Push-Pull in practice

The UPSCALE project aims to achieve food security in sub-Saharan Africa by using nature-based solutions inspired by push-pull technology to close the yield gap in smallholder agriculture.

Push-Pull in practice

The UPSCALE’s partner, researchers from Maseno University have published a new scientific paper about PPT and its benefits for agriculture. This paper aimed at reviewing existing literature to establish the linkage between conservation agriculture components, PPT, and a sustainable agroecological transition.

Push-Pull in practice

Soil degradation is a major underlying cause of poverty and malnutrition in smallholder agrarian communities across the globe. Legume diversification, through polyculture or intercropping, is a strategy that increases yields and income while improving family nutrition. However, the potential for these legume-cereal intercrops to restore soil functions in smallholder fields remains uncertain, with many studies failing to detect increases in soil organic matter.

Push-Pull in practice

The adoption of sustainable agriculture practices has become critical in the face of rising global difficulties related to achieving food security, combating malnutrition, and mitigating environmental degradation. Within this context, the ‘One Health’ (OH) paradigm emerges as a comprehensive approach encompassing human, plant, animal, and environmental health for planetary well-being. Recognizing the complex interdependencies inherent in global health concerns, this approach emphasizes the importance of integrated and synergistic interventions. This is especially true in agriculture, where an overreliance on synthetic inputs to meet the rising demands of an expanding human population has resulted in serious environmental degradation and devastating loss of biodiversity and their valuable ecosystem services. In response, the development and implementation of agroecological farming systems have gained prominence.

Pest/disease controlPush-Pull in practice

We reviewed two systems of small-scale cereal production in the tropics, the Mesoamerican milpa and the East African Push-Pull Technology, and present the advantages likely to be obtained by combining these technologies into a milpa Push-Pull system. In addition to… Continue Reading…

Agricultural production system

Push-pull technology provides farmers in East Africa with an eco-friendly strategy that increases crop yield and household income in smallholder cereal systems by controlling pests and improving soil health. Though promising for a sustainably intensified production, push-pull has been used at a limited scale, primarily in maize and sorghum-based production systems.

Agricultural production systemPush-Pull in practice

PPT originated in East Africa and is being continuously improved through cycles of interdisciplinary and participatory experimentation. Despite well-documented benefits to farmers and the environment, more institutional support from agricultural extension systems (AES) is needed for PPT to realise significant impact on poverty reduction, food security, and sustainability.

Farming practicePest/disease controlPush-Pull in practice

Our data provide evidence of the mechanisms underpinning reduced S. frugiperda infestation in the Push-Pull companion cropping system, i.e., volatiles from companion crops repel S. frugiperda while attracting its parasitoid natural enemies. These findings explain why Push-Pull field plots had fewer S. frugiperda larvae and lower crop damage than monocropped maize.

Farming practiceMultiactor communitites of practicePest/disease controlPush-Pull in practice

Farmers in Gatsibo District, Nyagihanga sector, are embracing the numerous benefits of Push-Pull farming, an environmentally friendly approach that eliminates the need for chemical pesticides. Push-Pull technology not only offers significant environmental advantages but also brings substantial socio-economic benefits to… Continue Reading…

Push-Pull in practice

The pre-Columbian milpa system of intercropping maize with companion crops such as beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and squash (Cucurbita spp.) is one effective system that has been shown to produce outstanding yields per unit area compared to monoculture systems.

Featured posts

featured

Striga weeds

Striga or 'witchweeds' are parasitic weeds that affect cereal crops in many parts of Africa, reducing production from 30 to 100%, or complete loss of the crop. If maize plants are attacked by both stemborers and striga weed, the yield... Continue Reading…

Upcoming Events

Twitter

🌟Over the past two days, at the General Assembly the partners engaged in discussions on sustainable farming practices to thought-provoking sessions on the intersection of work packages.

Explore photos and explore the website for the latest news https://upscale-h2020.eu/🌟

4

🌍 Exciting First Day at the #Upscale General Assembly in #Uganda! 🇺🇬

Looking forward to more fruitful discussions, collaborations, and discoveries in the days ahead! 💡

@upscale_h2020 @BayFOR #researchCollaboration

Load More