, trends and news. ARTICLES FROM...

ICIPE Publications

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  1. Biopesticides as Effective Tools for the Control of Ticks
    Ticks and tick-borne diseases cause great economic loss to livestock in the world and have adverse effects on them in several ways and even leads to their death. Ticks parasitise a wide range of vertebrate hosts and transmit a variety of pathogenic agents than any other group of arthropods. The...



  2. Plant-Parasitic Nematodes and Food Security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
    Nematodes are difficult to diagnose due to their nonspecific, cryptic disease symptoms, lack of apparent damage, limited diagnostic capabilities, and inadequate understanding of nematodes and expertise to manage the pests. Nematodes are often misdiagnosed or attributed to other causes.





  3. Integrated Pest Management for Brassica Production in East Africa A Guidebook
    2013-01-20 Many of the important agricultural and horticultural crops cultivated worldwide belong to the genus Brassica. The main brassicas grown in East Africa are cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata); kale, also called choumolea (B. oleracea L. var. acephala); Chinese cabbage (B. campestris L....



  4. A Field Guide to the Management of Economically Important Tephritid Fruit Flies in Africa 2006
    2006-01-20 This field guide provides agricultural scientists, extension workers and quarantine specialists with information on the life cycle, damage symptoms, distribution and host plants of major fruit fly species of fruits and vegetables in Africa. The purpose, tools and methodology for fruit fly...

Infonet Biovision Publications

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  1. Diseases of Sheep & Goats in East Africa
    Diagnostic chart based on disease signs and observations



  2. Diseases of Cattle in East Africa - Diagnostic Chart
    2016-02-20 Diagnostic chart based on disease signs and observations



  3. Enhancing Tree Planting - Consultancy Report
    2012-01-20 Infonet-Biovision, an initiative of Biovision Farmer Communication Programme, provides small-scale farmers, communities, NGOs, and trainers with practical information and knowledge on simple, workable and ecologically compatible practices and methods that sustain farming and household incomes. It...



  4. Training for IPM in Mango Production in East Africa
    2005-01-20 Mango is one of the most important fruit crops in the tropical and subtropical lowlands. It is a fruit growing in popularity worldwide and well suited to East Africa as a commercial crop. These guidelines are for farmer-to-farmer leaders of a training programme. They are accompanied by a field...

ECHO Research - Guidance

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  1. Toward more Fruitful Agricultural Experimentation
    For many of us the idea of “research” is scary. We are not trained in it. We picture rigorous statistical analyses that we are unfamiliar with. We have seen glossy scientific journals with technical words that we do not understand. Besides, isn’t our goal to directly help smallholder farmers? Why...



  2. Formalizing Your Research: How to Carry Out an Agricultural Experiment
    As you work in agricultural development, there may be times that you find yourself wondering about the answer to a specific question you have. For example, should plants be spaced 30 cm or 60 cm apart to achieve the highest yield? Which one of three tomato cultivars would grow best in a...



  3. Using Science to Help the Poor: Low-budget Research Ideas
    2000-10-20 Halfway through my doctoral studies in biochemistry I had an opportunity to travel to a developing country to visit some missionaries and the people they served. Thanks to that visit I began my “mid-life” crisis in my mid-twenties. My research at Indiana University was in what one would call “...

GODAN Open Data Management in Agriculture and Nutrition

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  1. Layer Farming – Sikkim





  2. Lesson 3:3 Creating and Managing Open Data Repositories





  3. Lesson 2:1 Discovering Open Data





  4. Lesson 4:4 Semantic Interoperability





  5. Lesson 3:5 Developing Strategies for Implementing Open Data Plans
17 more GODAN Open Data Management in Agriculture and Nutrition

ECHO Research Newsletter

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  1. December 2024 ECHO Research Newsletter
    December 2024 is the third issue of ECHO Research Newsletters. To correspond with ideas and feedback about the topics ofthis newsletter, email publishing@echonet.org. Engagement Opportunities:IV International Symposium on Underutilized Plant Species andSpecial journal issue on Agriculture and...



  2. August 2024 ECHO Research Newsletter
    2024-08-23 August 2024 is the secondissue of ECHO Research Newsletters. To correspond with ideas and feedback about the topics ofthis newsletter, email publishing@echonet.org. Engagement Opportunities: Monitoring and evaluation, Plant nutritional information Knowledge Exchange: A research round table and...



  3. May 2024 ECHO Research Newsletter
    2024-05-02 May 2024 is the first issue of ECHO Research Newsletters. To correspond with ideas and feedback about the topics ofthis newsletter, email publishing@echonet.org. Engagement Opportunities: Monitoring and evaluation, Plant nutritional information Knowledge Exchange: A research round table and...

ECHO Technical Notes

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  1. A Beginners Guide to Small-Scale Tropical Agriculture
    So you want to help people in the tropics. Beautiful! The tropics are waiting for you. No matter what your abilities, you can make life better for others in the tropics. Your concern for the physical and spiritual well-being of people can be translated into fruitful service. Your first asset is...



  2. Tire, Sack, and Keyhole Gardens
    2025-03-19 Home gardens are typically small growing areas near the homestead that contain crops of specific importance to the family. Home gardens offer quick access to herbs, fruits, and vegetables that help boost household nutrition.This article will detail step-by-step instructions for how to make a tire...



  3. Maresha Plow
    2024-09-18 ECHO East Africa worked with Neil Rowe-Miller from 2018-2023 to develop and refine the Maresha plow, originally from Ethiopia, into a seeder for promotion of conservation agriculture in East Africa. This Technical Note includes details about the plow's benefits, parts, operation, calibration,...





  4. Bamboo Load-Centered Wheelbarrow
    2023-12-20 A standard wheelbarrow, with the wheel at the front, places about half the weight of the load on the operator. A load-centered wheelbarrow places the wheel in the center of the load, shifting 90% or more of the weight to the wheel instead of the operator. This allows the device to be used for...





  5. Animal Production Litter Systems
    2023-11-21 Litter systems are an approach to hygienic, integrated animal production in which animals are raised in an enclosed space on a floor of organic bedding. Systems with thick bedding material are sometimes called deep litter systems. Litter systems allow you to prioritize animal health by providing...
98 more ECHO Technical Notes

ECHO Asia News

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  1. ECHO quick photo guide of insect pest damage vs. other crop damage / BIOPEST





  2. Substances Used for Biopest Management





  3. Integrated Pest Management – IPM / Biopest
    An overview of the workshop topics including integrated pest management, natural herbicides, Beuveria, Trichoderma, etc.



  4. Developing Community Seed Banking Practices through Low-Cost Appropriate Technology Use
    This article by ECHO Asia Staff membersPatrick Trail, Yuwadee Danmalidoi, and Boonsong Thansrithong, appeared in ARI's'Eudoo' Journal of Rural Future Study(May, 2021) A number of motivations exist for saving seed at the community level, including crop biodiversity preservation, food sovereignty...



  5. Asia News #10
    2016-11-20
9 more ECHO Asia News

Food Plant Solutions - Publications

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  1. Important Root Crops of Solomon Islands
    This poster is designed as a simple introduction to important root crops ofSolomon Islands. It is hoped people will take greater pride and interest in these plants and become confident and informed about how to grow and use them. Many of the local food plants that occur in every country are very...



