Access Agriculture

Coffee: group organisation (Summary)

For years coffee farmers in Uganda have been at a disadvantage, but over the past 10 to 15 years some incredible changes have been seen - thanks to farmers organising themselves into groups. By working together they have increased the quality of their coffee crop and received better prices, making it a sustainable and worthwhile business. If the group is run well there are many positives, with members wanting to contribute and not let down their fellow farmers.

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Coffee: stumping & pruning (Summary)

Managing coffee bushes well can make the difference between an average income and earning a good living. Stumping coffee bushes on a regular basis as part of your overall management plan, and pruning them each year, can help boost yields and income.

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Coffee: picking & drying (Summary)

Good quality coffee production does not happen by itself – it is a combination of the many aspects of managing coffee plots, and all must be done well if you want to maximise your returns. This audio podcast, looks at two aspects, the first is picking coffee from the bushes and the second is how to maintain quality to maximise profit through good drying and storage.

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Harvesting and storing sesame (Summary)

Sesame is easy to grow. But poor harvesting, threshing and storage can decrease its quality. When sesame is too ripe, the seed capsules split open and release their seeds. So you lose lots of seeds and lots of money. Stones, sand, and other dirt can easily mix with sesame seeds and affect the price. In this audio podcast, we will learn how to harvest, thresh, and store sesame to ensure good quality.

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Making yoghurt at home (Summary)

In this audio podcast we learn the important steps needed to produce good quality yoghurt, whether for home consumption or for sale.

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Harvesting and storing soya bean seed (Summary)

Soya bean seed that is poorly harvested and poorly stored loses its ability to germinate because the moisture and heat kills the living part of the seed. Wet or moldy seeds will rot during storage. In this audio podcast, we'll talk about harvesting soya bean seed, drying, winnowing, sorting and storage.

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Making soya cheese (Summary)

In this audio podcast, we will see how to make good quality soya cheese. For good quality soya cheese, there are six steps to follow: select, winnow and sort good quality grain; soak the soya beans in clean water that is frequently changed; grind the grain in a mill; extract the soya milk; cook the soya milk and collect the cheese.

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Taking care of young rabbits (Summary)

After the rabbit has her babies, she needs to be properly managed. This means creating good conditions for the baby rabbits and giving the mother some time to recover before breeding her again.

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Intercropping pineapples (Summary)

In the wider space between the double rows of pineapple, you can grow beans or groundnuts during the first year. This improves the soil. Most farmers cut down all the trees to establish pineapple gardens. But they are wrong. In fact, pineapples grow best and give better quality fruit when there is some shade. Apart from bananas, you can also plant a few trees in between your pineapples to provide some shade.

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Quail housing (Summary)

Many farmers in developing countries keep some chickens, either small numbers or large numbers. However, another type of poultry farming is becoming rapidly popular, namely quail farming.

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The wonder of earthworms (Summary)

Earthworm compost can increase soil fertility and help increase the production of vegetables in poor and salty soils. Here we will learn about a fast and easy way to make earthworm compost on a small piece of land.

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Solar drying of chillies (Summary)

When chillies remain moist, moulds develop and the chillies will go bad. Some moulds produce a poison, called aflatoxin, which is toxic to people. To speed up drying and to dry your food hygienically you can use a solar dryer that uses the heat of the sun to dry fruits and vegetables. Solar dryers come in many shapes and sizes, but the principles stay the same. In this audio podcast, we will learn how to make and use a simple solar dryer to dry chillies.

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Making chilli powder (Summary)

It is very important to have a product that doesn’t change, that is of the same quality, the same taste, the same colour and that is well presented.

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Managing vegetable nematodes (Summary)

Nematodes are dreadful worms that live in the soil and in the roots of many different crops and weeds. Nematodes are easier to prevent than to control. The secret is to: grow healthy seedlings; destroy all sources of nematodes in and near your vegetable field; rotate with crops that are resistant to nematodes; and avoid introducing nematodes from other fields. Farmers in southern Benin tell us how to control nematodes.

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Transplanting chillies (Summary)

This audio podcast features the importance of good planning and knowledge. We can reduce losses by following good practices when installing the seedbed, preparing the field and transplanting chilli seedlings.

