Intro to Tropical Agriculture & Development (TAD) Course

Are you looking to engage your community with simple, low-cost agricultural ideas and techniques?

Our 6-day TAD course is designed for development workers, missionaries, and local leaders who want to learn more about biochar, biosand water filtration, composting, green manure cover crops, grafting, seed saving, solar dryers, neglected and underutilized crops, livestock nutrition, and other options suitable for smallholder farmers.

Day 1 | Foundations of Agricultural Development

  • Building a Foundation for Learning

  • Challenges Facing Smallholder Farmers

  • Principles of Community Development

  • Implementation Techniques

Day 2 | Soil Health & Sustainable Farming

  • Understanding Soil Health

  • Biochar & Biochar Production

  • Green Manure Cover Crops

  • Composting

  • Vegetative Propagation

Day 3 | Plants, Seeds & Crop Protection

  • Seed Systems

  • Seed Production

  • Pest & Disease Identification

  • Natural Pest Solutions

Day 4 | Appropriate Technologies

  • Appropriate Technologies: Solar Dryers

  • Introduction to Biosand Water Filtration Systems

  • The 300L/Day Biosand Water Filtration System

Day 5 | Livestock Management

  • Introduction to Livestock Nutrition

  • Livestock Feed Options

  • Animal Housing

  • Animal Care Tips

Day 6 | Learning from the Field

  • Local Farm Site Visits

Special Topics

  • Neglected & Underutilized Species (NUS)

  • NUS Survey & Cooking Demonstration

Join us for the next training

in November 2026

Registration Now

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