  2. Potentially Important Food Plants of Chad
    This book is designed as a simple introduction to the more common food plants ofChad. It is hoped people will take greater pride and interest in these plants and become confident and informed about how to grow and use them. Many of the local food plants that occur in every country are very good...



  3. Potentially Important Food Plants of Malawi
    This book is designed as a simple introduction to the more common food plants of Malawi. It is hoped people will take greater pride and interest in these plants and become confident and informed about how to grow and use them. Many of the local food plants that occur in every country are very...
  4. Fresh Food for Families Event Guidelines
    Imagine - You are an immigrant to a country which, in contrast to all that you are familiar with, is in a different climate, with different soils, and different plants which will flourish in these conditions. You are keen to be a good provider for your family and the idea of growing fresh fruit...



  5. Poster - Important Leavy Greens and Vegetables of Cameroon
    If you download a publication, please contact Food Plant Solutionsat –info@foodplantsolutions.org Feedback on any publication is invited and much appreciated –info@foodplantsolutions.org Return to the Publications List
137 more Food Plant Solutions - Publications

MissionAssist Books - Information and Education

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  1. Seeds and their Stories
    This book looks at some of the many different types of seeds, their uses and their distribution patterns. It uses material from the public domain Illustrations by MissionAssist This edition published in the United Kingdom in 2023 by MissionAssist Copyright 2023 MissionAssist



  2. From Bean to Bar
    This book gives some interesting facts about chocolate, its origins, manufacturers and uses; plus a simple recipe for making chocolate chip cookies. Written and illustrated by MissionAssist This edition published in the United Kingdom in 2024 by MissionAssist Copyright 2024 MissionAssist...





  3. All About Animals - Camels
    There are three species of camel: Dromedaries, which can be found in North Africa, the Middle East and some parts of Asia; the Bactrian Camels which live in Asia and Wild Bactrian Camels who inhabit parts of China and Mongolia. Written and illustrated for MissionAssist This edition published in...





  4. Animals-Giant Tortoise
    There are about 49 different species of tortoise all over the world. The smallest are the padlopers of southern Africa. These are about 10 - 15 centimetres long. The largest tortoises live in the Aldabra and Galapagos islands. This book focuses on the two and largest species of tortoise, called...





  5. Water Pumps - Solar-power
    Solar-Powered water pumps: fresh water brought to you by the sun.This book, the fifth in a series on water pumps, explains how solar-powered pumps work and illustrates the different types available to assist in the provision of clean drinking water for the community, also water for livestock and...
58 more MissionAssist Books - Information and Education

World Bank Group - Open Knowledge Repository

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  1. The Little Data Book on Financial Inclusion 2022
    “World Bank. 2022.The Little Data Book on Financial Inclusion 2022. World Bank, Washington, DC. World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/38148 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.” The Little Data Book on Financial Inclusion 2022 is a pocket edition of the Global Findex Database 2021. The...



  2. Working with Smallholders : A Handbook for Firms Building Sustainable Supply Chains
    2019-01-20 “International Finance Corporation. 2019.Working with Smallholders : A Handbook for Firms Building Sustainable Supply Chains. Washington, DC. International Finance Corporation. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/29764 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.” The purpose of Working with...

Practical Action: Technology Challenging Poverty

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  1. Small-Scale Drying Technologies
    Globally, drying is the most widely used method for preserving foods for use in the home or for sale. When drying foods such as fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs and nuts value is added by dryingand in such cases an investment in improved drying technologies may be economically viable. This...



  2. Drying of Foods
    There are two main reasons for drying food: to prevent (or inhibit) the growth and activity of micro-organisms and hence preserve the food to reduce the weight and bulk of food for cheaper transport and storage. This technical brief describes some of the requirements for proper drying and...



  3. Biogas
    2007-01-01 Biogas is a well-established fuel for cooking and lighting in a number of countries. It is a gas mixture comprising around 60% methane and 40% carbon dioxide that is formed when organic materials, such as dung or vegetable matter are broken down by microbiological activity in the absence of air,...

COMPAS - Newsletter for Endogenous Development

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  1. CM8 Strengthening Local Economies
    In this issue, several authors indicate the causes of poverty in their area of work. For example Barkin (p.41) points at the processes of cultural oppression and agricultural modernisation that affected the indigenous peoples in rural Mexico; Satheesh (p.20) presents the influence of the Public...



  2. 05 Endogenous Development Magazine 2009 #5
    Methodologies to support endogenous development The social mobilisation approach facilitates community change in Sri Lanka Promoting health care in India - by reinforcing local health traditionsrang Ghanaian community approach AGRUCO's methods strenthen self esteem and cultural identity Reviving...



  3. Book 021 Dialogues Within and Between Different Sciences: Issues and Strategies from Endogenous Perspective
    2021-01-01 This paper presents the following questions in an inter-cultural perspective: What are importantant differences in worldviews and how do these affect the ways of knowing? What is knowledge and what is science? What types of relationships can exist between dominant science and the different local...



  4. Book 019 CAPTURED End Evaluation Synthesis Report
    2012-01-01 This report provides the summary findings of the CAPTURED End Evaluation. In addition, three country evaluation reports have been produced, based on the work of the CAPTURED partners in Bolivia, Ghana and India. As noted in the ToR document, the purpose of this evaluation of the Program for...



  5. Book 015 Towards Co-Creation of Sciences #15
    2012-01-01 The objective of this book is to stimulate co-creation of sciences through an inter-cultural and inter-scientific dialogue – a dialogue in which each way of knowing expresses itself, where differences are positively and respectfully considered, and where options for complementarity (and aspects...
34 more COMPAS - Newsletter for Endogenous Development

Feed the Future Publications

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  1. How to Process Jack bean (and other types of beans) as human food
    Jack bean is an excellent plant for enriching soil, because it grows under very difficult conditions. However, the beans contain toxins that normally make them unsuitable for human consumption. This document describes how to germinate jack bean to remove the toxins and increase the beans’...





  2. Minimal Soil Disturbance and its Effect on Soil Moisture Availability
    This short document contains graphs that show how zero tillage leads to increased water infiltration and increased water retention in soil.





  3. Green Manure/Cover Crop approach in RAMA-BC
    This document distinguishes between ‘anchor’ cover crops (that are intercropped with a main crop such as maize) and ‘secondary’ cover crops (that don’t compete with the main crop because they have a short life cycle, and that can help cover the soil at the start of the growing season). The...





  4. Farmer Own Soil Fertility Analysis
    Four nutrient deficiencies--phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, and magnesium--can be diagnosed by observing maize leaves. This document includes photos of a healthy maize leaf and of maize leaves demonstrating each of these nutrient deficiencies. It also contains suggestions for how to address each...





  5. “Push and Pull” in Combatting Fall Army Worm and Witchweed (Striga)
    In the Push-Pull system, crops that repel pests and/or attract pests’ predators are intercropped with maize, to ‘push’ pests away from the main crop. Plants that attract pests are planted around the field, to ‘pull’ pests away from the maize. Incorporating legumes in this system means that soil...
1 more Feed the Future Publications

ECHO Asia Seed Fact Sheets

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  1. Crotalaria juncea
    General description and special characteristics – Sunn hemp is an erect, Photo: ECHO Asia staff annual legume with rapid, vigorous growth, bright yellow flowers, and plump,pubescent seed pods. The plant generally grows unbranched from the ground to approximately 60 cm (2 ft.) up the stem. Above...



