R4D Agriculture Case Studies

Farmers in Tanzania paint chickens pink and purple to thwart hawks

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Farmers in Tanzania, sick of losing their chickens to hungry hawks, have taken drastic, if creative action, thanks to an innovative programme funded by DFID and a little bit of pink dye.

An evidence-based response to the global food crisis

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

As the food price crisis became global news during 2007-8, IFPRI was able to respond quickly and effectively by producing 30 publications based on its extensive research findings. The Institute�s analysis of trends, provision of data, and policy recommendations led to seven of IFPRI�s eight recommended urgent actions appearing in the United Nations' Comprehensive Framework for Action on food security.

Policy change: milking the benefits for smallscale vendors

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Evidence-based research to inform policy change in Kenya's dairy industry has resulted in formal licensing for smallscale milk vendors previously excluded from retail markets. The benefits of policy change include improved handling and hygiene of milk, increased profit margins for smallscale vendors, greater access to milk for consumers, and employment for many others in the sector, providing estimated economy-wide benefits of US$33.5 million annually.

Creating genetic markers to breed downy mildew and drought resistant pearl millet

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Two million people enjoy improved food security thanks to a collaborative research programme which used molecular genetic tools to develop an improved pearl millet hybrid more resistant to the disease downy mildew.

Ending Striga�s reign with IR maize

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

The collaborative development of herbicide-resistant maize promises effective integrated management of the Striga weed in Sub-Saharan Africa, increasing crop yields by up to four times and offering millions of farmers a solution to combating this noxious parasitic weed.

Removing eggplant borer damage (World Vegetable Center)

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Affordable, environmentally-friendly pest management developed in India and Bangladesh to protect the region�s popular eggplant crop has reduced dependence by poor farmers on harmful pesticides, increasing profits and influencing policy to benefit businesses and spread the message.

Ashoka rice: selecting for success with farmer participation

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Two specialised rice varieties developed in India have become the first widely adopted modern varieties on India's uplands. The varieties, developed in response to the expressed needs of upland farmers and involving farmers in selection processes, offer better quality, earlier harvest, and improved drought resistance

Planting without ploughing: zero-till wheat takes root

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Innovative partnerships among researchers, farmers, and other actors in the agricultural value chain have enabled the adoption of zero-tillage to sow wheat after rice on nearly 2 million hectares in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, increasing farmers' incomes, fostering more sustainable use of soil and water, and providing a platform for cropping diversification and the introduction of other resource-conserving practices

Growing for a clear conscience: mint in Afghanistan

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

By adding value to mint and creating a strong market demand, ICARDA has transformed a kitchen-garden herb into a major source of income for hundreds of Afghan families.

Protecting African cattle from East Coast fever

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

The production and delivery of a vaccine against East Coast fever for use across 11 countries of eastern, central and southern Africa could save the lives of over 1 million cattle and at least US$260 million each year.

Protecting farms from costly whiteflies

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

An ambitious global R&D programme to combat tropical whitefly and the diseases it carries has prevented widespread losses in many essential crops.

Taking plants to the doctor: plant health clinics from Bolivia to Bangladesh

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Plant health clinics in nine countries are giving farmers unprecedented access to expert advice on pests and disease. As well as promoting good pest management, the low cost clinics are bringing thousands of farmers into mutually beneficial interaction with researchers.

Linking farmers and science.

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

By linking scientists, non-government organisations and government extension officials and farmers, the Poverty Elimination Through Rice Research Assistance (PETRRA) project in Bangladesh has achieved substantial improvements in rice production, income and empowerment of women.

Scuba rice: breeding flood-tolerance into Asia's local mega rice varieties

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

New rice varieties tested in India and Bangladesh can survive up to two weeks of complete submergence in water, providing farmers with protection against short-term flooding. The flood-resistant gene, when transferred into popular rice varieties, allows them to retain their characteristics. This research has led to the official release of flood-tolerant local rice varieties across Asia.

Liquid assets: community-based fisheries management in Bangladesh

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

The community-based fisheries management initiative has developed a series of management approaches for ensuring equitable access to fisheries resources for community‐based organisations (CBOs) which has resulted in over 60 per cent of fishers in project areas experiencing significant increases in their fishing incomes.

