Hydroponic farming – a system where plants are grown in water instead of soil – seems too high-tech and costly for smallholders in developing countries. But dairy farmers in the Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra have in recent years learnt to successfully produce quality green fodder using a simple low-cost hydroponic system.
The Mediterranean fruit fly is a worthy enemy. This pest, also known as the medfly, is widespread over the tropics, attacking and spoiling oranges, mangoes and many other fruits. Each female can lay 200 eggs in her brief lifetime—allowing rapid population growth. The medfly damages so much high value fruit, that many people would like to eradicate it entirely.
At the recent launch of the new strategy for the National Agriculture Extension and Advisory Services in Lilongwe, Malawi, Access Agriculture (www.accessagriculture.org/) was invited to participate in the exhibition titled “Agriculture Extension and Advisory Services within reach: Key to Improved Agricultural Productivity and Nutrition.”
"I am very happy to read the details of the work being done by Access Agriculture. I congratulate you and your colleagues on this most valuable work, and wish you continued success."
Prof M S Swaminathan, India
“Access Agriculture has become the world leader in training videos for smallholder farmers.
Access Agriculture was, is and will be an outstanding and remarkable partner of SDC with an unparalleled agility and capacity for innovation.”
Simon Zbinden, Head, Global Programme Food Security, SDC
"I have watched the videos on your Access Agriculture website. These type of videos are recommended for our students, especially at the end of training in agricultural colleges. Other relationships with the United Nations (FAO, UNDP and World Bank) should be developed, especially with regard to the very distinctive way of presenting knowledge in local languages on development."
Gominan Osséni Séïdou, FAO, Benin
“I am a proprietor of Jezza Sustainable Organic Farm located 35 km from Kampala which is a startup farm in its second year of operation and found the resources on your Access Agriculture website valuable for our operation and the community around us.”
Samuel Byamukama, Jezza Sustainable Organic Farm, Uganda
“According to the facilitators, watching the videos on seed has stimulated them to start looking for local solutions to common problems that farmers face. It is by drawing on local knowledge that sustainable solutions can often be found at almost no cost. They did not say they are going to copy all what they saw, but they will apply the most essential.”
Louis Béavogui, IRAG, Guinea
“...this is the best and largest online agriculture training video library that is in many languages, and we have had great impact in our agriculture work using these videos.”
Sean Granville-Ross
Country Director, Mercy Corps Uganda