  2. Cosmos sulphureus
    General description and special characteristics – Annual semi-hardy herb up to 1-2 m tall with bright orange or yellow flowers. Variety – Thung Khang Tong, a local Thai variety



  3. Benincasa hispida
    General description and special characteristics – Wax gourd is an annual squash-like vine, with large, soft, hairy leaves. Fruits are large, oblong, 25-120 cm long, usually hairy when young, and with a waxy covering when ripe. Fruit may weigh up to 40 kg, though 10 kg is normal. They have solid...



  4. Amaranthus tricolor
    General description and special characteristics – An upright branched annual of which the young leaves and stems are eaten like cooked spinach. Amaranthus tricolor originates from tropical Asia and is one of the major leafy vegetables in South and Southeast Asia. Varieties – Tigerleaf: green leaf...



  5. Coccinia grandis
    General description and special characteristics – Ivy gourd is a perennial vine with white, star shaped flowers and cucumber-like fruit which is green when immature and bright red when ripe. It is naturalized or native in Southeast Asia and East Africa, but is listed as an invasive weed in...
56 more ECHO Asia Seed Fact Sheets

Haitian Network Documents

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  1. Vetiver Latrine Guide
    A “how to” guide to successfully install a natural, sustainable latrine using vetiver grass The use of vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) replaces the need for a concrete block lined pit, creates privacy and actively helps decompose the waste. Jiji grass (Achnatherum splendens) can be used...





  2. Raj Powerpoint
    A powerpoint explaining rabies in general and in Haiti, how to combat it, signs, what do do if you are bit etc.





  3. Maladi Nou Ka Anpeche Nan Ayiti Ak Vaksen - Illnesses we can prevent in Haiti
    A creole document describing illnesses in Haiti that can be prevented with vaccine available in Haiti





  4. ENSÈK NAN JADEN NOU - Insects in our gardens
    Creole Document - Insects in our gardens





  5. GID ELVAJ KOSHON Kèk ti konsèy pou elvè koshon - Guide to raising piglets
    Creole Document - Guide to raising piglets
20 more Haitian Network Documents

Sustainable Nutrition Manual, 2nd Edition (2016)

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  1. SNM Flyer Malawi Food List (2022.07.18 updated)
    Extracted from SNM Part 3 Health Designs Appendix 1&2



  2. Sustainable Nutrition Manual Part 1 Healthy Humans
    2016-01-20 HealthHumans isaboutthe human body and nutrition. You will also learn about foodchoicesand the benefits of diversity in diet. It has lots of useful ideas toimprove life and manydelicious recipes and suggestions for tasty, healthymeals. *Sustainable Nutrition Manual (SNM): Food, Water, Agriculture...



  3. Sustainable Nutrition Manual Part 3 Healthy Designs
    2016-01-20 HealthyDesigns is about designing for sustainable living. This book brings parts 1 and2together and guides you to make a personalised plan for SustainableNutrition. This book ispractical to design everything on your land. There islots of information in the appendicesabout foods of Malawi and...





  4. Sustainable Nutrition Manual Part 2 Healthy Environments
    2016-01-20 HealthyEnvironments is about natural systems and sustainability. You will learn abouttheNature Cycle and the Water Cycle and natural sustainable systems. You willbe introduced toPermaculture ideas and gain an understanding of the benefitsof diversity in Nature. *Sustainable Nutrition Manual...

Mkulima Mbunifu (MkM)

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  1. MkM Toleo la 75
    Desemba 2018,Toleo la 75 Mkulima Mbunifu (MkM) ni jarida linalotoa elimu ya kilimo.
  2. Mkm Toleo la 130
    Februari 2024,Toleo la 130 Mkulima Mbunifu (MkM) ni jarida linalotoa elimu ya kilimo.
  3. Mkulima Mbunifu
    2020-06-01 Juni, 2020,Toleo la 93 Mkulima Mbunifu (MkM) ni jarida linalotoa elimu ya kilimo.



  4. MkM Toleo la 1
    2011-07-01 Karibu mkulima uelimike Magonjwa ya kuku Unaweza kupata nakala yako Njia rahisi ya kutengeneza mbolea maji Jinsi ya kuzuia magonjwa ya kuku Faida za kutumia mbolea mboji Mahitaji ya ng’ombe ili aongeze maziwa Washirika wa Mkulima Mbunifu Namna ya kuwavutia nyuki

CTA Publications

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  1. Medicinal Plants
    The valuable medicinal properties contained in certain plants are not, however, in doubt. In recent years, for example, the Chinese plant Artemisia annua, has become the essential ingredient in a new generation of anti-malaria drugs. The plant is now being grown in East African countries to...





  2. How To Keep Bees And Process Honey
    This 8-page fold-out leaflet, practical for use in the field and easy to read, covers the subject of bee-keeping and honey processing. It gives some background to the subject, outlines processes and provides tips, tables and explanatory line drawings.



  3. Marketing Animals And Milk
    This 8-page leaflet, practical for use in the field and easy to read, helps pastoralists understand markets for animals and milk. It gives background information on types of products, market chains, adding value and different types of markets. Marketing processes are clearly outlined, along with...



  4. 10 Ways To Improve Milk Marketing
    2014-01-01 This 8-page leaflet, practical for use in the field and easy to read, describes 10 ways that pastoralists can make more money from their milk. Ideas include splitting the herd, organising a marketing group and starting a small processing plant. Illustrated throughout with line drawings, further...



  5. Producing Animals And Milk For Market
    2014-01-01 This 8-page leaflet, practical for use in the field and easy to read, describes how pastoralists can produce strong, healthy animals and high-quality milk that will fetch a good price. It gives background information on markets for animals and milk, choosing the right animal breeds, and animal...
18 more CTA Publications

Conservation Agriculture Core Training Materials

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  1. Conservation Agriculture Posters
    The editable source documents (.docx and .pub)of these materials are available in many other languages fromthe CFGB database.The source documents are updated periodically so check here for the most current formats. We encourage you to adapt the source for your purposes. Poster List : What is CA?...





  2. Conservation Agriculture Facilitator’s Guidebook
    2020-04-20 The editable source documents (.docx and .pub)of these materials are available in many other languages fromthe CFGB database. The source documents are updated periodically so check here for the most current formats. We encourage you to adapt the source for your purposes. Conservation Agriculture...





  3. Conservation Agriculture - Core Lesson Farmer Booklet
    2020-04-20 The editable source documents (.docx and .pub)of these materials are available in many other languages fromthe CFGB database. The source documents are updated periodically so check here for the most current formats. We encourage you to adapt the source for your purposes. Why Use Conservation...

ECHO Recipes

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  1. Breads
  2. Drinks
  3. Main Dishes - Starch
  4. Soups
  5. Desserts
8 more ECHO Recipes

Resources for Schools and Teachers

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  1. Designing Experiments – Science Level: Middle School
    Students will investigate recent field research studies on the ECHO-North America Small Farm Resource Center and the ECHO-Asia Small Farm Resource Center and then design their own experiments. Activity 1 ECHO-North America initiated a multi-year gliricidia intercropping trial. Researchers are...



  2. A Pre-Visit Plan -- Please discuss this very important information with your students before you visit. 
    Frequently asked questions about ECHO, the farm visit, and safety rules for enjoying the ECHO-North America Small Farm Resource Center experience...



