2021-09-01 [Editor’s Note: There are many biochar burner designs currently in existence, intended for various scales and end uses in mind. This particular design has becomea favorite of the ECHO Asia farm staff, for its ability to produce larger quantities of pyrolyzed material and wood vinegar at the same...
2021-09-01 Critical to the success of a small-scale farm is its ability to turn on-farm waste into alternative value-added products. By integrating the Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) on the farm, small-scale enterprises can do just that. Taking common waste products such as food scraps and manure,...
Tomatoes are difficult to grow during Southeast Asia’s hot and humid monsoonal rainy season. A combination of waterlogged soils, increased disease pressure, and high temperatures often kill young tomato transplants or significantly reduce yields. As an introduced crop, originally from South...
This article is from ECHO Asia Note # 42 The integration of livestock on the smallholder farm is often a key component to the long-term sustainability of the farm, specifically by means of critical nutrient cycling. Livestock play a unique and critical role on the farm, transforming plant and...
This article is from ECHO Asia Note #28 对于热带地区的农民和研究人员,种子储存是非常令人沮丧的。在蒙多基里省,从收获到新的种植季 节期间农民基本不能把种子保存超过 6 个月。种子储存的时间如果长于 6 个月,就会在湿季从潮湿的空气 中吸收很多湿气失去活性,或者遭受病虫害使种子繁殖性和外形遭到破坏。在我们的研究中心,我们已经 建立了一个很多有用的种子品种的存货清单,不需要每一年都种出每个品种。但是,与农民类似,我们的 种子经常很快就失去了活性或者在储存中被害虫破坏。 冷藏和冷冻是众所周知的大多数传统种子延长种子寿命的方法,(参见 ECHO 亚洲期刊...
This article is from ECHO Asia Note #28 农户自产饲料贡献了一个更加可持续发展的农业系统。作物残茬和动物粪便是 植物生产营养循环的一部分。通过使用喜温的堆肥、蚯蚓培养、博卡西和/或绿肥 就能降低投入的成本。农户自产饲料也能通过管理和利用既得资源来减少费用。小 规模的农户购买商业饲料来喂鸡特别是小鸡是非常昂贵的。在这篇 ECHO 亚洲期刊 的文章中,我们将探索多种可供选择的小规模家禽饲料。
This article is from ECHO Asia Note #27 种子储存的原则 当要建一个“冷藏室”或“种子储藏室”来达到保持种子活性的目的时,最先要考虑的种子储存的最佳条件。在ECHO 亚洲期刊14(ECHO Asia Note 14)(2012 年6 月),我们分享了真空密封和冷藏的对比结果,并强调对于种子储存湿度和温度控制的重要性。我们发现湿度控制(真空密封)比温度控制(冷藏)更有效地保存种子活性。在这个ECHO 亚洲的实验中,热带种子最佳的储存方式是干燥后(为了保持较低的种子湿度)立刻真空密封,然后把种子储存在较低的温度之下。要设计一个最适宜种子储存的冷藏室,...
This article is from ECHO Asia Note #27 微生物是不能用肉眼直接观察到的微小生物;他们包括真菌类、藻类和细菌类(Rao, 1995)。这些小 生物存在于任何地方:水里、空气里和土壤里。在农业上,微生物的数量在堆肥、动物粪便和IM(本地微 生物(Indigenous Microorganisms))液里、EM(有效微生物(Effective Microorganisms))的液体里特别多。微生物是土壤的重要组成部分,它们帮助分解有机物,也将岩石和空气中的营养物质转化成农作物可用的形式,还帮助固定土壤结构(Tisdall, 1994; Hayat et...
2015-09-01 At the beginning of last year, Thailand experienced its most severe drought in twenty years. Only four years ago it also experienced its most severe flooding. Natural disasters are occurring with increasing frequency and severity; it is therefore vital to establish defenses against catastrophes...
ECHO Asia Impact Center staff members first heard about alternative herbicide recipes that use fermented papaya and pineapple from a retired technical school teacher and organic farmer, Kru Pratoom. As weeding is a big part of any farmer’s life, the Seed Bank staff wanted to try out a lower-risk...
2015-12-15 This series of articles on water management has been reprinted with permission from Thailand’s Natural Farming Magazine and serves as an introduction to small-scale water management. Many of the ideas offered in these articles are consistent with permaculture design principles, which promote...
2015-08-01 Invasive alien species (often IAS in the literature) are those species introduced to an area outside their normal or native range, either purposefully or by accident, whose colonization causes significant harm. The species may become weeds, pests or pathogens, affecting both human interests and...
2015-08-01 As densities of livestock increase, an industrious farmer finds ways and means to increase his farm’s nutrient stream for the benefit of his system. This article will describe methods and techniques necessary for a smallholder farmer to succeed with farm-derived hog feeds. As you read, remember...
2015-06-15 Increased awareness of the potential of neem tree by creating awareness of its potential would go a long way in promoting its acceptance for pest management and improvement of plant health, animal health, human health, and environmental health.
2015-06-15 This article is from ECHO Asia Note #24 Tricho-compost is the material that results when spores of a beneficial fungus, Trichoderma sp. are used in the composting process. Trichoderma sp. are natural competitors against a wide range of harmful fungi; when it is added to compost, the latter can...
