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
The Jab-Seeder: A Tool for Manual Seeding
In the northeast part of Thailand, poor soybean farmers who cannot afford power driven farm tools spend long, tiring hours seeding their farms by hand. It is done in three steps: making the holes, dropping the seeds in, and covering them up. The task is time consuming and tiring. The Asian Institute of Technology in…
Forage System for Semi Arid Areas
In Bali, Indonesia, it is common for farmers to mix crop and animal systems. In the dry regions cattle are very important, bringing in up to 43% of the total farm income. Native grasses, tree leaves, and cereal straws are used as feed, but the supply is often inadequate. To increase the availability of animal…
Build and Maintain Contour Ridges
Some people wonder why it is necessary to use special conservation measures when they can reap crops from their fields without this extra effort. Why do these people think that all is well? They are unaware of the “silent thief” of our land – soil erosion. You can stop that silent thief in your own…
Prepare a Home First Aid Kit
When someone close by has an accident, right away you want to do what you can to help. You give first aid to help the person recover and to prevent the injury from getting worse. In fact, when you give first aid, you might even save the life of the injured person. Today we’re going…
An Improved Stove Can Change Your Life
Mothers, have your children ever been burned by the cooking fire? Do you and your children walk long distances to collect firewood? Does the smoke from the cooking fire hurt your eyes and lungs? If you answered yes, you will want to hear today’s story about a woman who improved her life by changing her…
Handle Livestock with Care
Do you handle your animals with care? An animal that is handled with care will produce more milk, more offspring, and more meat. When animals are stressed they need special care, for example when they are being moved. Moving livestock Here are some helpful hints to remember when moving livestock. First, use your head before…
Biological Pest Control: Reduce Pests Naturally
Most insects, plants, and animals are friends of farmers. For instance, of 100 insects that might be found in a farmer’s field, only one kind of insect will be a pest and the other 99 are friendly insects. You can reduce the number of pests by putting these friends to work for you. The technique,…
A Kitchen Garden for the Family
The importance of vegetables in our diets cannot be over emphasized. The vegetables we eat provide our bodies with vitamins and minerals which protect us from diseases. The dry season, then, is a challenge to families, especially to women who are responsible for family meals. This scarcity of green vegetables is sometimes so severe that…
Farmers Increase Yields by Growing Many Crop Types
Farmers can produce more crops and profit more by growing many crop varieties at one time. At first this might seem impractical or troublesome. But farmers say it is a good way to get higher, more stable yields. Why is this strategy effective? To understand this better, let’s take a tour of a small farm…
Cut tree branches carefully
Most farmers plant at least a few trees for fruit, fuelwood, or timber, for fodder or green manure, or just for shade and beauty. After the first three or four years, when these trees are established, they grow and produce even if they are neglected. But if you take a little extra care, the trees…