Soil And Irrigation

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Horticulture Innovation Lab research related to irrigation practices and soil health examine constraints to irrigation adoption, effects of conservation agriculture practices on horticultural crops, low-cost methods to improve soil health, and farmer-led irrigation processes to make irrigation more widely available for smallholder vegetable farmers.

Information Products

fact sheet- photo of hand holding potato roots, with headline: Targeting soil health to reduce nematodes on Guatemalan farms

Success story: Targeting soil health to reduce nematodes on Guatemalan farms

Fact sheet, Program materials

Bombas solares que incrementan las opciones para los agricultores

Fact sheet, Program materials

Fact sheet - Solar pumps improve irrigation options

Solar pumps improve irrigation options for farmers

Fact sheet, Program materials

Technology fact sheet: Conservation agriculture for vegetables

Growing vegetables with conservation agriculture

Fact sheet, Program materials

Training manual for postharvest handling of horticultural crops in Rwanda

How-to Manual, Curriculum, Training

Soil testing survey and soil fertility management practices of smallholder farmers in Chitwan, Nepal

Poster

Small-scale irrigation technologies for horticulture

Fact sheet

Assisting smallholder farmers in adopting integrated nematode-soil health management: Changes in soil physiochemistry

Presentation

Feed the Future small scale irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa - title slide

Panel: Water management for nutrient-dense foods

Presentation, 2019 annual meeting

Cover image of title slide Trichoderma for soil health

Technology Flash Talk: Trichoderma for soil health

Presentation, 2019 annual meeting

Projects

Promoting technology for horticulture production as adaptation to weather change in Guatemala

Led by Rolando Cifuentes, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG)

For highland farmers who face elevated risks due to weather change, this project identifies the most effective protective structures, irrigation technologies, practices to improve soil health, and postharvest management practices to ensure the production of high-quality, safe, and nutritious produce.

Guatemala

Mitigating soilborne diseases to improve smallholder farmer livelihoods and food security in Nepal

Led by Ram Khadka, Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC)

To ensure long-term food and nutritional security for farmers in Nepal, this project focuses on developing accessible technologies to reduce soil-borne pathogens to increase vegetable production yields.

Nepal

Promoting Small Farm Technologies for Smart Agriculture and Market Access in Guatemala

Advancing farm technologies for smart agriculture and sustainable market access

Led by José Salvador Vega Prado Leiva, Acceso

Focused on improving the income and livelihoods of local producers, this project identifies protective structures that maximize horticultural production and quality, and enhancements for access to postharvest technology and market linkages.

Guatemala

Engaging youths in the production of indigenous vegetables and fruits in Nigeria

Increasing youth participation in the production of indigenous vegetables and fruits leveraging locally available resources

Led by Atanda Oladejo, Obafemi Awolowo University

This research aims to increase employment opportunities in the horticulture sector through youth engagement with efficient soil management practices and digital tools to enhance African indigenous fruit and vegetable (AIFV) production.

Nigeria

Developing innovative horticulture technologies for small-scale farmers in Uganda

Developing innovative horticulture technologies for improved income and livelihoods among small-scale producers in Uganda

Led by Robert Kajobe, Muni University

Through identification of practices to reduce pre- and post-harvest losses, along with effective marketing and market access strategies of vegetables, this project will improve household nutrition, increase sales, and elevate the household income status small-scale vegetable producers.

Uganda

Young women working in garden plot with vegetable seedlings, drip irrigation hose, mulch, and USAID water tank in background

Promoting drip irrigation and weather resilience in Guatemala

Also called MásRiego, this project develops and implements holistic, business-driven solutions to increase availability of weather resilient solutions while increasing inclusion.

Guatemala

Farmer and scientist examine potato root and soil, outside

Managing nematodes and soil health in Guatemala

Led by Brent Sipes, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa

This research team works with smallholder potato farmers in the Western Highlands of Guatemala on integrated technologies for nematode and soil health management, so potato farmers can achieve sustainable yields.

Guatemala

Young men work together to connect irrigation pipe in farm field.

Developing farmer-led irrigation solutions in Uganda

Led by Kate Scow, University of California, Davis

Dry season vegetable production is a high priority in Uganda's largely rainfed (>97%) agricultural systems.

Uganda

Promoting conservation agriculture for vegetable growers in Cambodia and Nepal

Led by Manuel Reyes, Kansas State University

In regions of Cambodia and Nepal, water can be scarce for extended periods, negatively affecting horticultural crop production and food security.

Cambodia, Nepal

Woman farmer in Cambodia in vegetable farm blog with mulch and drip irrigation tank.

Empowering women vegetable growers with drip irrigation in Cambodia

Led by Manuel Reyes, Kansas State University

Horticulture crop production, a woman's domain in parts of Southeast Asia, is plagued by yield losses because of drought and unequal opportunities for women.

Cambodia

Articles

Sisters Maudilia and Lesbia Magaly Raxjal Casia, Mayan farmers and members of a local growers association, welcome visitors to their village farm site in Chuixilón, Santa Cruz Balanyá. These indigenous entrepreneurs, who successfully produce tomatoes, onions, and strawberries, demonstrate how floating cover technology adapts traditional farming to climate challenges. Their leadership in sharing climate-smart practices on their ancestral territory inspires agricultural innovation throughout Guatemala's highl

Local Led Innovation in Guatemala's Indigenous Communities: Building Climate Resilience Together

Through a Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture Lab project, small-scale producers use floating covers, blending traditional knowledge with new tech to transform farming and combat climate change impacts.

Farmers learning-by-doing about ASD, in severely infested root knot nematode field at Hetauda. Image credit: Ram Khadka.

Improving soil health for increased yields, profitability and enhanced nutrition in Nepal and Bangladesh

In Nepal, a lack of crop rotation has exacerbated soilborne diseases, leading to decreased farm profitability and discouraging younger generations from farming. Learn how Dr. Ram B. Khadka and Dr. Ranjana Rawal are addressing these issues through anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) trials and capacity strengthening of the farmers in the form of mother and baby trials.