Extension materials

VISUAL MEDIA

EARLY WHEAT SOWING

This video provides advice on the benefits of sowing wheat early in Bangladesh in order to avoid the productivity reducing effects of terminal heat stress. Options for overcoming barriers to early sowing of wheat, including methods for rapid rice harvest, turn-around time between crops, and small-scale machine aided line sowing are described.

​HEALTHY RICE SEEDLINGS FOR HIGHER YIELDS

Healthy seedlings give a rice crop a better start and are the basis of higher yield, including when farmers transplant rice seedlings into puddled fields, which is the most popular method of rice cultivation in Bangladesh. This video discusses how farmers can raise healthy rice seedlings to achieve higher yields.

Save more, grow more,
earn more

Prices for irrigation, fertilizer, fuel and labor are rising. Fresh water supplies are decreasing, and many farmers find it increasingly difficult to plant their crop on time to assure good yields and return on their investments. This video shows how farmers in Bangladesh are innovating to overcome these problems by using small-scale and appropriate machinery, and crop management practices that reduce tillage to save time, soil moisture, and money.​

SAVing water with conservation agriculture

A short-version video of 'Save more, grow more, earn more'.  This was filmed in Bangladesh in 2012, the  crop management principles shown in this video can be broadly applied in many parts of the globe.

Bed planting

Planting cereals crops on raised beds can help farmers save irrigation costs, get better yields, and earn more profits. Using innovative machinery, this short training video shows how farmers and agricultural service providers in Bangladesh are teaming up to plant wheat, maize and legumes on raised beds to reduce labor and water requirements.

Strip
​tillage

In southern Bangladesh, soil salinity and insufficient irrigation are important constraints that keep many farmers from growing a dry season crop. This video shows how a group of women farmers in Shovna Village are using strip tillage, a conservation agriculture practice that allows them to dramatically reduce tillage and keep crop residues on the soil surface to conserve soil moisture.

Multi-crop reapers for rapid and efficient harvesting

The multi-crop reaper facilitates rapid and low cost harvesting of rice and wheat. Its small size and ease of operation and movement makes it ideal for smallholder's farms. Rice or wheat reaping efficiency is about 5 hours/hectare, compared to 240 hours/hectare if performed by hand labor.  Where farmers are unable to find or afford sufficient labor for harvesting, crop losses can before the crop even leaves the field. In addition, late rice harvesting also sets back dry season planting, and can cause large yield losses for the subsequent crop – up to 57 kg/ha lost per day of late planting in wheat, for example.

Axial flow
IRRIGATION pumps

Axial flow pumps are suitable for low elevation lifts of water and have been in use in Thailand and Vietnam for decades. They are ideal for bringing irrigation water to fields, and have the added benefit of being more fuel efficient in terms of the amount of fuel consumed relative to the volume of water delivered when lifting water up to 3 meters in height from rivers, canals or ponds. They are also widely used in fisheries and for draining water from fields. However, the 'axial flow pump' boom never reached other deltaic countries like Bangladesh, where they could have similar benefits for the millions of farming families who are progressively more interested in growing profitable and irrigated dry season crops.

Strip tillage: TIme and cost-saving crop establishment
​

Using strip tillage, crops can also be sown quickly because tillage and seeding is performed in a single day, rather than tilling, waiting to till again, then sowing, and then tilling seeds again into the soil. This can reduce turnaround time between crops by a number of days, which can increase yields. Depending on the crop, strip tillage saves about 25% time and cost of a farmer, and yields of wheat as well as other winter season crops can be increased when practiced with other best management principles. This short video shows how the Strip till can increase efficiency and secure profit margin both for farmers and local service providers.

Power tiller operated seeders for land preparation and precise sowing

The Power Tiller Operated-Seeder (PTOS) is an attachment for two wheel tractors that is not uncommon in Bangladesh. It allows single pass ploughing, fertilizing and seeding in line with a rotovator covering 100–120 cm (1–1.2 m) width. Rice, Wheat, Maize, Jute, Mung Bean, Lentil, Sesame, and Mustard can be sown in lines with a PTOS easily.  Seed requirement is often less in a PTOS compare to broadcasting, and yields of wheat as well as other winter crops can be increased up to 15%. This short video shows how the PTOS can help the total cultivation increasing efficiency and ensuring profit margin both for farmers and local service providers.

Bed planting:
​Time, water, and labor saving crop establishment

The Bed Planter is an attachment for two-wheeled tractors that is not uncommon in Bangladesh, forms field into alternating beds and furrows, for more efficient dry season irrigation, while decreasing the crop’s risk of arsenic contamination. The bed planter combines three agricultural actions at a time- ploughing & preparing raised beds (55-60 cm width and 12-15 cm height), seeding, and fertilizing.  Bed planting requires comparatively less irrigation (up to 30%) that saves farmers’ valuable time, energy and money. 

