This chapter presents a case study from India of a knowledge database which assembles a wide range of agricultural data relating to land holding, soil analysis, cropping patterns, past yield and fertilizer use. The case demonstrates how mobile phones are used to relay information to farmers....

Modern aroid (Alocasia, Amorphophallus, Colocasia, Cyrtosperma and Xanthosoma) production is becoming intensive and oriented to the market, which requires cheap, healthy and high-quality products. The aim of taro breeding is to create genotypes that are high yielding, with corms of good eating...

This book brings together the results of a novel scaling-up initiative of the Bhoochetana Mission Program implemented during 2009-2012 in Karnataka. The second phase of Bhoochetana covers all 30 districts for both irrigated and dryland crops with strong leadership by the Government of Karnataka...

This chapter discusses the use of drylands for food production. The dryland development dynamics at global level; food insecurity and crop yields in drylands; untapped potential of rainfed crops; and the key contraints in rainfed agriculture, focusing on soil health, are described. A meta-analysis...

This chapter highlights the processes and approaches of capacity development activities developed in a mission mode project implemented by the Government of Karnataka, India, from 2009 to boost productivity of rainfed agriculture in the state of Karnataka. Unique mechanisms have been developed to...

This chapter discusses the application and advantages of the integrated farming system approach to improve productivity. The integrated approach aims at an interrelation of a complex matrix of soil, water, plant, animal and environment and their interaction with each other, enabling the system to...

This chapter synthesizes lessons learnt from the Bhoochetana programme implemented during 2009-2012 in Karnataka. The unique mechanism in terms of institutions, policies, capacity building, monitoring, planning and implementation are responsible for the success of this project on a larger scale in...

This chapter describes the role of conservation agriculture (CA) in Australian dryland cropping. The advantages and disadvantages of crop stubble retention in Australian agricultural systems, and the benefits of crop rotations are discussed. The current trends in Australian CA practices are also...

This chapter presents a general overview of the quality of soil resources and fertilizer use in rice production areas in Africa. Innovations to increase rice productivity through improved nutrient use are discussed for production systems at different stages of intensification in sub-Saharan Africa, ...

This chapter covers the following topics: projections of global climate change; climate and agricultural systems in the drylands of the Mediterranean Zone; precipitation trends in the 20th century; downscaling the potential impact of climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean Region; and...