Title of document: Assessing capacity needs of extension and advisory services. A Guide for Facilitators Authors : Nimisha Mittal, Rasheed Sulaiman V and R M Prasad, on behalf of the Agricultural Extension in South Asia (AESA) Date of publication: July 2016 Geographical focus: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal Summary: This guide is intended to assist facilitators in conducting a workshop with Extension and Advisory Service (EAS) providers for assessing their capacity needs. This guide has been compiled by the Centre for Research on Innovation and Science Policy (CRISP) for AESA with the assistance of a research grant from the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS). The purpose of the research grant was to identify capacity gaps at various levels (individual, organizational, and enabling environment levels) among EAS providers in four South Asian countries and develop a facilitator guide for Capacity Needs Assessment (CNA) based on this methodology. This guide builds on the outputs of the four National Workshops on “Capacity Needs Assessment of Extension and Advisory Service (EAS) Providers” held in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal during 2015-2016. This guide can be used as a standalone document / procedure for assessing the capacity needs of the extension and advisory service providers. However, using this guide for CNA has greater value if the outputs of this exercise are linked to a capacity development process. Moreover, this process also needs to be organised periodically to identify new capacity gaps.   Read More

Title of document: The System of Rice Intensification (SRI): Responses to frequent asked questions Authors: Norman Uphoff Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Cornell University Year of publication: 2015 Geographic focus: World wide Url original document: http://sri.cals.cornell.edu/news/features/2016/featured040416.html Summary: Compared to a decade ago, many more persons – at least 10 million people, most of them farmers -- can now answer the question "What is SRI?" at least in general terms. However, most would probably not give very detailed answers, and many would like to know more about this strategy for raising the crop yield of rice, and now also other grains, legumes and vegetables, just by changing the way that these crops are managed, with minimal reliance on purchased inputs. Also by now, many more persons will at least have heard something about SRI and about its benefits for producers, for consumers, and for the environment. They may well be interested in a systematic introduction to this phenomenon which has demonstrated positive results in more than 50 countries around the world (http://sri.cals.cornell.edu/countries/index.html). So this book is written for both groups of potential readers, bringing together in one place much of the accumulated field experience and scientific research that makes the System of Rice Intensification and its derivations grouped under the broad heading of the System of Crop Intensification an unprecedented opportunity for enabling people to improve their lives in this 21st century.   Read More

Title of document: Biodiversity Conservation in Rice Paddies in China: Toward Ecological Sustainability Authors: Yufeng Luo, Haolong Fu and Seydou Traore Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China Year of publication: 2014 Geographic focus: China Url original document: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/6/9/6107 Summary: This paper describes the current situation of rice paddy biodiversity in China and analyzes the community characteristics of arthropods and weedy plants. Meanwhile, we discuss how biodiversity was affected by modern agriculture changes, which have brought about a mounting crisis threatening to animals and plants once common in rice paddies. Measures should be focused to firstly preventing further deterioration and, then, also, promoting restoration processes. Ecological sustainability can be achieved by restoring paddy field biodiversity through protecting the ecological environment surrounding the paddy fields, improving paddy cropping patterns, growing rice with less agricultural chemicals and chemical fertilizers, constructing paddy systems with animals and plants and promoting ecological education and public awareness.   Read More

Title of document: Integrated Pest Management for Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture in Asia and Africa Authors: Jules Pretty and Zareen Pervez Bharucha Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Year of publication: 2015 Geographic focus: Asia and Africa Url original document: http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/6/1/152 Summary: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a leading complement and alternative to synthetic pesticides and a form of sustainable intensification with particular importance for tropical smallholders. Global pesticide use has grown over the past 20 years to 3.5 billion kg/year, amounting to a global market worth $45 billion. The external costs of pesticides are $4–$19 (€3–15) per kg of active ingredient applied, suggesting that IPM approaches that result in lower pesticide use will benefit, not only farmers, but also wider environments and human health. Evidence for IPM’s impacts on pesticide use and yields remains patchy. We contribute an evaluation using data from 85 IPM projects from 24 countries of Asia and Africa implemented over the past twenty years.   Read More

