1. Plants have two ways of reproduction, sexual by means of seeds, and asexually or vegetatively by means of vegetative tissue. Both ways occur in living plants in nature. In nature, some plants reproduce mainly vegetatively while others rely almost totally on sexual reproduction. For the plant...
  2. This guide provides information and advice to those concerned with the production and sale of eggs in developing countries with an emphasis on marketing, i.e. producing in order to meet market demand. Market-led egg production enables long-term business survival, higher profits and a better...
  3. It is widely accepted that by 2050 the world will host 9 billion people. To accomodate this number, current food production will need to almost double. Land is scarce and expanding the area devoted to farming is rarely a viable or sustainable option. Oceans are overfished and climate change and...
  4. Our work on sustainable agriculture provides analysis and policy insights on how natural resource management can result in enhanced food security, poverty alleviation, and sustainable development. Research and field work seek to improve knowledge and understanding of how best to integrate...
  5. Using earth as a shield against oxygen and to insulate the carbonising wood against excessive loss of heat is the oldest system of carbonization and surely goes back to the dawn of history. Even today it is perhaps used to make more charcoal than any other method. It is, therefore, worthy of...
  6. The Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is considered the most dangerous of all migratory pest species in the world. It threatens people’s livelihoods, food security, the environment and economic development. It can easily affect more than 65 of the world’s poorest countries. It can reproduce...
  7. FAO hosts state-of-the-art databases and software to monitor and manage the many variables required to ensure food security while minimizing environmental impacts. All FAO’s standalone software models and other tools can be downloaded free, for use directly in the field or to assist in research...
  8. Cross-slope barriers are measures on sloping lands in the form of earth or soil bunds, stone lines, and / or vegetative strips for reducing runoff velocity and soil loss, thereby contributing to soil, water and nutrient conservation. This is achieved by reducing steepness and / or length of...
  9. This section presents information about individual crops, their crop water requirement, yield response to water; and bibliographic database on crop water productivity.
  10. The earliest industrial, use of charcoal, more than four thousand years ago, was as a reductant for iron smelting to change iron oxide into metallic iron. But charcoal was already well known as a high grade smokeless fuel for cooking and domestic heating. With the emergence of industrial society...