Technical materials and learning modules

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MULTIPLE BENEFITS FROM MUNG BEAN


This informational graphic describes the multiple benefits accrued from mung bean production and provides farmers in Nepal with advice on how to best grow mung bean in a productive and environmentally sound way. A Nepali version is is available (just email me).

​WHAT IS FALL ARMYWORM AND HOW DOES IT GROW?

​​WHAT IS FALL ARMYWORM AND WHY IS IT A THREAT?

​WHAT IS FALL ARMYWORM AND HOW CAN I SCOUT FOR IT IN MY FIELD?

Part of a four-part series of educational pamphlets, this  4-page foldable  pocket informational graphic describes the fundamentals of Fall Armyworm biology an ecology. A Bangla version is available here.

Part of a four-part series of educational pamphlets, this  4-page foldable  pocket informational graphic explains in simple graphics and text why Fall Armyworm is a threat to smallholder maize farmers in Asia. A Bangla version is available here.

 Field scouting and calculation of economic injury levels are a key part of integrated and ecological pest management.  This  4-page foldable  pocket infographic describes how farmers in Asia can scout their fields to take better decisions in pest management. A Bangla version is available here.

​WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I FIND FALL ARMYWORM DAMAGE?

WHAT IS WHEAT BLAST DISEASE AND HOW CAN I MANAGE IT?

EARLY WHEAT SOWING FOR HIGHER YIELDS IN BANGLADESH

This four-page foldable informational graphic describes what farmers in Asia can do if they find Fall Armyworm damage on maize using an integrated and ecological pest management framework. A Bangla version is available here.

​Wheat blast is a devastating disease afflicting wheat farmers in Bangladesh. This informational graphic describes the wheat blast fungal lifecycle and describes how farmers can best manage the disease through integrated tactics. A Bangla version is available here.

A companion to the Early Wheat Sowing video shown above, thie informarional graphic provides advice on the benefits of sowing wheat early in Bangladesh in order to avoid the productivity reducing effects of terminal heat stress. A Bangla version is available here.

Integrated weed management
Experiential learning modules
Book 2

This book covers critical topics for the principles and practice of integrated weed (IWM) in the context of smallholder farming in the tropics, with emphasis on experiential and hands-on learning. This document provides a guide for facilitators of a rapid one-day training on IWM, including detailed instructions on how to facilitate a training, training material requirements, flip charts to facilitate discussions, and pre- and post-tests for training participants. 

Easy to use methods to improve mung bean production in bangladesh

Mung bean (Vigna radiata) is one of Bangladesh’s most important pulses. Many places in Bangladesh are suitable for mung bean, which grows well under clear sunshine and low humidity conditions. Cloudy weather, continuous or heavy rainfall may however cause problems like pests and diseases. Mungbean is also nutritious and is good for your health. This manual provides simple guidelines to improve mung bean cultivation in Bangladesh.

Maize-vegetable  intercropping practices

This Balgla language pocket booklet is designed for farmers, local service providers and development workers. It details a number of maize-intercrop management practices that can be used in South Asia to boost crop productivity and increase the nutritional value of maize-based cropping systems.

Guidelines for direct seeded Aman rice in Bangladesh

Dry seeded rice (DSR) is becoming an attractive option for farmers as it has a much lower labor requirement than manually transplanted rice. Labor for transplanting rice has become scarce and costly because laborers are shifting from agriculture to industry, public works and services, and migrating abroad. DSR can be readily adopted by small farmers as well as large farmers, provided that the required machinery is locally available (e.g., through custom hire from agricultural service providers). This technical manual describes how to establish and manage DSR crops for the monsoon season in Bangladesh.

Guidelines for healthy rice seedlings in Bangladesh

Productive rice crops begin with the seed and the seedling. This Bangla language leaflet describes easy to use steps for raising healthier rice seedlings for higher yields in Bangladesh. Beyond the seedbed, guidelines and advice are provided for how to transplant seedlings while reducing shock and assuring more rapid and successful crop establishment.

Best practices of maize production in bangladesh

This Bangla language pocket booklet provides advice for how to successfully cultivate high-yielding hybrid maize in the context of smallholder tropical agriculture in Bangladesh. Topics covered range from varietal selection, crop and post harvest management. Written in easy to understand language, this manual can aid researchers, extension agents, and development workers advising farmers considering maize production.

Strip tillage training sheet

This two-page Bangla language leaflet describes how to manage strip tillage for smallholder farmers.

bed planting training sheet

This two-page Bangla language leaflet describes how to establish and irrigate crops grown on narrow raised beds formed by two-wheeled tractor bed planters.

conservation agriculture training sheet

This two-page Bangla language leaflet describes the benefits and constraints of strip tillage for smallholder farmers in Bangladesh

Stay safe if you use pesticides! Pesticides are poison

MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR HEALTHY
​RICE SEEDLINGS

This vibrant Bangla language poster introduces farmers to be benefits of natural enemy insects, and to the necessary safety precautions and health risks of using pesticides.

A Bangla language pocket book that provides recommendations for how rice farmers can improve seedling production and reduce transplant shock