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
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…
Raise your Own Fish Fingerlings
Keeping fish in your rice fields reduces weeds and insects. Fish manure fertilizes rice and increases rice yield. Fish is also a nutritious and tasty food for you and your family. If you want to raise fish with your rice you need a supply of young fish. Today we will talk about how you can…
Intercropping with Paulownia Trees
Intercropping with Paulownia Trees By growing trees with crops you can increase crop yields and harvest lumber, firewood, and livestock feed at the same time. In different parts of the world farmers are experimenting with different combinations of crops and trees. This is called intercropping. What is intercropping? Intercropping is growing different crops together in…
Use Chili Peppers to Control Pests
Content : Chili peppers (Capsicum spp.) can be used to make a spray or dust to control pests. All over the world farmers and gardeners use chili peppers instead of commercial pesticides. Make a spray for field and garden crops You can make an effective pest control spray from chili peppers, water and soap. Chop…
Groundnut (Peanut) Hay is Good Feed in the Dry Season
If you feed your animals well in the dry season they are ready for the hard work of cultivating the fields when the rains come. And good feeding all year round helps your cows produce more milk. It also helps them produce young ones more often. It’s the same with other animals too. Animal feed…
Fewer Children Mean Healthier Children
We recently told you about farmers named John and Sam who grew carrots. John planted his carrots well apart but Sam crowded his together. He thought that the more seeds he sowed the more carrots he’d get. But Sam was wrong. Although his fields had more seedlings at the beginning of the season, by harvest…