Vegetable production training manual

This manual is intended to be a guide to the vegetable production training course for developing country specialists offered at the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center. It is designed as well to be a resource book for extension subject matter specialists and vocational agriculture teachers.The global demand for vegetables is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years. Two major trends will bring this about - rising per capita income and continuing population growth in the developing countries.Vegetables supply vitamins, minerals, fibers, and supplementary amounts of protein and calories essential to the human diet. If the urban and rural poor in the developing countries were to have access to vegetables, there should be adequate and supplies to keep prices affordable.No less significant justification for trying to increase vegetable productivity in developing countries is their potential to generate high income for small producers and additional employment for landless workers and for those involved in food processing. As Swaminathan and Sinha have observed: people with purchasing power seldom go hungry.