Strengthening the potato value chain in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
On 30th May, we marked the International Day of Potato. In this blog, CABI’s Crop Health Advisor Anna Wood provides an update on a five-year project led by CABI to strengthen the potato value chain in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. An ambitious five-year project led by CABI to strengthen the potato value chain in…
Making data work better in agriculture with FAIR principles
CABI’s ‘Enabling FAIR data sharing and responsible data use’ project, funded by the Gates Foundation, is helping transform agricultural development by promoting FAIR data in agriculture. The project empowers stakeholders with tools and capacity to improve data sharing and digital innovation.
Joint efforts towards strengthening harmonization in the pesticide regulatory landscape of the Philippines
CABI together with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) of the Philippines have produced working manuals to help strengthen harmonization of the pesticide landscape in the Philippines. The manuals include guidelines that ensure consistency in reviewing pesticide registration on globally accepted practices based on bio-efficacy and residue…
Biodiversity loss: How can we reclaim our landscapes from threats to biodiversity?
On 22nd May, we mark the International Day for Biological Diversity. In this article, CABI’s Global Director for Invasive Species Dr Hariet Hinz looks at how we can reclaim our landscapes from threats to biodiversity. Biodiversity loss is proceeding at an unprecedented pace. It jeopardizes the stability of natural ecosystems and increases vulnerability to climate…
Equipping decision-makers with evidence to tackle global crop loss
Every year, up 40% of crops are lost globally before they are even harvested. This loss, estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), undermines food security, farmer livelihoods and economic stability. However, the problem is poorly understood, preventing effective action to reduce losses. Crop productivity is increasingly at risk from pests, plant diseases, and…
Training workshop in Malawi shifts focus to effective data management practices as part of MaDiPHS project
CABI has delivered a three-day refresher technical training workshop in Malawi aimed at encouraging greater effective data management practices as part of the Malawi Digital Plant Health Service (MaDiPHS) project. Henry Mibei, Manager, Digital Development, Africa, and Gideon Abegunrin, Data Policy Analyst, conducted the training for more than 30 people from 10 different organizations including the…
Lessons in AI Governance from the GAIA Project
Generative AI is starting to reshape how agricultural advice is produced, shared, and used — but the shift comes with both opportunities and challenges. For smallholder farmers, agriculture advisory chatbots and AI-based diagnostic tools could offer faster, more localised, and scalable support. They are often adopted by farmers directly, whilst in the best cases they…
Training delivered on early warning system using Earth Observation data to help manage crop pest pests in Kenya
CABI has teamed up with the Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Organization (KALRO) to deliver training aimed at helping smallholder maize, bean and tomato farmers understand important crop pest alerts derived from Earth Observation data. Experts in digital development from CABI’s Regional Centre for Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, held a two-day Pest Risk Information Service (PRISE)…
This Earth Day, how is CABI working to address climate change?
Climate change severely impacts agriculture and the environment. It amplifies risks from extreme weather, such as droughts and floods. It accelerates the spread of crop pests and diseases, disrupting ecosystems that we rely on for food security. Moreover, climate change impacts the livelihoods of the smallholder men, women and youth farmers who grow much of…
Forging a new approach to agriculture research from a gender lens
While working with women farmers across Africa for the past 17 years, Dr Lora Forsythe, lead of the Gender and Social Difference research group at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich in the United Kingdom, heard a common refrain “Many different women in diverse contexts told me they struggled with poor soil,” Dr Forsythe…