In the context of an exponential rise in access to information in the last two decades, this special issue explores when and how information might be harnessed to improve governance and public service delivery in rural areas. Information is a critical component of government and citizens’ decision-making; therefore, improvements in its availability and reliability stand to benefit many dimensions of governance, including service delivery.

This paper asks: What have been the impacts of farmer- or community-led (informal) processes of research and development in agriculture and natural resource management in terms of food security, ecological sustainability, economic empowerment, gender relations, local capacity to innovate and influence on formal agricultural research and development institutions?

This study focuses on Smart Farming Innovations (SFI) of the Philippines. It is motivated by the 5th-agenda of the current Philippine President to increase agricultural and rural enterprise productivity. The study presents a strategy to lead research, development, and market of organic foods as medicine and build social entrepreneurs in using SFI.

In Asia and the Pacific, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is working with member countries to leverage breakthroughs in information and communication technologies (ICT) to fight hunger, improve nutrition and counter the effects of climate change and extreme weather events that can devastate farmers and their crops. In the Philippines, a country prone to typhoons, aerial drones are taking to the sky to map out at-risk areas of agricultural land to mitigate risk. This innovative practice is also able to quickly assess damages when a disaster strikes.

This Resource Manual on IPPM ALS in Vegetables is a compilation of various documents on the production of commonly grown vegetable crops. This was developed basically for the facilitators and learners of the Children’s Participation in Integrated Production and Pest Management (CP IPPM) Program and the Integrated Production and Pest Management for the Alternative Learning System (IPPMALS) Program. The objective of this resource manual is to provide them a ready reference to complement the learning process in discovery-based IPPM ALS Session Guides that trainers will use in conducting FFS.

This manual sets out the steps to guide rural advisory and agricultural extension workers to successfully integrate trees in rice-field and associated farms and landscapes using practical tools for implementing agroforestry practices on farms in Southeast Asia. Developed in collaboration by FAO with CIFOR-ICRAF, the manual builds on manifold experiences, consultations, and visits, especially in Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), the Philippines and Thailand. The FFS approach is introduced as one of the best ways to share learning and knowledge and to discover technologies.

The contributions and dynamic interaction of thousands of stakeholders from all sectors have created the GCARD (Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development) Roadmap, providing a clear path forward for all involved. The Roadmap highlights the urgent changes required in Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) systems globally, to address worldwide goals of reducing hunger and poverty, creating opportunity for income growth while ensuring environmental sustainability and particularly meeting the needs of resource-poor farmers and consumer.