  3. Sweet Harvest! Math Level: Middle School
    Students will convert the annual sugar cane harvest data from weight to liquid measure, calculate the number of containers needed (gallons, quarts, and pints) for sale at a farmers’ market, and form a business plan including the calculation of costs and profits. An extension activity includes...



  4. Animals on the Farm – Science and ELA Level: Elementary-Middle School
    During the ECHO tour, students saw several members of the animal kingdom which play an important role on small-scale farms. After creating a graphic organizer, students will write stories, poems, construct posters, or design illustrated brochures or information sheets describing “How to Raise”...



  5. Gone Fishing! Math Level: Middle School
    Students will analyze data from the annual Tilapia harvest comparing the pond raised fish to the aquaponics grown fish. Guess what they found?
6 more Resources for Schools and Teachers

Amaranth to Zai Holes

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  1. Poem by Larry Fisher
    After 15 years of EDN, I guess it is not too much to include a bit of levity. Economists, agronomists and planners of late Have discovered a new way to pontificate. Beyond mere jargon, like "Success Enhancement," "Integrated Development," and "Rural Advancement." Working in all their infinite...



  2. Chapter 1 Table 2. Annual Crops (or Perennial Crops grown as annuals) Climatic Needs
    1996-10-19



  3. Chapter 1 Table 4. Suggested Crops for Specific Climatic Zones
    1996-10-19



  4. Chapter 15. Training and Missionary Resources
    1996-10-19 ECHO provides technical assistance to help you find practical, sustainable ways to address world hunger. We are motivated out of a Christian concern for obedience to Christ and love for our neighbors. This chapter lists many training opportunities and resources for working in development and...



  5. Chapter 16. Oils
    1996-10-19 Nearly every community uses oil in cooking. In some cases oil is a primary ingredient for flavor and energy, delivering needed calories and fats in a concentrated form (while in North America many people are concerned about limiting oil in their diets). Because processing equipment, oil crops, or...
40 more Amaranth to Zai Holes

Using ECHO Resources

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  1. ECHOcommunity legal and privacy notices
    The security of the users and members of ECHOcommunity is of utmost importance to us. These resources outline the policies that govern our data collection, the legal terms by which you may use this website and affiliated services, and what privileges are afforded to members. Please read these...



  2. ECHOcommunity.org
  3. ECHO Florida Community Garden Program
  4. ECHO Florida Programs





  5. ECHOcommunity Mobile App
    2021-01-20 Available on iOS 10.0+and Android 5.0+ Updated 8/2024. Search "echocommunity" in the App Store on your iPhone or in Google Play on your Android phone. ECHO has provided resources to farmers and development workers for over 40 years. ECHOcommunity.org contains thousands of documents and videos...

Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM) Publications

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  1. TOAM Poster - Sack Garden
    A sack garden is a small vegetable mound made from a nylon or similar sack. Please check the Kilimohai website for the latest additions to resources.





  2. TOAM Poster - How to Make a Natural Pesticide
    Poster - How to make a Natural Pesticide. Some natural pesticide ingredients and the pests they repel. Kilomohai Training Materialshttp://www.kilimohai.org/kilimohai/training-materials





  3. TOAM - Agroforestry Systems
    Poster - Benefits of agroforestry systems. Increase the productivity of your farmland by introducting trees. Kilomohai Training Materialshttp://www.kilimohai.org/kilimohai/training-materials
  4. TOAM - Biodiversity
    Swahili download only Kilomohai Training Materialshttp://www.kilimohai.org/kilimohai/training-materials
  5. TOAM - How can I control pests and diseases in a natural way?
    Farmers consider crop-reduction organisms to be pests and diseases. Insects, birds or other animals are considered pests whenever they cause damage to crops or to stored harvests. Fungi, bacteria and viruses are identified as diseases, when they invade or alter vital plant growth activities or...
6 more Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM) Publications

SAWBO Publications

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  1. SAWBO One-Page Brochure
    Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO) transforms expert knowledge into educational animations, which are then translated into multiple languages from around the world. We use a rigorous co-creation and review process to create highly accurate content.



  2. SAWBO Collaboration Document
    Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO) is a Michigan State University based program. SAWBO transforms extension information on relevant topics such as agriculture, health and women’s empowerment, into 2D, 2.5D and 3D animations, which are then voice overlaid into a diversity of global...



  3. Breaking out: the turning point in learning using mobile technology
    2021-03-23 Despite considerable research on YouTube as a digital media platform, little research to date has quantified the device-type used to access that online media. Analyzing access-device data for videos on one YouTube video channel—Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO), which produces...

VITA - Volunteers in Technical Assistance

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  1. Technology Transfer through VITA
    From Human Factors, 1968 A description of VITA at that time.



  2. VITA resources revived on ECHOcommunity
    Originally published by Volunteers in Techical Assistance between 1959 and 2005, an impressive collection of 137 VITA documents in 6 languages (English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish) have been republished. This list includes titles like: Understanding Evaporative Cooling,...
  3. Seeds, Weeds, and Pests
    This seed cleaner was developed in Afghanistan to remove round seeds of weeds from wheat grains. The round seeds could not be separated by a sieve because they were the same size as the wheat grains. The cleaner described here takes advantage of the round shape of the weed seeds to separate them...
  4. Poultry Raising
    The brooder is heated by a regular electric light bulb, placed under the brooder floor. Depending on the temperature rise required, the wattage of the light bulb will have to be chosen by experimentation. The metal floor and roof prevent predators such as rats from entering the brooder. If...





  5. 1995 Publications Catalog
    1995-01-01 For 35 years, VITA has been helping people in developing countries improve the quality of their lives through the provision of information services. VITA's oldest service, the Inquiry Service, enlists VITA volunteers to answer requests about a variety of development issues that come from around...
133 more VITA - Volunteers in Technical Assistance

ECHO Development Notes (EDN)

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  1. EDN Issue #169
    2025-04-01 Direct Solar Dryers:A simple, cheap option for solar food drying Echoes from Our Network: In-Field Grafted Avocado andFertility Ditches with Elephant Grass and/or Bananas From ECHO’s Seed Bank: Moth Bean Vigna aconitifolia, a Multipurpose Legume for Arid Climates Books, Websites, and Other...





  2. EDN Issue #168
    2025-02-05 10-Day Organic Liquid Protective Fertilizer Raw, Boiled, and Fermented Banana Stalk Comparison for use in Farm-generated Pig Feed Grey Water for Watering Plants From ECHO’s Seed Bank: Vigna vexillata, A Multi-Purpose Legume with Edible Tubers Books, Websites, and Other Resources:Invitation to...





  3. EDN Issue #167
    2024-12-16 Harvesting Water with Hafirs : Lessons from East Africa Echoes from our Network: Six Mulching Principles From ECHO’s Seed Bank: Adzuki Bean Books, Websites, and Other Resources: Tools for Underutilized Crop Selection - VACS Explorer, CropBase, ISHS Symposium on Underutilized Crop Species and...





  4. EDN Issue #166
    2024-10-01 ECHO is excited to share with you that we are re-engaging with our Central America and Caribbean (CAC) partners and network members through the establishment of a Regional Impact Center (RIC). We have heard the needs in the region and are focusing our efforts on being able to fully support a RIC...