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Making a chilli seedbed (Summary)

Use quality seeds in a seedbed of one meter wide. Make furrows about every 15 cm. Do not sow too many seeds too close together or the seedlings will be too tall and weak and they will break easily when transplanted. Protect the seedbed from the hot sun and hard rains by covering it with straw, palm leaves or other mulch. Protect the seedlings from pests and animals by putting an insect net over your seedbed. Transplant the seedlings at the right stage. Strong and healthy seedlings are the best start for a healthy and productive crop.

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Insect nets in seedbeds (Summary)

Grasshoppers and snails can be a serious problem for any vegetable seedbed as they chew the tender stems of seedlings. Caterpillars can also cause damage, but more so on tomato and cabbage than on chilli.To protect their young crops many farmers use pesticides. While pesticides are expensive, they are also dangerous for the health of farmers, consumers and the environment. You can protect your seedlings by putting an insect net over them.

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Selecting new rice varieties (Summary)

Participatory varietal selection or PVS is a method that allows different stakeholders to get involved in identifying constraints and selecting new varieties out of the hundreds developed by rice breeders. During three years multiple stakeholders are involved in mother trials, baby trials and tasting tests.

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Date palm management (Summary)

Some practical advice on the management of date palms with suggestions for reducing humidity levels, trimming, intercropping and weeding.

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Date palm IPM (Summary)

This audio looks at various modern methods of integrated biological control in the fight against the pests of palm trees. It features the use of intercropping, light traps and environmentally-friendly organic pesticides.

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Drying and storing chillies (Summary)

Farmers in southern Malawi have come up with their own clever ways to harvest, dry, grade and store their chillies. To remove the pain in their hands after harvesting the chillies, they use various techniques. The biggest enemy of stored chillies is moisture, as this may result in your chillies getting mouldy and developing a poisonous product, called aflatoxin. Therefore avoid keeping your chillies in a polythene sack as moisture can build up in the sack.

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Cassava mosaic virus (Summary)

The cassava mosaic virus disease is an important cassava disease which causes low yields. It can be recognised on the cassava leaves which have spots ranging from light green to yellow. The disease is given to the plant by the whitefly. This disease cannot be cured but it can be avoided. To prevent the cassava mosaic virus disease we must use cuttings which have not been attacked by the disease. Most of all, we must plant varieties which are resistant to the disease.

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Making pressed dates (Summary)

Dates have a short harvesting season, and must be consumed or processed immediately after harvest. Otherwise they will spoil and you won’t be able to store them. To be pressed, all the dates you use must have the same ripeness so that you can store them as long as you want. This audio podcast will also show the hygienic practices and preparations that must be done for a clean food product.

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Soya sowing density (Summary)

To achieve the best density of soya bean plants in our field, we must take four precautions: 1. Use seeds that grow well; 2. Narrow the space between seedling rows and between holes; 3. Do not step on the planting holes of the field; and 4. Control the rodents that eat seeds and seedlings after sowing.

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Sowing and thinning sorghum (Summary)

Increasing plant populations by reducing the planting distance is a key step to achieving a uniform crop stand and a high yield. On the other hand, when plants are too close to each other this can hamper good crop development. The plants will be thin and will be susceptible to diseases and pests such as the parasitic weed striga. In this video, we will learn about the best planting density for sorghum. We will understand what factors can affect crop establishment, and then see how thinning and transplanting can help to get a uniform crop stand and high yield.

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Row planting of sesame (Summary)

Row planting is very advantageous. When you sow sesame seeds in a row, you can thin the plants very well. When you thin the plants, the branches will multiply. You can count up to 20 pods on each branch, which is much more than broadcast sowing. When the plants are too close together, they produce only one or two pods; not many at all. For all these reasons it is good to plant sesame in rows.

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Enriching porridge (Summary)

Legumes such as cowpeas or soybeans are a source of protein, essential for building a child's muscles. Legumes also contain oil, which helps children gain weight. Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals that are important for your child's development. Sour contains a lot of vitamin C, which promotes the absorption of iron.

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How to build a rabbit house (Summary)

Farmers in Kenya show us how they build a rabbit house using simple materials. Because rabbits do not sweat or pant to cool down, they will suffer in direct sun. It is therefore best to put a rabbit house in the shade. A raised house helps to protect the rabbits against rats and also allows the rabbit droppings to fall to the ground. As safari ants can harm baby rabbits, chase away the ants by burning a small piece of rubber and sprinkling salt. Better also destroy ant nests nearby the rabbit house. These and many other tips can help you in rearing rabbits, which is becoming more and more popular and can provide you a good income.
 
