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
Combine Controls to Manage Striga
Striga Striga, or witchweed, is one of the most important parasitic weeds in agricultural crops. It occurs in many parts of Africa, the Arabian peninsula, India, Indonesia and the United States. Local names are buda (Arabic), isona or rooibloem (Southern Africa), ndokoum (West Africa), bilikasa, talap, and urimallige (India). The economically most important species are,…
Retain Nutrients in Stored Manure
Nitrogen is an important plant food that is found in both manure and urine. But if the manure lies around in small piles on the ground in the sun, wind, and rain, much of the nitrogen in it will be washed away or lost into the air. Other plant foods will also be wasted. It’s…
Coping with Tuberculosis
In China they call the disease the “terrible chest”. Doctors call it tuberculosis, or TB for short. By any name, it is a killer. Tuberculosis is an infection, which means that a germ, in this case the TB germ, invades your body and makes you sick. The germ is too small to see with your…
Control Grasshoppers and Locusts on Your Farm
Save and edit this resource as a Word document. Those of you who are troubled by locusts and grasshoppers on your farms should know that there are many methods of locust and grasshopper control that are cheaper and safer than chemical pesticides. Experiment with a combination of techniques to find out which work best on…
Sweet Potatoes: Easy to Grow, Good to Eat
Think of sweet potatoes if you are looking for a crop that grows well in poor soils and fairly dry conditions, doesn’t need expensive fertilizers, and is tasty and nutritious. Sweet potatoes are an excellent crop for small scale farmers. You can eat the leaves and the tubers. Together, the leaves and tubers of sweet…
Participatory Experiments with Green Manure
Have you heard…? From Guatemala The Boca Costa of Sololá, Guatemala is located at the base of the Santo Tomas volcano. The main crops in the region are coffee and bananas (800 to 1400 metres), corn, and beans. The corn growing land is sloping, and soil erosion is a major problem. Maize yields in the…
Breaking the Guinea Worm Cycle
It is a painful affliction that is so common you may have suffered it yourself. Or your children have, or your neighbour. Chances are many people in your village have been crippled by the pain of this condition, and some of them never recovered completely. It is called Guinea worm, and it is probably as…
Neem Leaf Spray Controls Pests
Today it’s no cost pest control! Use neem leaves to make a pest control solution. Neem spray is effective against many pests of grain and vegetable crops. For example, neem spray can affect locusts, bean aphids, whiteflies, houseflies, Mexican bean beetles, Colorado potato beetles, corn earworms, and cabbage loopers. And because there are always green…
Women Use Wild Plants for Food and Medicine
Around the world, women know how to gather, prepare, and use many different kinds of wild plants. Women have developed this important knowledge because they provide food and medicine for their families. Women learn at an early age how to find and use wild plants. Their teachers are usually their mothers and grandmothers. Nowadays, it…
Eat Grain Sprouts for Better Health
Eating grain sprouts improves your diet and stretches your budget at the same time. Like dry grain, grain sprouts, also simply called “sprouts” contain protein, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins A and B. But sprouts also contain vitamin C, which is missing in the dry grain. You need vitamin C to protect yourself against infections and…