  5. EDN Issue #165
    2024-08-01 Towards the use of Biopesticides Echoes from our Network: Fall Armyworm Question and Answerwith Dr. Allan Hruska, Ph.D. From ECHO's Seed Bank: Cucurbita Mochata 'Thai Kang Kob' Open-source Journals:The Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico and Ag4Dev
175 more ECHO Development Notes (EDN)

CFGB Conservation Agriculture Newsletter

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  1. CFGB CA News Volume 10 Issue 4 - December 2024
    2024-12-01 Inside this Issue: The Power of Conservation Agriculture and Small-Scale Irrigation Soil Cover is the driver of adoption of conservation agriculture by small-holder farmers Partner Profile: Lutheran World Federation, LWF-Burundi.





  2. CFGB CA News Volume 10 Issue 2 - April, 2024
    2024-04-01 Inside this Issue: Creating an Enabling Environment for Conservation Agriculture Soil Ecosystems are Bolstered by Conservation Agriculture Practices Partner Profile: ADRA ALTA Travel Schedule





  3. CFGB CA News Volume 10 Issue 1 - January, 2024
    2024-01-01 Inside this Issue: AdvocatingforConservationAgriculturePromotion Introducing Lidet Sitatow, Agriculture and Livelihoods Technical Advisor for Ethiopia Fall Armyworm Management Update Partner Profile: Anglican Development Services - Central Rift, Kenya





  4. CFGB CA News Volume 9 Issue 3, September 2023
    2023-09-20 Inside this issue: Green Manure Cover Crops for Regions with Bimodal Rainfall Scaling Conservation Agriculture-based Sustainable Intensification in Ethiopia (SCASI) CA Farmer Profile: Asnakech ALTA Travel Schedule





  5. CFGB CA News Volume 9 Issue 2 - June, 2023
    2023-06-20 In this Issue: Farming as a Business Telling the Story with Photographs Partner Profile - ODE, Burkina Faso CA Farmer Profile And much more!!
29 more CFGB Conservation Agriculture Newsletter

ECHO Best Practice Notes

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  1. Best Practices in Livestock Projects
    2024-11-06 This ECHO Best Practice Note distills insights from farmers and other specialists who collaborated in promoting livestock as a means to improve rural livelihoods. Acknowledgment is given especially to Heifer International and to all its partners who developed a substantial program that still...



  2. Best Practices for Tropical Dryland Agriculture
    2021-12-16 It is estimated that drylands occupy 40% of the earth’s surface.Drylands are regions where the average annual precipitation is less than 65% of the average annual potential evapotranspiration (an Aridity Index of < 0.65). The FAO Aridity Index is defined as a 30 year average of annual...





  3. Farmer-Centered Climate Change Mitigation
    2020-12-14 ECHO recognizes climate change as a profound reality faced by small-scale farmers. Many of our publications have focused on helping farmers cope with related challenges such as heat and drought.Increasing farmer resilience and minimizing risk have been key elements of the practices we have...





  4. Selecting Legumes as Green Manure/Cover Crops
    2017-05-26 By integrating legumes into cropping systems, small-scale farmers in low-resource settings can invest in the long-term health and resilience of their soils. Success or failure depends largely on choosing the right legume(s). With that in mind, this document presents insights on legume selection...





  5. Best Practices in Conservation Agriculture
    2016-09-28 Farmers in many parts of the world, because of human population growth, have little choice but to crop their land continuously, with scarce resources to replace nutrients withdrawn by each successive crop. Crop residues are often lost as a source of organic matter and mulch, usually through...
4 more ECHO Best Practice Notes

Practical Action Publications

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  1. Pastoralism, Uncertainty and Development
    2023-01-20 In the drylands and mountains where pastoralists live, uncertainty is everywhere. In these settings, negotiating access to resources, navigating volatile markets, making use of varying social relations in times of stress, and responding to conflict and complex political dynamics is essential if...



  2. Sustainable Livelihoods and Rural Development
    2015-01-20 The message of Sustainable Livelihoods and Rural Development is clear: livelihoods approaches are an essential lens on questions of rural development, but these need to be situated in a better understanding of political economy. The book looks at the role of social institutions and the politics...

ILEIA Newsletter - LEISA Magazine - Farming Matters

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  1. ILEIA Legacy is Living On
    2022-12-20 ILEIA - Centre for Learning on Sustainable Agriculture, had its start in 1984. It started from the observation that family farmers in remote, diverse and risk-prone farming conditions did not benefit from ‘modern’ agriculture based on external inputs: chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and...



  2. FM 2020 Farming Matters Vol 36 #1
    2020-01-20 In this issue: Agroecology and feminist economics The path to feminist agroecology The economic potential of agroecology in Europe The rise of rural women's movements in Southern Africa Care ethics in agroecology Highland agriculture Growing equity through agroecology in Uganda



  3. FM 2018 Farming Matters Vol 34 #1
    2018-03-20 Community supported agroecology thriving in China Farmers ensure safe water for New York City Agroecology is the way forward for Africa Organic and agroecology Women in Brazil build autonomy with agroecology Land grabbing threatens agroecology Rice Intensification in India Peasant agroecology in...



  4. FM 2017 Farming Matters Vol 33 #1
    2017-04-20 Agroecology for food sovereignty Food versus the big city of Istanbul Human-centred agriculture fighting exploitation and racism Food sovereignty taking root in women's knowledge Locally rooted ideas and initiatives from the field The vitality of everyday food Food sovereignty stories from...



  5. FM 2016 Farming Matters Vol 32 #4
    2016-12-20 Listening to pastoralists Pastoral Parliament - a platform to be heard and seen Migrant shepherds sustain pastoralism in the Mediterannean Pastoralists' breeds represent generations of knowledge Pastoralist women have the capacity to lead Adapting traditional land goverance in Somalia...
131 more ILEIA Newsletter - LEISA Magazine - Farming Matters

LEISA India Publications

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  1. Building farm resilience – September 2022 – Issue 24.3
    2022-09-20 We have come a long way on the path of development, which we can be proud of. But development comes with a huge cost in terms of its effect on environment, climate and communities. Farmers, already a vulnerable lot, become more vulnerable when they have to deal with the aberrations in climate,...



  2. Agroecology education – June 2022 – Issue 24.2
    2022-06-20 Education in any discipline needs to foster continuity and change. In applied sciences like Agriculture, Engineering, needs to be responsive to changing needs from the field. In case of agriculture, farming is pursued by rural majority, many of them illiterate too. They are the actual ‘...



  3. Urban Agriculture – March 2022 – Issue 24.1
    2022-03-20 When we first conceived urban agriculture as a potential theme, we were aware of some known initiatives across country both in urban and peri urban areas. However, it was heartening to see the wonderful response – individual efforts; efforts galvanised by State support; social media enthusiasm in...

ECHO Asia Notes

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  1. AN Issue #48
    2022-03-03 Featured in this AN Playing with Water Wheels: Exploring Low-Cost Methods for Pumping Irrigation Water A 'Successful Failure': Introducting SALT Technology in Northern Thailand Virtual Training Opportunities- email us at echoasia@echocommunity.org



  2. AN Issue #47
    2021-09-15 Featured in this AN Establishing a Scaled-Up Black Soldier Fly System An Innovative 'Do-All' Biochar Burner Design



  3. AN Issue #46
    2021-06-14 African Swine Fever Virus: Overview and Prevention on the Small Farm [Editor’s Note: For questions, comments, or personal experience on this topic visit ECHOcommunity Conversations: African Swine Fever Virus] [Example] Small FarmBiosecurity Plan for the Prevention of African Swine Fever I Suspect...