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Growing cassava on poor soils (Summary)

Farmers in Cote d’Ivoire show how they improve their cassava production and restore soil fertility. There are five things to do: use improved varieties that are resistant to the cassava mosaic virus; apply organic matter; apply small doses of mineral fertiliser; grow a legume in between our cassava; and plant the cassava in lines, leaving sufficient space between the lines.

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Rotary weeder (Summary)

Effective weed management can increase yields by more than 50%, but usually takes a lot of time. As a farmer it is therefore worthwhile investing in labour-saving weed management tools. In this video you can learn how to control weeds in lowland rice using the rotary weeder.

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Feeding rabbits (Summary)

Many producers raise rabbits because it requires relatively little space, little time and therefore lets you earn some money quickly. For the rabbit to grow well and multiply quickly you need to feed it well. Dry the wet fodder before giving it to the rabbit the next day. This will prevent the animal from getting diarrhea caused by parasites that are on the leaves that are wet from dew or rain. In addition, drying allows the forage to lose a little water. This will prevent the animal’s stomach from bloating. If possible, complement the fodder with concentrate feed. Concentrate feed is a mixture of food that gives rabbits protein, energy, minerals and vitamins.

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Taking care of local chickens (Summary)

Provide a bed of wood shavings or dry grass to make it comfortable for the hens to lay their eggs. This helps to reduce moisture and decreases the chance of infestation by parasites. But these small parasitic insects are not the only problem. During their first few weeks the chicks are caged to protect them from predators and getting lost. These and other cheap and simple practices can help you raise healthy local chickens, feed your family and increase your income.

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Dairy goat feeding (Summary)

Goats eat just about anything. But when goats are kept tied or penned up, they need lots of water, a good mix of feed and enough of it. By giving them fodder every day, we can satisfy part of their needs in energy, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Dry the harvested fodder for about three days before feeding it to the goats to avoid them getting diarrhoea. By drinking water dairy goats better digest the fodder and give more milk. Some plants also stimulate milk production more than others, as some Kenyan farmers explain.

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Turning honey into money (Summary)

Traditionally, honey was sold in the comb, but nowadays most consumers prefer honey that is extracted from the comb. This processed honey is clean and ready to use, and can be stored over a longer period of time. To ensure that honey keeps its quality, you have to respect three basic rules: harvest only honey that is mature; maintain high hygienic standards during harvesting and processing; and ensure that all equipment and packaging containers are clean and dry.

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Feeding snails (Summary)

The snail meat is good for you, and richer in protein, iron and calcium than beef - and even liver. It is especially beneficial for children, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Managing a snail farm is easy and does not require a lot of resources or space. In addition, it does not require much time from the farmer. In this video we will see how farmers in southern Benin feed their snails in an enclosure.

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Feeding grasscutters (Summary)

Grasscutter farming allows farmers to earn money while responding to the demand for meat without putting this species at risk. For successful rearing, you have to provide a proper habitat, monitor the animals carefully and provide a balanced diet. This video will look at how to feed grasscutters in captivity.

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Feeding improved chickens (Summary)

By giving improved chickens green feed every day, we can satisfy part of their needs. However, to increase their production it is best to provide concentrate feed that contains a mixture of grains, oil cake, bran and shells.

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SLM12 Conservation agriculture (Summary)

The main aim is to reduce costs and improve profitability. Soil health is improved as is soil moisture. Zambia is leading the way in Sub-Saharan Africa and this programme shows how the technique is practised.

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SLM11 Farmers & pastoralists (Summary)

Examples of how the two communities can interact to benefit each other from Niger and Mali. From Mali the arrangements of the Barahogon Association are explained, including how disputes are resolved.

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SLM10 Managed regeneration (Summary)

Farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR) has helped to "regreen" five million hectares of land in Niger after three decades of destruction. It is an effective way of reintroducing parkland agroforestry to help improve management of crops and livestock.

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SLM09 Fertility management (Summary)

Integrated soil fertility management is based on maximising the use of organic fertilizers, minimizing the loss of nutrients and optimizing the use of inorganic fertilizer. Microdosing and mulching are featured.

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SLM08 Parkland agroforestry (Summary)

Trees produce timber and firewood, but also fruit, pods, leaves and medicines for people and livestock. Some species help improve soil fertility and reduce local temperatures. The system supports crops and livestock.