2015-02-15 In Malaysia, agriculture is practised by a range of farmers – from subsistence cultivators of the soil to sophisticated, commercially-driven entrepreneurs. The latter group are quite adept at assessing the latest in technology and varieties, and already have established marketing channels. The...
2015-02-15 In its simplest definition a forage is any plant material grazed or fed to livestock. However, a more specific definition that’s presented in this article focuses on plants (grasses and legumes) that are planted specifically to provide superior feed benefits to livestock due to: 1) higher protein...
2014-10-15 Currently, we have two 16 x 1 meter floating raft troughs, and one 16 x 1 meter rock bed that are connected to six 1 cubic meter fish tanks by PVC piping (elements 1 and 2 above). We also have three smaller stand-alone aquaponics units that we use as example starter units. One of our major goals...
2014-10-15 Today, if someone were to ask me to help build a small system on their urban rental property, would I use cement rings? The easy answer is yes, but....
2014-06-14 This article is from ECHO Asia Note #21 The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a promising rice-farming methodology that is able both to lower production costs—of seed, fertilizer, chemicals, and water—and to increase yield by enabling each rice plant to reach its full potential. However,...
2014-06-14 It was an afternoon of 2002 when I first read about SRI. As an extension officer in the District Agriculture Development Office (DADO), I started promoting SRI in the following years in the district of Morang, Nepal. Over this time I observed hundreds of attractive SRI fields and spent some years...
2014-06-14 This article is from ECHO Asia Note #21 Wanpen’s roller planting marker was developed from her experience. When a problem occurred, she would alter and develop the tool according to the problem and rice variety. Wanpen’s tool was designed to be lightweight, easy to handle and convenient to use....
2014-06-14 This article is from ECHO Asia Note #21 This article contains diagrams of the SRI RollingMarker, Rotary Weeder, and Grass Cutter discussed in other articles from Echo Asia Note 21.
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 must find another source; sometimes that...
Farm-generated fertility makes agriculture more sustainable. Crop residues and manures are part of the nutrient cycle and can lower input costs through the use of thermophilic composting, vermiculture, bokashi production, or green manures. Farm-generated feeds can also reduce expenses, if farmers...
This article is from ECHO Asia Note #19 In a tropical setting, growing seedlings can be a difficult task. A major factor of concern for nursery production is water-logging (Zhu, 2007). During the rainy season, oversaturated soils can effectively suffocate root systems of a seedling by restricting...
This article is from ECHO Asia Note #19 It iscompletely possible to run a diesel engine on biogas; however, a number of considerations must be taken into account before it may be considered a serious option in a development program. This article will explore some key considerations when...
“Participatory methods” in community development initially emerged in the 1970s, and interest in their use has continued to increase among practitioners, especially in recent years.1 Many practitioners agree that this growing acceptance is a good thing, as it has made us pay attention to the ways...
This article is from ECHO Asia Note #17 Around the world, many agriculturists and gardeners are adopting soil amendments and fertilizers that are called bokashi. Bokashi is a Japanese word that has no good translation into English, according to Yukiko Oyanagi, a staffer with the Asian Rural...
This article is from ECHO Asia Note #17 Contamination of drinking water sources by harmful synthetic organic compounds (SOCs), such as pesticides, is a major worldwide problem. Pesticide pollution appears twice in the top ten of The World’s Worst Toxic Pollution Problems Report 2011 by the...
This article is from ECHO Asia Note #16 During the 2012 ECHO Agriculture Workshop in Yangon, 63 attendees representing at least 25 agriculture and community development organizations from across Myanmar were polled about their observations and opinions related to climate change. The vast majority...
2013-03-20 Since 2011, ECHO Asia has developed and facilitated seed exchange events during meetings with local partners. Through conversations with farmers and NGO staff, we have gained better insight about locally-important plant varieties, seed saving practices, attitudes towards saving seeds, and...
2012-10-01 This article is from ECHO Asia Note #15 Editor: Between 1997 and 2009, Kirby Rogers worked as part of a team to establish an agriculture-based business called Natural Products (NPI) in Bokeo, Laos. Much of this effort involved promoting soybean as a local cash crop as well as developing related...
2012-10-01 Soil quality, also known as soil health, is the capacity of the soil to function – how well it fills the roles we need it to, whether in a natural or managed ecosystem. There are a variety of measures used to gauge soil health and although we can use these characteristics as indicators of soil...
2012-07-01 This article is from ECHO Asia Note #14 Editor: Dr. Dick Tinsley is an Emeritus Professor with Colorado State University. With decades of experience as an advisor to smallholder agriculture development projects, he was worked in numerous locations across Asia and Africa. In this article, Dr....
2012-07-01 Introduction Storing seeds in the tropics can often be difficult; with high temperatures and humid conditions, seeds lose their ability to germinate quickly. Many techniques for seed storage exist, from the high-tech standards of gene banks to simple methods used by villagers for saving their own...
2012-04-01 The cool, dry season offers the best window for vegetable production in the tropics, assuming an adequate water supply. Pest and disease pressures are relatively low and temperatures are moderate. By contrast, the rainy season brings a combination of high temperatures and humidity that encourages...
2012-04-01 Introduction In many parts of tropical Asia, especially on rainfed farms, there has been an explosion of acreage planted in maize. The increase in commercial maize production is driven by growing livestock feed demand, and is displacing many traditional crops, including the staple upland rice....
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...