  4. AN Issue #45
    2021-03-01 Featured in this AN Stingless Beekeeping (Meliponiculture) on Java [Editor’s Note: For questions, comments, or personal experience on this topic visit the echocommunity ‘conversations’ forum Meliponiculture: Stingless Beekeeping.] Production of Vegetable Fern (Diplazium esculentum Reytz.) Under...



  5. AN Issue #44
    2020-12-14 Featured in this AN The Martinez Airlift Water Pump Do All Parts of the Chaya Plant Contain Cyanide? Cyantesmo Paper for Detecting Cyanide
43 more ECHO Asia Notes

World Health Organization Publications

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  1. State of the World's Hand Hygiene: A Global Call to Action to Make Hand Hygiene a Priority in Policy and Practice
    2021-10-15 This report is the first of its kind. It brings together various data sets to present the current status of hand hygiene, highlight lagging progress, and call governments and supporting agencies to action, offering numerous inspiring examples of change. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hand hygiene...

Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards Publications and Resources

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  1. LEGS Participatory Techniques Toolkit
    2021-05-20 LEGS Participation Mini Module Suji Omeno In this Mini Module, LEGS provides key techniques to aid and facilitate community participation. Some of the techniques includeFocus Group Discussions,Key Informant Interviews,Proportional Piling, Simple Ranking,Pairwise Ranking,Matrix Scoring,Historical...





  2. Gender and Livestock in Emergencies
    2020-10-20 A Discussion Paper for the Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS) Karin de Jonge and Lucy Maarse The aim of this Discussion Paper is to outline the major issues at the crossroads of gender and livestock in the context of humanitarian response, for the Advisory Committee of LEGS...





  3. The Quality of Veterinary Pharmaceuticals
    2020-10-20 A Discussion Paper for the Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS) Holly Hufnagel The objective of this discussion paper is to inform the LEGS Technical Advisory Committee on issues relating to the quality of veterinary pharmaceuticals for livestock responses in emergency situations....





  4. Livestock Insurance
    2020-09-20 A Discussion Paper for the Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS) Yacob Aklilu This paper was commissioned to assess livestock insurance schemes and explore what evidence exists regarding the effective implementation of livestock insurance schemes to support the livelihoods of...





  5. Livestock and Nutrition
    2020-09-20 A Discussion Paper for the Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS) Kate Sadler This discussion paper was commissioned by LEGS to review the key issues relating to nutrition in the context of livestock-based emergency interventions, with particular attention to the following key...
7 more Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards Publications and Resources

Aprovecho Publications

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  1. Clean Burning Biomass Cookstoves
    2021-01-20 Appendixes featuring CAD drawings of the • Natural Draft Sunken Pot Rocket Stove • Kirk Harris Natural Draft Top Lit Up Draft (TLUD) Stove • Side Feed Bottom Air Forced Draft Rocket Stove • Top Lit Forced Draft Stove • Charcoal Stove



  2. Clean Burning Biomass Cookstoves
    2021-01-20 Since its inception, the stove movement has consistently maintained that the users and local stakeholders must be the drivers of innovation. The German development agency, GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), and many other organizations, have made it clear that...

ECHO Research Notes

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  1. ECHO Research Notes Volume 2
    2021-01-01 ECHO ResearchNotes are topic-specificpublications about crops and agricultural practicesimportant to those working in the tropics and subtropics. Our material is authored by ECHO staff (past and present) as well as outside writers, all with experience and knowledge of their subject. These...





  2. ECHO Research Notes Volume 1
    2020-01-01 ECHO ResearchNotes are topic-specificpublications about crops and agricultural practicesimportant to those working in the tropics and subtropics. Our material is authored by ECHO staff (past and present) as well as outside writers, all with experience and knowledge of their subject. These...

Greenhouse Management

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  1. Greenhouse Management -September 2021
    2021-01-01 Greenhouse Managementmagazine is the leading trade publication serving greenhouse growers. Growers depend on us because of the in-depth educational content we provide month after month. Our team provides the most up-to-date independent research, trends reports and relevant business information...

CAN Culinaria

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  1. Chaya Recipe Book
    2019-11-20





  2. Healthy Cookbook for Children
    2019-01-20 RECETARIO WUQU’ KAWOQ Versión 2018-2019 Elaborado por: Valeria Morales. Spanish Only.

ECHO West Africa Notes

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  1. ECHO Notes de l'Afrique de l'Ouest Numéro 3
    2019-07-22 Le système de riziculture intensive (SRI) Qu'est-ce que le SRI ? Les étapes de mise en œuvre du SRI L'irrigation des plants Le sarclage et le sarclo-binage, quels sont les avantages ? Le rendement du SRI Etude comparée entre le SRI et la pratique traditionnelle de riziculture Intérêt du SRI...





  2. ECHO Notes de l'Afrique de l'Ouest Numéro 2
    2018-01-03 Techniques de production avicole traditionnelle epublication:Options de restauration des sols improductifsetOptions où l'eau est rare





  3. ECHO West Africa Note Issue 1
    2017-08-01 Foundations For Farming, an alternative for small-scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa How to prepare compost in 3 weeks? The preparation of organic liquid fertilizer eBook Release:Fundamentals of Agricultural Development epublication

Haiti Development Notes

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  1. Nòt Devlopman Ayiti - Haiti Development Notes Issue 5
    2019-03-20 Kreyòl





  2. Nòt Devlopman Ayiti - Haiti Development Notes Issue 4
    2018-12-20 Kreyòl





  3. Nòt Devlopman Ayiti - Haiti Development Notes Issue 3
    2018-08-20 Kreyòl





  4. Nòt Devlopman Ayiti - Haiti Development Notes Issue 2
    2018-04-20 Kreyòl





  5. Nòt Devlopman Ayiti - Haiti Development Notes Issue 1
    2018-01-20 Kreyòl

Postharvest Education Foundation Publications

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  1. 100 under $100: Tools for Reducing Postharvest Losses
    2019-01-20 This book features many videos, effective teaching tools not only for readers but for this author. I literally watched people from all walks of life who have posted videos of themselves demonstrating useful skills and scientific concepts. (I screened **dozens** of onion and garlic braiding videos...



  2. Small-Scale Postharvest Handling Practices: A Manual for Horticultural Crops
    2015-11-20 Effective management during the postharvest period, rather than the level of sophistication of any given technology, is the key in reaching the desired objectives. While large-scale operations may benefit from investing in costly handling machineryand high-tech postharvest treatments, often these...

ECHO Latin America and Caribbean Notes (LACN)

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  1. LACN Issue #4
    2018-02-22 Green Leafy Vegetables and Powders for Improved Nutrition in Honduras Member Highlight: Elioena Arauz,Artists for Soup, Nicaragua Echoes from our Network: Deep Litter System ECHO Resource Highlight: Green Leafy Vegetables Technical Note Spotlight: "Linking Smallholder Farmers to Markets"





  2. LACN Issue #3
    2017-12-04 ECHO in Latin America and the Caribbean Experimenting with Medicinal Plants in Matagalpa, Nicaragua Staff Highlight Tech Note Spotlight: "Introducing new seeds overseas" Tech Note Spotlight: "Introduction to Tropical Root Crops" Echoes from our Network Resources: Wuqu' Kawoq (The Maya Health...





