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Biofortified with zinc and iron to fight micronutrient malnutrition, varieties of lentils developed by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) mature in less than 100 days and fit well in cereal-based cropping systems. Lentils provide a protein-rich legume crop that can improve nutrition and strengthen rural livelihoods.

By measuring levels of major nutrients like nitrogen, sodium and potassium, soil analysis allows farmers to gauge the appropriateness of growing a particular crop and adjust fertilizer use accordingly. However, because soil-scanning technology is costly and difficult to use, it is not widespread in Africa. AgroCares provides an inexpensive, easy-to-use scanner that helps farmers perform soil analyses on their farms, enabling them to manage soil health and increase their yields.

Farmers across the Global South can learn from agroecological solutions presented by their peers via Access Agriculture’s online video platform. While thousands of organizations and rural service providers have freely downloaded and shared these videos from Africa, Asia and Latin America, farmers have become the largest occupational group signing up for Access Agriculture. At least sixty million farmers have seen Access Agriculture videos.

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) promotes cactus pear as a crop that millions of farmers in semi-arid and dry areas can use to improve their nutrition and incomes. Cactus is a multifunctional crop, mitigating drought and combating desertification. In South Asia as well as Middle-East and North Africa (MENA), the cultivation of cactus pear increases the economic viability of small and medium-sized farms of low-income farmers

Supplemental irrigation provides higher and more stable yields, a lower risk of crop failure and much higher crop water productivity, which together significantly improve farmers' incomes. Supplemental irrigation helps mitigate inconsistent seasonal rainfall, which is intensifying because of climate change. Already, frequent droughts cause substantial crop losses.

When properly managed, conservation agriculture can benefit both farmers and the environment. Conservation agriculture refers to the use of technologies and practices that enhance crop productivity while improving resource-use efficiency and soil health. As an alternative to conventional tillage for rainfed drylands, it not only saves time and labour, but also conserves water and nutrients in the soil to make crop production more resilient to climate change.

The Sustainable Rangeland Management (SRM) toolkit, tested in Tunisia, lays out a scalable, holistic and multidisciplinary approach for addressing the biophysical and socio-economic trade-offs among different land uses. The toolkit helps communities, policymakers and development actors apply key sustainable rangeland management practices to targeted regions. It can play a major role in achieving a neutral level of land degradation, increased forage production and enhanced ecosystem services.

The automated credit-scoring system allows smallholder farmers to more easily access loans. The system enables savings and credit cooperative societies (SACCOs) and farmers’ organizations to access in real time farmers’ historical financial data and better determine their creditworthiness. So far, Amtech has reached 89,000 farmers, one-third of the farmers they have in their database. Amtech plans to mobilize the other two-thirds over the next two years.

Kumé is an IFAD-supported platform created by Fundación ACUA (Afro-descendant Cultural Assets Foundation). By commercializing gastronomic products and services that promote culture, traditional knowledge and local crops, ACUA enhances the visibility of rural Afro-descendant communities in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Through the platform, chefs in rural territories offer live online cooking classes for participants in major cities. Using traditional recipes, the chefs showcase their cultures, territories and traditional practices.

Mechanized raised-bed (MRB) irrigation is a field-configuration technology that enhances water use efficiency in dryland conditions. This technology, along with improved crop varieties and agronomic practices, is part of a MRB production package that improves farm productivity and income. For wheat in Egypt, MRB led to an average 25 percent increase in yield, more than 60 percent increase in water productivity and about 20 percent in farming cost reduction.

New ICTs help Guatemalan coffee farmers respond to climate change.

Harnessing the power of ICTs to improve agricultural extension services in Malawi

Providing safe and innovative bioherbicide, designed by and for smallholders.

Digitizing the agricultural inputs subsidy program to increase agricultural productivity among smallholder farmers in Rwanda

Connecting tractor owners and smallholder farmers to ensure faster planting.

Improving water quality with natural infrastructure.

Promoting sales of agricultural products through a web platform to transform local ressources and increase employment — Shuyang Case

Improving developing countries’ capacities to obtain and access domestic and global agricultural information through CropWatch

Enabling grass-roots agricultural extension workers to acquire timely information and knowledge in China

A platform that allows agribusinesses to work more efficiently and manage data.

Offline access to country-specific information on a range of agricultural topics.

Improving food security by reducing post-harvest loss in fishery through better processing

Helping salt farmers improve their livelihoods through solar pumps

Charcoal produced as a by-product of daily cooking becomes a livelihood opportunity.

Spate irrigation provides an effective solution during times of water shortage

SMS and radio shows introduced productivity-enhancing technologies to 2 million farmers.

Technology transfer to enhance rural livelihoods and natural resource management.

Strong information flow within a supply chain for better outcomes.

Drip micro-irrigation to increase yields and save water.

Empowering women through better access to agricultural tools.

Using sustainable apiculture to offset climate change.

Technology and training connect farmers with resources for business growth.

India’s trend for mobile tech helped create a powerful knowledge network.

Portable power from cost-effective eco-friendly biogas systems.

Adding female voices to agricultural radio programmes empowered communities in Africa.