Backgrounders
Backgrounders are brief introductions to important and technical topics and Answers to frequently asked questions share key information on a topic.
Use this information to plan an episode or series of episodes on the topic, to prepare for an interview, or to answer questions from callers.
- All
- Agriculture
- Aquaculture
- Children and youth
- Climate change
- Community development
- Crop production
- Energy
- Environment and climate change
- Gender equality
- Health
- Hygiene and sanitation
- Land issues
- Livestock and beekeeping
- Marketing and market information
- Nature-based Solutions
- Nutrition
- Post-harvest activities
- Social issues
- Soil health
- Trees and agroforestry
- Water management
Why Plants Make Good Neighbours
Plants can be good neighbours or bad neighbours. Some plants help each other and grow stronger when they are planted together. Some people call them good companions. Other plants growing next to each other do not benefit one another. In fact they may grow poorly side by side. They are bad neighbours and should not…
Compost – A Wonderful Food for your Garden
Today we’re going to talk about compost. We’ll explain what compost is, and why it is good for your soil and plants. Then we will tell you how to build a compost pile. Compost is a dark brown or black material that looks and smells like soil, but is lighter in weight and more crumbly.…
You Can Make Compost in Two to Three Weeks
Save and edit this resource as a Word document Imagine this. You will be ready to plant your garden in three weeks, but your soil is poor and needs fertilizer. You’ve heard that compost is good fertilizer and will make your soil rich and your plants healthy. But there’s a problem. It usually takes three…
Make Compost as Your Vegetables Grow
Imagine this. The rainy season is coming and you’re ready to plant your vegetables. Adding compost would be the perfect way to make your soil fertile. But you don’t have much compost available, and you don’t have time to make it. You’ve cleared some land and the ground is covered with the branches, stems, and…
Choosing a School Garden Site
Planting a school garden is an excellent way for children to learn many important lessons. As the children are planning the garden, they will learn about the connections between agriculture, the food chain and the environment. While working with soil and plants, students will learn about the biology of plants and microorganisms. To know where…
Keeping Food Safe – Part Two
In our first program on keeping food safe, we talked about the importance of keeping your business clean. We said that it was important to: wash your hands, keep all working surfaces and dishes clean and disinfected, use clean water and keep food out of the reach of animals. Today, we will talk about some…
Keeping Food Safe – Part One
Many people are leaving the countryside these days. Towns and cities are getting bigger and people are getting busier. Many people don’t have enough time to cook a meal. So they buy food from a market or roadside stall, or they go to a restaurant. This means that more and more people make their living…
Use branch cuttings to create living fences
Branch cuttings from trees can be used to propagate trees quickly. By using branch cuttings you can establish a protective forest along the edges of rivers and lakes. You can also make living fences and establish green borders beside the highways to “green” the natural environment. Most branch cuttings are planted about 4 to 5…
The Many Uses of Bitter Leaf
In tropical countries, bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) is a widely used vegetable, especially in the southern part of Nigeria. This small evergreen plant grows well in both the dry and rainy seasons, and has many uses. Rural and urban women earn extra income by selling the leaves in the market. They must wash the leaves…
A Simple Tool to Harvest Fruit
Have you ever tried picking fruit that is very high on the tree? Chances are, if you use a rod to beat the fruit down, it will fall to the ground very damaged. To reduce the chance of fruit falling to the ground and being damaged, you can try using the split end of a…