  3. LACN Issue #2
    2017-07-31 Las Cañadas Agro-ecological Chickens Module Introducing New Team Leader: Cecilia Gonzalez Tech Note Spotlight: "Cafeteria Feeding" of Chickens From ECHO's Seed Bank: Ethiopian Kale Member Highlight: Javier Ignacio Silva Rivera Our Vision:Honoring God by Empowering the Undernourished with...





  4. LACN Issue #1
    2017-03-30 Making Silage in Vichada Tech Note Spotlight: Biosand Water Filter Echoes from our Network: Member Highlight Adria and Job From ECHO's Technical Respose Team: Appropriate forage crops for clay soils From ECHO's Seed Bank: Forage peanut

Agricultural Risk Assessment and Management

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  1. Risk Assessment/ Measurement and Prioritization in Agriculture
    2017-01-20 A Comprehensive Agricultural Risk Assessment Survey should include key informants like those listed below, to assess risk at both: the farmer/ARE level and the value-chain level. It will never be possible to include all the informants listed below, but the best risk assessment resulting in the...



  2. Agricultural Risk Management Services: A Key to Increasing Financial Inclusion of Farmers
    2013-03-13 Within the internationally recognized field of agricultural risk assessment and management, riskscan be evaluated according to three basic criteria : 1. Impact: In other words, how severe will the risk event be if it actually happens? Some risks can destroy the whole year's farm income and even...



  3. Ag Risk Assessment Prioritization Worksheet
    2013-01-20 This information in this worksheet is bestused in conjunction with the other Risk Management materials provided by Steve Hodges, Managing Director/Consultant,African Agriculture Risk Management Services, Uganda. Steve spoke at the 2012 ECHO International Agriculture Conference



  4. Ag Risk Assessment Practical Exercise Koboko
    2013-01-20 This Risk Assessment Exercise is bestused in conjunction with the other Risk Management materials provided by Steve Hodges



  5. Ag Risk Management Planning Process and Scoring Grid
    2013-01-20 Risk Management Planning assumes that assessment of risks has taken place, and that risks have been prioritized according to severity, likelihood, and manageability of the risks. The resulting risks can then be placed on the scoring grid below and actions identified to address the risks. Once...

Agrodoks

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  1. Agrodok 055, Beef Production
    2016-01-01 Beef, meat from cattle, is produced worldwide in an enormous variety of systems; by nomads in semi desert areas, to intensive dairy farmers who sell male calves for their meat and cull cows that no longer produce enough milk, as well as ranchers whose main aim is to produce meat. The main aim of...





  2. Agrodok 053, Crop Residues for Animal Feed
    2015-01-01 Especially in Stall-Feeding The idea for this booklet on straw feeding emerged some years ago during a meeting, while discussing an Agrodok on dairy cattle husbandry. That Agrodok was to have a chapter on animal feed, especially fodders such as grasses and crop residues. However, this would have...





  3. Agrodok 054, Edible Insects in Africa
    2015-01-01 An Introduction to Finding, Using and Eating Insects When you first saw the title of this book, you may have found the idea of eating insects unfamiliar or strange. Actually, we all eat insects every day without knowing it. Insects or parts of insects are present in almost all processed food....





  4. Agrodok 051, Improving Lowland Rice Cultivation
    2014-01-01 Useful Management Practices for Smallholders in Tropical Africa This Agrodok on lowland rice is primarily meant for smallholders in tropical Africa, because the advocated cultivation and processing practices reflect the main circumstances encountered by rice farmers on this continent. The aim of...





  5. Agrodok 052, Backyard Grasscutter Keeping
    2014-01-01 This Agrodok provides up-to-date information on grasscutter farming to benefit the informed farmer and extension and rural development officers. 1 Introduction 8 It targets farmers wishing to diversify their farms as well as their families’ diet, and those considering growing grasscutters for the...
50 more Agrodoks

ECHO Summaries

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  1. Farmer Engagement in Agriculture Extension
    2015-08-05 Good intentions and viable solutions will have little impact unless we engage with farmers in ways that are meaningful to them. Farmers put a great deal of confidence in what they learn from fellow farmers’ experiences, and they are more likely to trust what they see over what they hear....



  2. Analyzing and Supporting Gender Responsive Value Chains
    2015-08-05 The complexity of the global food system creates a diverse group of actors ranging from smallholders to large corporations involved in the agriculture sector. Each of the many actors in an agriculture value chain has different needs, objectives, strengths and weaknesses. With women accounting for...





  3. Effective Use of Workshops in Agriculture Extension
    2015-07-14 Workshops are an often-used and effective tool that extension workers can use to teach new skills to groups of farmers. This document, drawn from the USAID/MEAS Technical Note on Presenting Workshops to Adults, explains how a workshop setting differs from that of a classroom/teaching setting, and...



  4. Lessons from Small Farm Resource Centers
    2015-07-13 Based on a MEAS paper entitled, The Current and Future Roles of Small Farm Resource Centers in Extension and Advisory Services: Synthesis Report from Seven Case Studies in Southeast Asia, this document highlights key take-a-ways of an assessment by ECHO of seven SFRCs in Southeast Asia. Through...



  5. Teaching in Field Settings
    2015-06-03 Field-based teaching provides first-hand experience about the subject matter being discussed. An on-site encounter allows farmers to observe innovations in practice, discuss them, and ask questions. Farmers exposed to new ideas will be much more likely to understand and apply the information if...
7 more ECHO Summaries

Heifer International - Selected Publications

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  1. Integrated Smallholder Dairy Farming Manual - 2015
    2015-01-20 Dairying as an enterprise has got a place alongside other viable tools of poverty alleviation, besides creating job opportunities to jobless families in Tanzania. Statistics from the ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development show that there are about 800,000 improved dairy cattle in...
  2. A Guide to Improved Dairy Cattle Rearing
    2010-01-20 Swahili Only Ufugaji bora wa ng'ombe wa maziwa-2





  3. A guide for better dairy goat rearing - 2010
    2010-01-20 Swahili only Mwongozo wa ufugaji bora wa mbuzi wa maziwa





  4. Pig Husbandry Manual
    2010-01-20 Pig farming in Tanzania has primarily been for a long time of backyard and informal sector producers. However in order to secure both food and nutritional security to rural Tanzania households, there is a need of embracing integrated approaches in livestock farming. Pig farming in Tanzania is...
  5. A Guide to Keeping Local Chickens
    2008-07-20 Swahili Only Kitabu cha kuku wa asili
5 more Heifer International - Selected Publications

CAN Agricultura

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  1. A Garden for All - Self-Instruction Manual
    2014-01-20 5ta Edición revisada y ampliada Chile Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura Spanish Only.

USDA Agriculture Handbooks

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  1. Tropical Nursery Manual
    2014-01-20 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...



  2. The Woody Plant Seed Manual
    2008-07-20 This handbook on the seeds of woody plants would not be possible if not for the pioneering work of many individuals in past years. They worked without the modern laboratory and information retrieval services that we now routinely use and take for granted. Their early efforts in the first half of...



