The importance of “where” in agriculture development

From time to time, we need to step back and consider “Why AGCommons?” Because almost everything in the realm of agricultural development is dependent upon a clear understanding of “spatial” data components or “where” data. These include, for example, the location of: critical soil types, ecosystems, climate, market opportunities, pest populations, etc. We can see [...]

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Looking Behind the Africa Trial Sites Network

While Asia and Latin America have benefitted from the Green Revolution, agricultural yields in Africa have increased little over the last half century.  This gap is due, in part, to the current state of African research systems. Improved systems will lead to increased yields, a solution that African governments and donors already recognize.

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Eat when you are sleeping

Naliendele means “eat when you are sleeping” in the local language of Southeast Tanzania. It is also the name of the community where you can find the Naliendele Agricultural Research Institute. According to local legend, a man had been traveling over long distances when he arrived to this community. He was very tired from his [...]

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Visit the Africats website

We invite all AgCommons readers to visit the Africa trial sites website at Africats.org. The project promotes cultivar evaluation throughout the continent.  Please create an account to take advantage of the full functionality of the website.  We also ask that anyone interested in participating in our network contact us for more information.

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What do users of Africa Trial Sites need?

Agricultural scientists involved in the Africa Trial Sites project held a brainstorming session during the Generation Challenge Program’s (GCP) Annual Research Meeting (ARM).

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Why is variety adoption so low?

Mali agronomists tell us that adoption of improved varieties in the country is around 5%. The reasons are familiar. The agricultural extension service needs to be expanded if the ministry of agriculture is ever going to reach farmers. Many farmers lack connection to the major towns and cities. Improved varieties usually need to be adopted [...]

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