AsiaDHRRA Online

FarmFriday, shares this thought-provoking article from the The Economist about Brazil’s success in developing its vast savannah into one of the world’s great breadbasket. Make sure to read the article comments for some interesting viewpoints.
The increase in Brazil’s farm production has been stunning. Between 1996 and 2006 the total value of the country’s crops rose [...]

Farm Friday found this bit in the IRRI Knowledgebank about dryers that have gained popularity in usage in SEA. “The dryers featured here are not neccessarily the best technical solution but, because they are accepted by the users, they seem to offer a good compromise between drying cost and benefits in terms of [...]

FarmFriday shares this interesting article by Elizabeth Pennisi in ScienceMag about the scientific community’s efforts in creating “the ideal crop” and “developing new technologies for a better farming future”
Substantial improvements are needed in current crops to achieve higher yields and sustainable farming. To achieve those gains, agricultural companies have turned to robotics and other measures [...]

Here’s an interesting article we picked up over at IPS.

Franz Chávez interviews Bolivian expert in natural resource management WILFREDO QUIROZ
Wilfredo Quiroz / Credit:Franz Chávez/IPS
LA PAZ, Apr 3 , 2010 (IPS) – The gradual loss of traditional farming practices that preserve the land has pushed into extreme poverty small farmers in Bolivia who 20 years [...]

Here’s an interesting article from fastcompany.com about reversing desertification. The project, the winner of the 2010  Buckminster Fuller Challenge evangelizes the approach called  “holistic management” in combating desertification. “The core of Holistic Management is simply grazing local livestock in super dense herds that mimic the grazing patterns of big-game (which have since disappeared). Those livestock [...]

By popular demand we will be posting again farm machines developed by government and research institutions in Southeast Asia. Again here’s PhilRice with their microtiller which is just perfect for small family farms and those starting out on mechanizing their rice farms.  Am not sure if this machine is the one designed also for use [...]

For FarmFriday we share this interesting newsbit we found in our inbox from IRRI.
IRRI News | 04 May 2010 | Los Baños, Philippines
Rice growers in Bohol, an island province of the Philippines, are expecting higher rice yields and income thanks to new japonica rice varieties developed in collaboration with Korea and the International Rice Research [...]

So phosphorus is running out right? well, sort of, coz it turns out phosphorus can also be found in urban sewage. Will the phosphorus crisis spur urban mining?
They sift the powder through their fingers, smell it and admire its soft, brownish shimmer. The members of the delegation from Japan, dressed in black suits and yellow [...]

PDAP is inviting everyone to attend this exciting training:
Thailand has found success in promoting its Organic Rice to the local and export market. Here’s the good news: Thailand is coming to the Philippines.   Green Net Cooperative and Earth Net Foundation of Thailand in partnership with the Philippine Development Assistance Programme, Inc.   (PDAP) will conduct a [...]

This is a very interesting tidbit which we stumbled upon while googling for the filipino inventor Mr. Hernando Decena because we were interested in this agribusiness forum  given by MAP about “Cutting Big Post Harvest Losses Using Filipino Invented Multifunction Freezing Machine”. BTW, go visit the MAP website and subscribe to their e-newsletter –might interest [...]

By Mr. Jesus Vicente Garganera, National Coordinator, PhilDHRRA
A market research scanning on calamansi that was done revealed important statistics and information for any farmer or group of farmers interested in producing and marketing. It was found that the production of calamansi in the country has been increasing, with major supplies coming from Central Philippines (although [...]

Potty trained pigs? An interesting tidbit from the Philippine Daily Inquirer….
TAIPEI, Taiwan—Farmers in southern Taiwan have started to potty-train their pigs in response to a planned water pollution fee, breeders and officials said Monday.
To keep their livestock from defecating into nearby rivers, a growing number of farms have established special “toilets” smeared with feces and [...]

Excerpts from the presentation by farmer partners during the 2nd LSFM RTW.
Cambodia
Mr. Noun, chicken producer from FNN, presented Cambodia’s experience in marketing dressed chicken. He related that chicken feed during the dry season are not sufficient. They also experience difficulty in transporting the product given the great distances of markets from the farms. Because of [...]

High Quality Products at Higher Prices: the Experience of TWADA which was presented by Dr. Wen Chi Hwang, General Secretary of the said organization during the 3rd LSFM RTW, explained about the experience of marketing based on product strength, quality, and competitive advantage. She narrated the history of TWADA as already having started with not [...]

Agri-Marketing in Asia: Agri-business Perspectives presented by Mr. Senen Bacani, CEO, Ultrex Management & Investment Corporation (former Secretary, Department of Agriculture, GRP) during the First LSFM RTW.

Mr. Bacani explained that while he was here to offer an agri-business perspective from the side of the private sector, he has also worked extensively with government, cooperatives and [...]