  3. Tropical tree seed manual
    2002-01-20 File: Download [PDF File] 38MB Author(s): Vozzo, J. A.,United States. Forest Service. Subject(s): Trees -- Tropics -- Seeds.,Trees -- North America -- Seeds.,Tropical plants -- Seeds -- Identification.,Tropical plants -- North America -- Seeds -- Identification. Format: 899 p. Coverage: tropics...



  4. Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics: An Inventory
    1987-01-19 File: Download [PDF File] Author(s): Martin, Franklin W.,Campbell, Carl W.,Ruberte, Ruth M.,United States. Agricultural Research Service. Subject(s): Plants, Edible -- Tropics.,Tropical fruit. Format: 247 p. Coverage: tropics Language: English Publisher: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural...



  5. Tropical yams and their potential. Part 6, Minor cultivated dioscorea species
    1978-01-19 File: Download [PDF File] Author(s): Martin, Franklin W.,Degras, Lucien. Subject(s): Yams -- Tropics. Format: iii, 23 p. Coverage: tropics Language: English Publisher: Science and Education Administration, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in cooperation with Agency for International Development Year:...
6 more USDA Agriculture Handbooks

World Agroforestry Center

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  1. Nursery management, tree propagation and marketing
    2013-01-20 Munjuga MR, Gachuiri AN, Ofori DA, Mpanda MM, Muriuki JK, Jamnadass RH, Mowo JG. 2013.Nursery management, tree propagation and marketing: A training manual for smallholder farmers and nursery operators. Nairobi: World Agroforestry Centre



  2. Good Nursery Practices: A Simple Guide
    2008-01-20 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,...



  3. Allanblackia Propagation Protocol
    2008-01-20 As part of Novella Africa programme on ‘Domestication of AB Trees in Africa’, ICRAF aims to develop jointly, with national partners in participating countries, options for appropriate propagation and management practices for AB trees, to enhance the efficiency, level and stability of tree...



  4. Good Tree Nursery Practices
    1999-01-19 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...

A Natural Farming System For Sustainable Agriculture In the Tropics

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  1. Sustainable Agriculture Book - Chapter 9 Companion Planting
    2005-01-20 Companion planting is Fundamental #3. It is also called inter cropping. These crops are used for insect control, to make wind blocks, and they promote soil conservation. When harvested, they are used for compost and feed for livestock. Companion plants also create a desirable mulch and green...



  2. Sustainable Agriculture Book - Appendix 1 SALT
    2005-01-20 Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT) has made steep worthless lands usable. This is a practice valuable to the tribal community. They are learning to stabilize topsoil with the proper selection of species. They can maintain their ancestral lands without having to destroy them through...



  3. Sustainable Agriculture Book - Chapter 14 Minimal Tillage
    2005-01-20 Minimal Tillage is Fundamental #8. It will preserve soil life and structure, save labor and increase profits. The soil food web is disturbed when continual plowing is practiced. The hoofs of the carabao (water buffalo) or tractor compact the soil while the plow causes disruption in microorganism...
  4. Sustainable Agriculture Book - Chapter 10 Composting
    2005-01-20 Composting is Fundamental #4. Compost will build up organic matter and create humus for your soil. The finished product of decomposition is called compost. Composting is a controlled process in which we capture a high percentage of nutrients from our crop residue and return it back to the soil in...



  5. Sustainable Agriculture Book - Chapter 13 Cover Cropping
    2005-01-20 Cover cropping is Fundamental #7. It is the technique of growing plants that protect the soil to conserve topsoil and moisture. It can be considered a living mulch. Under sowing legumes below existing crops and other companion plants will work well. You get all the advantages of mulching; soil...
24 more A Natural Farming System For Sustainable Agriculture In the Tropics

Books

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  1. Cultivating Pigeon Peas: A Comprehensive Guide for Smallholder Farmers
    2025-02-27 "Cultivating Pigeon Peas: A Comprehensive Guide for Smallholder Farmers" is an essential resource designed to empower farmers with actionable knowledge for successful pigeon pea cultivation. Designed for smallholder farmers, extension agents, and agricultural professionals, this guide offers a...



  2. Community Seed Bank Options
    2024-09-01 Community Seed Bank Options is the compilation of many individual research experiments, papers, ideas, technologies, and experiences offered over several years by individuals working to further best practices in community seed banking, seed saving, and genetic preservation. The idea for this...



  3. The tree forager 40 extraordinary trees & what to do with them
    2021-01-01 Aimed at tree lovers of all ages, this beautifully illustrated handbook is the first guide to foraging specifically from trees, looking at all the incredible things we can get and make from them, from food and remedies to toys, whistles and ink. Foraging is one of the fastest-growing...
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  1. Open Library
    The ultimate goal of the Open Library is to make all the published works of humankind available to everyone in the world. While large in scope and ambition, this goal is within our grasp. Achieving it will require the participation of librarians, authors, government officials and technologists....



  2. IFOAM Seeds Platform
    The IFOAM Seeds Platform is a global network of individuals and organizations advancing seed and plant breeding for organic systems. We need greater diversity and larger supply of high-quality, regionally adapted planting materials for organic producers all over the globe. Building these genetic...



  3. Community Seedbank Training: Handbooks for Facilitators and Farmers
    published in 2017 and updated in 2020 The handbook is structured into nine modules and promotes aparticipatory learning approach, where facilitators and learners interact actively, make use of their experience, and learn together, drawing on practical case studies to enrich their understanding...
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Presentations

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  1. Advancing Regenerative Agriculture Amongst Smallholder Farming Communities
    2025-02-27 Our approach as practitioners… We read about them, they tell us, and we listen We build empathy and understanding life from their end We value their community – its their life with the past, present and future We come and go – we ignite the fire in them, passion drive them We shadow them, and...



  2. Agricultural Loan Products Design & Processes
    2025-02-27 At TURAME we finance specific crops, and the funds are used mainly for wages, fertilizers or to bridge the gap between the sowing and the harvest. Agriculture Finance can be broadly classified into: Crop loan Term loan for land and water resources development, mechanisation of agriculture and...



  3. Integrating Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato Puree in Bakery Products: A Case Study of Small-Scale Processors in Burundi
    2025-02-27 The study underscores the potential of OFSP for value addition in local communities, The use of OFSP Puree by MSMEs potentially reduce wheat imports Enhances improvement in the nutritional status while Providing employment opportunities especially for youth and women But: Need to increase...
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Plant Information Sheets

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  1. Abelmoschus caillei
    Abelmoschus caillei originated and is now grown mostly in West and Central Africawhere it has become an important vegetable crop. This species of okra is particularly popular with subsistence farmers as it can produce a food crop year round, has a higher market value as it is available in the dry...
  2. Abyssinian Gooseberry
  3. Acacia mangium
    Acacia mangium can grow to be a tall tree up to 30 m. It is a fast-growing tree that can tolerate acidic and degraded soils. This tree grows best with moderate rainfall and full sunlight. It is one of the major leguminous species used in plantation forestry programs throughout Asia and the...
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Videos

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  1. What is CHE



  2. ECHO Urban Garden Review



  3. How To Make A Biochar Machine - TLUD
    In this video we show you how to make a basic Top Lit Up Draft Biochar Machine. Warm Heart have been teaching hundreds of farmers in the Northern Thailand how to make these machines in order to help reduce the smoke produced in the area. We aim to restore the environment while creating economic...
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