The impact of research on policy and practice in Indonesia�s pulp and paper sector

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

CIFOR-led research investigating the pulp and paper sector in Indonesia has contributed to policy reform, the acceleration of plantation development, and the saving of more than 100,000 hectares of the world�s most environmentally important tropical rainforest, with hundreds of millions of dollars in attendant benefits.

Making a GIFT selection: improved tilapia in the Philippines

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

A pioneering breeding programme for aquaculture has turned an African fish, previously unknown in Asia, into the favourite source of affordable protein for more than 20 million poor Filipinos and millions more in 13 countries across Asia.

Fodder trees for more milk and income

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Introduction of low cost, easy to grow fodder trees, to a quarter of a million farmers across East Africa, for feeding to livestock, has boosted milk yields and incomes, and reduced the need for expensive dairy feed concentrates.

Ridding the world of rinderpest.

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Through a combination of scientific expertise and international collaboration and co-ordination, the eradication of the rinderpest virus (cattle plague) can be viewed as an achievement on par with the eradication of smallpox from the human population, the only other time an infectious disease has been eradicated.

Improving food security in sub-Saharan Africa through increased utilization of Indigenous Vegetables: Studies on seed production and agronomy of major African vegetables

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Germplasm from 193 target species of AIVs from Cameroon and Tanzania was collected, characterised and purified in this project, which significantly contributed to the knowledge on African indigenous vegetables. Scientists, extension workers, farmers and consumers have been benefited by the new accessions identified as well as adopting improved cultivation practiced

A farmer-friendly approach to preventing avian flu in Viet Nam

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 01:00:00 GMT

A pilot quality assurance scheme for poultry products in Viet Nam has successfully demonstrated how hygiene in poultry production can be improved, reducing the spread of avian flu and providing better markets for smallholder farmers.

Shujaaz: market research shows promise of comics for disseminating agricultural information

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:00:00 GMT

Launched in February 2010, ShujaazFM is a multimedia youth communication initiative which combines monthly comic books, daily radio programmes, and social media to look at a range of issues effecting young people across Kenya. The DFID-funded Research Into Use programme provides support to the magazine to ensure agricultural information is made available to the young.

The Mungbean Revolution

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 01:00:00 GMT

World Vegetable Center (AVRDC) researchers successfully integrated MYMV-tolerant mungbean cultivars to farmers in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia, promoting higher yields, higher income and a better balanced diet. The short maturity period allowed a new 3-crop annual cycle in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. The mungbean varieties can be cultivated during fallows in rice wheat cropping system.

African cattle to be protected from killer disease

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:00:00 GMT

The Global Alliance for Livestock Vaccines and medicines (GALVmed), a public private partnership supported by DFID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has facilitated the production of a million doses of an experimental vaccine against a tick-borne disease of cattle in Africa

Providing insights into global issues: reporting agriculture online

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:00:00 GMT

With over 200,000 readers around the world, New Agriculturist covers a wide range of stories and issues in agriculture and rural development

Maize Innovation Platform celebrates its first birthday in Rwanda's Eastern province

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Maize is an important staple crop in Rwanda with the potential for export if production can be significantly increased. The DFID-funded Research into Use Programme is working with a network of local partners to achieve that aim through a Maize Innovation Platform in Rwanda's Eastern Province.

Blazing a trail for forest rights...in Nepal

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Climate change is creating real changes in the Nepal Himalaya, and the effect is more pronounced in the mountains than in the low-lying areas. Georgina Smith visited the Sundari community to see how a DFID-funded Research into Use initiative is helping local communities to live with potential climate change induced vulnerabilities

Agriculture on-air

Thu, 21 May 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Recorded by Africans for Africans, the DFID-funded AGFAX monthly radio service, now in its 15th year, provides the latest information on agricultural and rural development to agricultural broadcasters and, through them, to millions of listeners across Africa

Integrated approaches halve pesticide use

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Using an integrated pest management strategy to control the aubergine pest - the eggplant fruit and shoot borer - has dramatically reduced pesticide use on the crop in Bangladesh and India. Control involved good sanitation practices in crops, resistant varieties, biological control methods, and a wide-scale publicity and promotion programme

Sharing knowledge - tell us a story

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Stories are a common tool used by farmers to communicate and get their message across. So could storytelling be a useful way for farmers to share experiences and information with scientists? An ICARDA-led Pilot Project is examining the value of storytelling, as a way of helping farmers to share their findings during plant breeding trials, and discuss their experience of farming more generally