Pesticide is reduced, and farmer is happy with rice yield and input saving

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GIZ / Croplife International’s Integrated Pest Management project: The success story in the first season, Dong Thap Province, Vietnam

Mr. Nguyen Van Yen, a rice farmer in Truong Xuan Village, Thap Muoi District, Dong Thap province in Vietnam, shared his experiences after attending a three-month training of GIZ/ Croplife International’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the Winter/Spring Season 2015-2016.

Mr. Nguyen Van Yen, a rice farmer in Vietnam

“Pesticide application must be based on rice field ecology and pest injury levels,” said Mr. Van Yen. “During the training, the trainers taught us about the ecological cycles and how to make the exact field decisions at every rice stage. Because of this, I could save money during the recent production through reduced applications of pesticides and fungicides in my rice field.”

The “Integrated Pest Management” project under the implementations of the Sub Plant Protection Department and the Southern Regional Plant Protection Center of Plant Protection Department consists of two main activities. First is a Training of Trainers (ToT) and second is a Direct Farmer Training in the Winter Spring Season 2015-2016. The Trainings of the Trainers were earlier completed last year where 39 plant protection staffs got trained in IPM technical knowledge and application skills. These specialists will serve as Master Trainers for both the training of farmers and retailers during the next rice growing seasons. The projects strengthens knowledge and skills of government extension staffs, farmers and pesticide retailers on IPM, and help them to make better decisions for the responsible and safe use of pesticides.

The first Direct Farmer Training started in November 2015 to January 2016, for testing the training contents developed during the formation of Master Trainers. The training curriculum for farmers is based on 12 modules corresponding to the rice growth stages (Table 1). The first group of 210 farmers were trained in 12 weekly lessons during the rice cropping season.

Table 1: Farmer training modules were developed to be delivered in weekly lessons over the rice cropping season:

No.	Module
1	Introduction: Rice Eco-Systems
2	Agricultural Inputs: their Responsible and Economic Use
3	Introduction to IPM and Plant Protection Measures at Seedling Stage
4	How to be an effective rice doctor?
5	Importance of Natural Enemies: IPM Decision Making during Tillering Stages
6	Understanding Pesticides and their Labels: A Buyer’s Guide
7	Responsible Pesticide Use: Maximum Tillering Stage
8	Pesticide Application and Calibration
9	Decision Making during Panicle Initiation to Flowering Stages
10	Pesticide Management
11	Decision Making during Milky to Ripening Stages: Avoiding Residues
12	Pesticide Transport, Storage, Handling, First Aid and Conclusion

To support farmers’ training, one IPM demonstration field plot (1000 m2 to 5000 m2) with ecology engineering model, healthy seed, and nutrient and water management was also introduced to the farmers.

Mr. Van Yen says he is very happy with the rice yield and input saving after the end of this pilot season and will apply his new knowledge and skills in Integrated Pest Management model in the next cropping season and transfer it to other farmers.

At the end of this three-month training, Mr. Van Yen reduced the times for pesticides spraying and found that he got higher net income in the Winter/Spring season 2015-2016. The calculation in Table 2 shows the results of his IPM demonstration field.

At the Farmer Field Day, he shared his opinions to other farmers, local authorities and associations: “I am very happy with the rice yield and input saving. I will continue to apply Integrated Pest Management model in the next season and transfer my knowledge and skills to other farmers”.

GIZ / Croplife International together with Plant Protection Department will continuously conduct the trainings to over 1,000 farmers at the Summer Autumn and the Autumn Winter seasons in 2016.

**Table 2**: Farm Benefit Analysis of IPM Demonstration Plot (Area: 1ha / crop cycle), Thap Muoi District, Dong Thap Province-Winter Spring Season 10/2015-1/2016

Source: Sub Plant Protection Department, Dong Thap, 1/2016

By ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems Team, Vietnam

02/03/201703/08/2017

You are ugly. But, I still eat you.

Organic products are in higher demand in Cambodia although they do not look as nice as the chemical coated produces.

According to a shop assistant at Khmer Organic Cooperative (KOC) in Phnom Penh, about 50 to 60 customers visit the shop to buy the organic products on a daily basis. Besides, four to 10 customers call to order the products per day, especially the leafy vegetables, said Ms. Seng Sophea, 23, the KOC shop assistant.

“Japanese bitter gourd and purple maize are most popular. Customers also ask for organic carrots, cucumber, onions and passion fruit, but they are under supply,” she said.

Visitors to the KOC include Khmers and foreigners. Usually, the Khmer customers come to buy fresh vegetable and fruit while the foreign customers shop for organic ingredients such as pepper and sugar palm, according to Ms. Sophea.

Ms. Sophea (right) on her duty and project staff of Improvement of Livelihood and Food Security of Landless and Land-Poor Households.

More than 100 types of products including fruit tree, leafy vegetables, tubers and other processed products and ingredients are offered at the shop. The major sources for the fresh produces come from KOC farms and contracted farmers.

