Opening up agricultural research and data: How do funders and the corporate sector see the potential of “open agriculture”?
We all know that the world’s growing population will need more and better food, from less farmable land, being produced by fewer farmers, in a far more volatile and changing climate. A more efficient and equitable agricultural system, in harmony with the environment, requires a step-change in how research is conducted and how its outputs and…
Turning Point for Phytosanitary Risk Management?
International trade in plants and plant products has transformed the world in both positive and negative ways. The introduction of destructive non-native pests is one of the negative consequences. Effectively managing pest risk associated with international trade while also promoting the benefits of trade is most effectively accomplished when it is a shared responsibility across…
Top tips and practical advice on managing your horse’s weight to keep them healthy
Originally posted on World Horse Welfare: Assistant Centre Manager Sara Jerman explains practical ways to manage your horse’s nutritional intake and keep them at a healthy weight.
Will we eat? Dealing with the impact of food shortages
Food shortages are a continuous problem around the world - to deal with them, should countries simply ensure they have a reserve of food? Then why do we still see food crises?
Natural horsemanship versus traditional methods – is the animosity finally dissolving?
There once was a process of breaking horses that involved force, domination and control – indeed the word ‘breaking’ was not coined for any other reason than to represent the fact that the horse’s spirit must essentially be broken to ensure a complaint and willing beast of burden. Over the years the process of breaking…
How smallholder farmers can combat their reliance on staple crops
The world’s population relies overwhelmingly on four staple crops which together account for more than three-quarters of our food supply: maize, rice, soybean and wheat. Global food shortages will arise when these crops fail in a warmer climate, as is increasingly the case.
Overcoming data sharing challenges: Lessons from OFRA
Between 2013 and 2017, CABI delivered a collaborative project, Optimizing Fertilizer Recommendations for Africa (OFRA). The project had a goal of improving the capacity of National Agricultural Research Institutions in developing fertilizer recommendations for efficient and profitable fertilizer use in 13 sub-Saharan African countries, within the framework of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) practices under smallholder farming.
A lesson in ‘resilience’: realities and misconceptions
Resilience is about changing in response to a disturbance; changing the ways parts of the “system” are connected, emphasizing some and de-emphasizing others. It’s the capacity to absorb disturbance and re-organize to keep functioning in the same way.
The Climate Battleground: Grassland or Forest
Nostalgia The title of Tom Jones’ album, ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home’ released in 1967, still rouses powerful nostalgia for the rural landscape of Britain. Similar sentiments are experienced by other nationalities, but grass is particularly relevant in Britain. It ranges in type from lush lowland meadows through upland pastures and heath to open…
From too many to too few: the impact of COVID-19 on overtourism
A few months ago 2020 was predicted to be a record-breaking year for tourism, continuing the apparently unending pattern of annual growth recorded since the tourism industry began collecting data on numbers of people travelling. Even allowing for the fact that the figures included almost everyone crossing an international border for an overnight visit and…