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SLM07 Demi-lunes (Summary)

Demi-lunes (half-moons) are in the shaped of a semi-circle with the tips of the bunds on the contour. They come in a variety of sizes, which help with water harvesting in semi-arid areas. They help to improve soil fertility when manure or compost is added.

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SLM06 Zaï planting pits (Summary)

Zaï as they are known in Burkina Faso, or tassa in Niger, are wide deep planting pits. They act as a micro-catchment and can be used to rehabilitate soils when used with manure. They have been very successful in West Africa during the last 25 years.

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SLM05 Zero-grazing & biogas (Summary)

Zero-grazing is where fodder is cut and carried to cows which are kept in stalls. It is suited to where land is scarce. When the manure that the cows produce is mixed with water it can provide the fuel for a bio-gas plant. The mix of methane and carbon dioxide can be used for cooking or lighting and the semi-solid residue makes good fertilizer.

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SLM04 Road runoff harvesting (Summary)

Runoff water from roads can give an extra boost to crops during the rainy season, or if it is stored in ponds can be used for irrigating horticultural crops.

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SLM03 Grevillea agroforestry (Summary)

Grevillea robusta was originally introduced as a shade tree in the coffee and tea estates of East Africa. Now small-scale farmers use the tree in many ways as it does not interfere with crop growth. Uses include timber, fuel wood, leaf mulch, shade, and it serves as a windbreak.

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SLM02 Fanya juu terraces (Summary)

Fanya juu means "throw the soil up" in Kiswahili. The terraces formed are ideal for fodder grasses and help prevent soil erosion. Cultivation becomes easier as the terraces spread out to make the land more level and when combined with manure/fertilizer yields increase.

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SLM01 Stone Lines (Summary)

Stone lines or stone bunds can slow down runoff, increase water infiltration and form the basis for improved production in semi-arid areas.   By using the contours of low slopes water harvesting is improved and crops are possible in low rainfall years.

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SLM00 - Introduction (Summary)

Introduction to Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices which have a proven track record in Africa. They can help control land degradation and improve production for small scale farmers, despite the challenges of climate change.

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Strip tillage (Summary)

Strip tillage keeps crop stubble and helps to conserve soil moisture by tilling only those parts of the fields where the seed and fertiliser is placed. By using a two-wheel tractor with a specially designed attachment box, the seed and fertiliser are placed in the soil at the same time as tilling.

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Bed planting (Summary)

With bed planting, rapidly rotating blades first till the soil. The soil is then reshaped into long beds that alternate with furrows. This technique significantly reduces the amount of water needed for irrigating wheat and is increasingly applied throughout South Asia.

Note: This podcast contains some content referring to mineral fertilizer and pesticides

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Women in extension (Summary)

Food production in women’s fields could easily increase by 30% if we paid attention to gender when dealing with these four areas: demand for training and advice; extension methods and content; access to land, inputs and credit; and access to markets. This video targets research and development organisations, as well as agricultural service providers.

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Contour bunds (Summary)

In the semi-arid savannas where rainfall is limited and highly unpredictable, retaining more water in the soil can make the difference between a poor and a good harvest. You can slow down the runoff water by establishing contour bunds. Contour bunds are permanent ridges of earth that follow positions located at the same altitude. For over 20 years, farmers in Burkina Faso and Mali have made contour bunds in their fields on rolling land with less than a 5% slope.

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Reviving soils with mucuna (Summary)

In the coastal savanna of West Africa, farmers explain how a mucuna cover crop helped to revive their highly degraded soil, and suppress the noxious weeds Striga and Imperata. They show how to grow it to benefit your maize and cassava, and why discussing land tenure in your community really matters.

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Well dried seed is good seed (Summary)

Farmers face great difficulties with drying their seeds because seed absorbs moisture from the soil. As a result, seed quality deteriorates, and no-one can expect good yields by using poor quality seed. In this video you can see how farmers of Maria village solved this problem. Now they are no longer worried about drying seed, even during the rainy season.

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Vision becomes reality (Summary)

A youth association in Northern Ghana shows how self-determination and commitment backed by appropriate financial and business development services has helped members to generate additional income and sustain their group.

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Succeed with seeds (Summary)

During weekly visits, and supported by their extension agent, a farmer field school in Tanzania learns how to test different sorghum varieties for striga resistance and evaluate how each one performs under different practices.

