Investing in rural people in Afghanistan
IFAD works with small-scale farmers and vulnerable and marginalized socio-economic groups, particularly women and ethnic minorities, in rural and mountain environments. IFAD’s current work in Afghanistan takes into account the difficult security situation across most of the country.
Key intervention domains will include climate-smart small-scale production and value chain development, marketing support, and the promotion of both on- and off-farm economic opportunities for poor and vulnerable rural women, men and youth. Measures to address gender inequality will also be specifically considered and promoted.
- Published in AFGHANISTAN, NUTRITION, RESOURCES
Global Capacity Needs Assessment for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture
Building the capacities in nutrition of agricultural extension and advisory services (EAS) is widely considered a critical aspect to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) and help achieve household food and nutrition security. Under the auspices of the German-funded ‘Strengthening Capacities for Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems’ project (GCP/INT/714/GER), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) initiated in 2019 a process to understand the gaps in learning and capacity among EAS providers in integrating nutrition objectives into agricultural extension programmes and policies. This process consisted of the development, the piloting at country level, the validation and dissemination of a Global Capacity Needs Assessment (GCNA) methodology aimed to assist countries in assessing their own capacity gaps in nutrition and EAS. The GCNA methodology was then pilot- tested in five countries in four regions by GFRAS member organizations. These assessments were led by the GFRAS Regional networks and Country Fora and consultants specifically associated with these networks. Country level workshops were carried out by GFRAS regional members to review the outputs of the pilot studies.
Consultative Workshop on Learning Needs Assessment for Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture in India
The Centre for Research on Innovation and Science Policy (CRISP) and Agricultural Extension South Asia Network (AESA), organised the Consultation workshop on ‘Learning Needs Assessment for Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture (NSA) in Telangana’ on 3 January 2020, at Hyderabad, Telangana, India. This workshop was organised to validate the findings of the study and the use of Global Learning Needs Assessment (GLNA) Methodology to assess learning needs. The participants included representatives from the government and non-governmental organisations engaged in research, teaching, training, extension, and programme implementation. Prior to the workshop, the draft report on the findings of the study was shared with the participants and each of them was apprised of the agenda.
Strengthening Seed Systems Promoting Community Based Seed Systems for Biodiversity Conservation and Food & Nutrition Security in South Asia
In this forum, the government representatives from SAARC Member States, experts, researchers, and farmers’ organizations were participated with innovative ideas and experience that contributed to come up with this Volume. Thus, we are delighted to publish this book, which would be useful to formulate policies on strengthening the seed systems in general, Community Based Seed Systems (CBSS) in particular, for biodiversity conservation, food security and nutrition in the South Asia region.
We would express our sincere gratitude to the SAARC Agriculture Center (SAC); the Asian Farmers’ Association (AFA); the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC); the SAARC Member States, particularly the Ministry of Foreign/ External Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture; SAARC Secretariat; National Focal Point Experts; and Farmers Organizations for their significant contributions. We appreciate to Dr. S. M. Bokhtiar, Director, SAARC Agriculture Center (SAC) and the SAC team; AFA team; and PARC team for their outstanding contributions.
Summary of the SMART patrolling – A toolkit for better forest management in Bangladesh
The Government of Bangladesh deployed SMART patrolling in the Sundarbans – the world’s largest mangrove forest – in September 2017. Although guidelines were developed, they did not cover plain land forest or hill forest monitoring in the country. FAO in partnership with the Bangladesh Forest Department and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), developed a SMART patrolling toolkit for these types of forest. The toolkit has been piloted in four protected areas of Cox’s Bazar and will be used for management of hill and plain land forest across Bangladesh.It will guide the use on CyberTracker/Android phone for real-time monitoring of hill and plain land forests across the country. The toolkit will be useful for law enforcement, monitoring threats, forest and wildlife monitoring, and public awareness generation.
CGIAR’s role in digital extension services
CGIAR’s digital extension services bridge the gap between the development and the adoption of new climate change adaptation strategies. These services include new ways to disperse information on rainfed systems of agriculture, nutrition, pest control, new crop varieties, crop management practices, and more.
Measuring digital development Facts and figures 2021
Approximately 4.9 billion people – or 63 per cent of the world’s population – are using the Internet in 2021[1]. This represents an increase of 17 per cent since 2019, with 782 million people estimated to have come online during that period. Of the 2.9 billion people offline, 96 per cent live in developing countries.
These are just some of the insights that can be found in the 2021 edition of Facts and Figures, ITU’s annual global assessment of digital connectivity. It features estimates for key connectivity indicators for the world, global regions, and several country groupings, including the UN-designated Least Developed Countries.
Digital and virtual spaces as sites of extension and advisory services research: social media, gaming, and digitally integrated and augmented advice
The field of research on agricultural and rural extension and education, also referred to as advisory services and intermediaries, has always engaged with different aspects of the spaces in which agricultural producers (farmers, growers, ranchers) are situated and operate. In this editorial, I will reflect on the elements and environments which jointly constitute and shape the farm (Darnhofer 2020) and their connection with extension and advisory services in the digital age, opening up new digital and virtual spaces. Extension and advisory services receive ample consideration in current debates on digitalization and digital transformation of the agrifood sector, and are an important focus of attention for agriculture and food systems research, practice and policy (Ehlers, Huber, and Finger 2021; Ingram and Maye 2020; Klerkx 2020). In what follows, I will elaborate on some digital and virtual spaces as sites of extension and advisory services research, to progress the field of study for which The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension serves as a publication outlet.
Exploring the ICT Preferences of Personnel from Agricultural Extension Organizations in the Northeastern Region of India
Although the public extension system in India is known to be one of the largest in the world, it still lacks coordinated effort in managing the links between research, extension, and farmers, resulting in non-uniform distribution of agricultural knowledge and technology. A vast majority of the population earning their livelihood through agriculture remain small and marginal farmers. Lack of computerized networks in agricultural extension departments, inadequate skilled manpower for disseminating agricultural information, and increasingly diverse needs of farmers across the Indian sub-continent pose hurdles in effective information transfer to the farming community. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) tools exerts a positive impact on agriculture worldwide by aiding speedy and effective dissemination of agricultural information. Increased awareness of modern ICT tools and their usage will contribute substantially to strengthening the extension network and expand its scope. This study explored the ICT preferences of personnel from agricultural extension organizations employed in public extension organizations in the north-eastern region of India. It found that electronic media is ranked below the conventional extension contact modes of print media and personalized contact regarding its use for disseminating agricultural information by the extension personnel. Demographic characteristics of the personnel from agricultural extension organizations such as sex, age, education, specialization, designation, and work experience were significantly associated with the pattern of ICT use specifically experience with ICT, frequency of use, training, and voluntary use.
Remote sensing for space-time mapping of smog in Punjab and identification of the underlying causes using geographic information system (R-SMOG)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Pakistan initiated the Technical Cooperation Programme on Remote Sensing for Spatio-Temporal mapping of Smog (R-SMOG) upon the request of the Government of Punjab. The R-SMOG evaluates the relationship between Smog and the rice residue burning practices by farmers in the Rice belt of Punjab. It is a comprehensive geospatial research which integrates Spatio-temporal mapping of smog viz-a-viz climatological modelling, study of seasonal trends and dynamics and estimates an inventory of sectoral emissions. The findings of the R-SMOG will assist to generate scientific evidences to study the causes of Smog in Punjab and to adopt adequate mitigation and adaptation strategies.