An assessment of seven innovation case studies in Pakistan in 2022 found that agriculture innovation systems show limited collaboration and networking, and a supply-driven rather than market driven approach to innovation. This limits the potential for scaling innovations such as the ‘Super Seeder’, a machine that sows wheat directly in the rice stubble, replacing the common practice of burning it.The study was conducted in September and October 2022 as part of the global TAP-AIS project coordinated by FAO’s Office of Innovation and funded by the European Union’s DeSIRA initiative.

The red palm weevil (RPW) is a serious transboundary pest of date palm, coconut, and ornamental palms. It is among the world’s major invasive pests and attacks around 40 palm species in more than 50 countries, causing widespread damage to date palms and other plantations and impacting production, farmers’ livelihoods, and the Near East and North Africa region environment.