Title of document: Finding alternatives to swidden agriculture: does agroforestry improve livelihood options and reduce pressure on existing forest? Authors: Syed Ajijur Rahman, Jette Bredahl Jacobsen, John Robert Healey, James M. Roshetko, Terry Sunderland Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation:University of Copenhagen, Bangor University & CIFOR Year of publication: 2016 Geographic focus: Indonesia Url original document: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-016-9912-4 Summary: Swidden cultivation can contribute to deforestation and land degradation, which can subsequently result in a number of serious environmental problems. This paper examines the economic and social potential of agroforestry systems and the barriers to their widespread adoption, as a land use alternative to swidden cultivation, which may potentially help protect local forest. Based on farmers’ and experts’ assessment, costs and benefits have been estimated, which show that the two investigated agroforestry systems have higher net present value and benefit-cost ratio (B/C) than the two swidden cultivation systems. Tree ownership also creates more permanent rights to farmland and is prestigious in the community. Agroforestry products (fruit, vegetables etc.) have high monetary value and help strengthen social cohesion when shared with neighbors.   Read More

Title of document: Agroforestry for Livelihood Security in Agrarian Landscapes of the Padma Floodplain in Bangladesh Authors: Syed Ajijur Rahman, Muhammad Hasan Imam, Denyse J. Snelder, Terry Sunderland Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Small-scale Forestry Year of publication: 2012 Geographic focus: Bangladesh Url original document: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11842-012-9198-y Summary: In the Padma floodplain of Bangladesh, the traditional system of agriculture has become unsustainable due to high population growth. Mango-based agroforestry which has been practiced by the farmers since the 1990s, is a promising alternative and is considered as one of the few options to lift farmers out of poverty and improve livelihood security. This paper examines the potential of mango-based agroforestry to improve livelihoods, using data collected by rapid rural appraisal, farmer participatory research, stakeholder analysis and a farm household survey in six representative villages in the floodplain. Farmers with the least land were found to allocate a higher percentage of their land to agroforestry, and the increased income from agroforestry compared to other agricultural systems helps reduce relative poverty. This income maintains basic household needs, providing food security and fuelwood, and contributes to healthcare, housing and sanitation conditions, and meeting educational expenses.   Read More

Title of document: Alder trees enhance crop productivity and soil microbial biomass in tea plantations Authors: P.E. Mortimer, H. Gui, J. Xu, C. Zhang, E. Barrios, K.D. Hyde Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Applied Soil Ecology Year of publication: 2015 Geographic focus: China Url original document: www.elsevier.com/located/apsoil Summary: Monoculture farming systems lead to soils depleted of nutrients and diminished microbial functional diversity, disrupting process crucial to maintaining soil health. The planting of trees in these monoculture systems is one way to improve soil nutrition and biodiversity. Therefore, the objective was how planting the N fixing tree Alnus nepalensis (7 years old), into monoculture tea (Camellia sinensis var., assamica) plantations (32 years old), influences the soil fungal and bacterial communities, and how this impacts on tea productivity.   Read More

Title of document: Ecological Intensification Management of Maize in northeast China: Agronomic and Environment Response Authors: Rongrong Zhao, Ping He, Jiagui Xie, Adrian M. Johnston, Xinpeng Xu, Shaojun Qiu, Shicheng Zhao Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment Year of publication: 2016 Geographic focus: China Url original document: www.elsevier.com/located/agee Summary: Optimum field management practices need to be developed and improved to solve the challenge of increasing food production while retaining the ecological integrity of farming system underlying the goal of sustainable agriculture. In this study, the concept of ecological intensification (EI) was applied to a spring maize cropping system in Jilin province, China during 2009-2013. Results indicated that the average grain yield was 11.8 t/ha in the EI treatment; while the farmers’ practice (FP) treatment had an average of 11.4 t/ha grain yield across five seasons.   Read More

Title of document: The Current and Future Roles of Small Farm Resources Centre in Extension and Advisory Services   Authors: Abram J. Bicksler; Ricky Bates; Rick Burnette; Boonsong  Thansrithong   Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Feed the Future Year of publication: 2014 Geographic focus: Southeast Asia Url original document: Summary: Small Farm Resources Centre (SFRC) model is not a new approach to agricultural outreach. Extension variations on this theme have been in operation in many parts of the world for years, yet thorough assessment of the regional efficacy of SFRC is lacking.   Read More

Title of document: Strategic Plan of Action on ASEAN Cooperation in Crop (2016-2020) Authors: ONG Keng Ho Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: ASEAN Year of publication: 7/3/2014 Geographic focus: ASEAN Url original document: http://asean-agrifood.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Strategic-plan-for-ASEAN-working-on-Crop_140718-report.crops_.pdf Summary: The purpose of this is to assist agriculture industries and natural resources division in deveoping the objectives, goals, strategies of the ASEAN 5 years (2016-2010)  Strategic Plan of Action (SPA) for crop sector and in providing recommendations to enhance and facilitate the implementation of this 2016-2010 SPA.   Read More