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The rice seedbed (Summary)

In this audio podcast, you can learn how to prepare a seedbed, as establishing a good seedbed is needed to obtain strong seedlings and give your rice crop a good start. Let’s look at it step by step.

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Striga biology (Summary)

One of the major parasites is striga, a weed that sucks the juice and nutrients from cereal crops such as millet, sorghum and maize and causes great yield losses. A single striga plant can produce hundreds of thousands of seeds. The seeds are so tiny that most farmers do not know they are seeds. They really look more like black dust. But don’t be fooled.

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Storing cowpea seed (Summary)

Intercropping or rotating cereal crops with legume crops are two of the strategies of integrated striga and soil fertility management. But keeping quality legume seed has two major challenges. First, the seed easily loses its ability to germinate. And second, we are not the only ones who love legumes. Let’s listen to some farmers from northern Ghana.

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Spotted Seed - Diseased Seed (Summary)

There are many problems with poor seed, and spotted and discoloured seed are some of the major ones. Spotted seeds can't be removed by winnowing or seed flotation. They can only be removed by manual sorting. This video will show you how to clean seed as one of the interventions to produce and use healthy seed.

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Seed sorting by flotation (Summary)

Why not try the technique of seed flotation before sowing your seed. By using this technique any poor seeds which have been attacked by insects will float to the top, leaving the good seed on the bottom.

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Rice transplanting (Summary)

Yields are much higher when rice is transplanted. Compared to broadcasting, yields are two or three times higher. So why not watch this video and find out how and why.

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Rice seed preservation (Summary)

Based on hard real-life experience, the women of Maria village have devised some very effective techniques for seed preservation. So why not learn from some of these innovative women.

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Let’s talk money (Summary)

The economic analysis allows farmers to know how much money they earn or how much they will lose by changing from one technology to another, or from one practice to another. This helps them make a decision for the following year as to which practice they want to try out in their own fields.

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Land preparation for rice (Summary)

How do land preparation and water management affect crop establishment, weed management and rice yields? And why does a field need to be perfectly levelled to make best use of fertilizers? In this audio podcast you can learn the answers to these and other questions.

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Joining hands against striga (Summary)

It is important to pull striga weeds with your hands before the time it produces seeds and spreads. As it is laborious, better reduce the number of striga plants by applying compost or manure, and by rotating or intercropping with non-cereal crops, such as cowpea. In combination with these practices, hand pulling becomes less laborious. Farmers in Tanzania and Mali join hands to reduce the drudgery of hand pulling. Their community effort also helps them avoid spreading striga seeds to neighbouring fields.

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Integrated approach against fruit flies (Summary)

Fruit flies inject their eggs in fruit. A single fruit fly can lay hundreds of eggs, which turn into white worms that eat the inside of fruit. If no action is taken, fruit flies quickly increase in numbers and can destroy your entire crop. Always combine different methods: • Place traps; • Use food baits; • Encourage weaver ants; and • Collect and destroy any fallen fruit.

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Improving Rice Quality (Summary)

What steps can be taken to make sure that locally grown rice can compete against imports? Improving quality which can lead to increased profits for farmers.

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Grow row by row (Summary)

Farmers in northern Nigeria are changing the way they intercrop their sorghum and millet with cowpea. By planting both crops at higher densities and in separate rows, and by applying some organic and mineral fertilizer, they harvest more and reduce damage by the parasitic weed striga. It is one of the strategies of integrated striga and soil fertility management.

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Food for fish (Summary)

What is plankton, and why does it matter to stimulate plankton growth? Experienced farmers in Bangladesh explain how they manage water quality in ponds, and why supplementary feeding is crucial to boost fish production.

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Composting to beat striga (Summary)

Compost is more powerful than manure. What is less known is that the micro-organisms in compost attack striga seeds in the soil. Compost also decreases the amount of striga that will sprout, and reduces its negative effect on cereal crops. Let us look at how farmers in northeast Mali make compost as one of the strategies of integrated striga and soil fertility management. 

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Cashing in with parboiled rice (Summary)

Although rice is highly nutritious, a lot of the quality is lost during processing. This results in poor-quality rice on the market, so consumers turn to imported rice. Parboiling, a way to improve the quality of rice by treating the paddy with warm water and steam. There are many good reasons for parboiling rice. The market for quality rice is growing.

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