A history of the spice trade: how spices shaped the world
Spices are now an every day commodity in households around the world. James Hancock explores the origins of this important trade.
Improving access to legume technologies in Ghana
In Ghana, legumes offer an important food staple and commercial crop for smallholder farmers, with legume value chains making a significant impact on food security and household incomes. However, production of legumes, such as soybean, are on the decline in the sub-Saharan Africa. This can be attributed to a number of factors, but chief among…
Organic cotton in Pakistan: policy analysis and recommendations
As the fourth largest cotton producer worldwide, cotton is an integral part of Pakistan’s economy contributing 9.5% of its gross domestic and serving as a core livelihood for 15 million cotton workers. In addition to bringing US$3.5 billion as foreign currency each year to the country, it provides crucial income to cotton-producing households, accounting for…
Dutch Ambassador to Pakistan meets small-scale potato farmers for update on potato capacity-building project
Potato is an important vegetable crop of Pakistan with 88% of production linked to Punjab state – of which 70% comes from within four districts; Okara, Sahiwal, Pakpattan and Kasur in Pakistan.
Benefits of the Global Burden of Crop Loss project highlighted at DevRes2021 conference
CABI’s Dr Laura Doughty has highlighted the importance of the Global Burden of Crop Loss (GBCL) initiative at this year’s DevRes2021 conference whose theme was ‘Advancing Sustainable Transformation.’
Three years on, the Good Seed Initiative still reaps rewards for farmers in Tanzania
A CABI study brief has shown that three years on, the Good Seed Initiative is still reaping rewards for farmers in Tanzania, writes Dr Monica Kansiime, Scientist-Agricultural Economist, CABI. The study entitled Perspectives on sustainability of smallholder seed enterprises: a case study of African indigenous vegetables in Tanzania reveals how this initiative was instrumental in…
Tackling pests to boost Uganda’s blossoming trade in floriculture
Breaking down the barriers to international trade has never been more important. Flowers are a profitable form of income for many low- and middle-income countries. However, small-scale growers in places like Uganda face hurdles accessing the kind of information and technologies needed to improve the standard of produce to supply lucrative global markets like the…
Punjab wheat growers hope to boost productivity with combine harvester and wheat straw chopper
CABI is working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to help small-scale wheat farmers in the Hafizabad and Sheikhupura districts of Punjab, Pakistan, boost their productivity by demonstrating the benefits of modern machinery – the New Holland TC-56 combine harvester and wheat straw chopper.
Maize growers of Punjab helped to manage aflatoxins through biological control technology
Maize crop in Pakistan presents a remarkable success story from the last few years. For instance, the country’s maize production increased from 705 tonnes in 1971 to 7,000 tonnes in 2020 – growing at an average annual rate of 5.15%.
International Trade in Forest Products
Because of the long-standing Canada-U.S. lumber trade dispute and the current pressure on the world's forests as a renewable energy source, much attention has been directed toward the modelling of international trade in wood products.