Ms. Sophea said the KOC customers love the organic products because of its taste and benefits to health.

“Customers say it is tastier and they feel safe when eating,” said the shop assistant. However, the customers complain about the price which is two to three times higher than the general market.

Currently, there are two KOC shops in Cambodia, one in the suburb Chruoy Changva and the other in the central city of Phnom Penh.

KOC is a sister of Eco-Agri Co. Ltd (EAC) which is a joint initiative of GIZ Cambodia through ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) project. EAC is the agricultural input supplier. It sells seeds, local produced Biocontrol Agents and bio-fertilizer. And, soon it will import biological pest control solutions from ASEAN Member States to Cambodia.

The shop assisant is being interviewed by project staff of Improvement of Livelihood and Food Security of Landless and Land-Poor Households.

At present, KOC buys agricultural produces from farmer groups who are connected through EAC.

This story is based solely on an interview with Ms. Seng Sophea, the Khmer Organic Cooperative shop assistant. It is part of an activity in a workshop ‘Impact Story Writing and Basic Photography’ for project staff of Improvement of Livelihood and Food Security of Landless and Land-Poor Households, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS), and their partner, Khmer Organic Cooperative. The workshop was conducted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 14-17 February 2017 and attended by 14 attendees. ASEAN SAS Communication Officer provided the training.

The story and its photos are the outcome of the workshop.

By Chhet Socheata, Keat Pengkun, Khann Kanha, and Sok Lina, Improvement of Livelihood and Food Security of Landless and Land-Poor Households and Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

Improvement of Livelihood and Food Security of Landless and Land-Poor Households project staff taking photo with Ms. Seng Sophea, the shop assistant (second from the front) on the interview day.

23/02/201703/08/2017

ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management A journey towards sustainable management of soils and plant nutrition begins

After two years of development, the ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management (SNM) come close to the finishing line. These truly regional guidelines for policy makers of ASEAN Member States are the fruitful results of concerted efforts and collaborations among the Regional Expert Group on Soil and Nutrient Management from the 10 ASEAN Member States.

The development of the Guidelines is facilitated by ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS).

About a third of the world’s soil is already degraded, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) who reported these unsettling news at the World Soil Day that falls on 5 December of each year.

‘Only 60 years of farming left if soil degradation continues’, Reuters cited recently in one headline.

To put it graphically: We are losing 30 soccer fields of soil every minute. The causes of soil destruction include, among others, overuse of chemical inputs in today’s farming methods. The earth under our feet is too often ignored by policymakers, based on the report.

The development of the ASEAN Guidelines took two years and they are now in the final stage of revision. A completed draft was recently presented at the 8^th Steering Committee Meeting of ASEAN SAS in Malaysia. Fourteen delegates from eight ASEAN Member States attended the Meeting on 7-8 December 2016. The Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Malaysia, GIZ and ASEAN Secretariat hosted the two-day event.

Chief Technical Advisor of ASEAN SAS, Dr. Thomas Jaekel said that the ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrition Management were a timely document for policy makers in ASEAN to help implement strategies and policies on soil and nutrient management at a national level.

“Currently, some of the damage to soil is already irreversible,” said Dr. Jaekel, “We have to recognise that we damage the soil, and we have to change things in view of better management.”

“Agriculture has to be productive and profitable. Otherwise, farmers could not sustain their business,” he said.

The Steering Committee supported the draft SNM Guidelines with comments provided and agreed to facilitate in country coordination for receiving approval of the Guidelines from respective ASEAN Member States.

The revised draft Guidelines will be circulated to the Steering Committee members by the end of February 2017 for the in-country consultations to provide feedback to the draft. Then, the revised draft will be submitted to the 9th Steering Committee Meeting of ASEAN SAS for consideration prior to submission to the 24th Meeting of the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Crops (ASWGC) in April 2017.

The ASEAN Guidelines for Soil and Nutrition Management

The ASEAN Guidelines for Soil and Nutrition Management is a policy support document to national policy makers for guidance in developing national policies through the knowledge of ASEAN experiences and lesson learnt.

The Guidelines have been developed during various consultation meetings of expert groups on soil and nutrient management, at both, regional and national levels. ASEAN SAS’s Project Coordination Unit in Bangkok together with Thailand’s Department of Agriculture as host country facilitated the development process of the Guidelines.

Its scope includes a description of soil types in ASEAN, good soil management practices, good nutrient management, standard, regulations and market information of fertiliser and supplements, and recommendations targeted specifically at policy makers on how to set framework conditions for implementation of soil and nutrient management in their countries.

By Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

20/02/201711/07/2017

ASEAN Guidelines on the Regulation, Use and Trade of Biological Control Agents (BCA)

ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (Biocontrol) is a component of German Regional Cooperation with ASEAN under the umbrella of the ASEAN-German Programme on Response to Climate Change: Agriculture, Forestry and Related Sectors (GAP-CC).

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20/02/201727/04/2018

Harmonization of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) of Pesticides for Vegetables

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20/02/201727/04/2018

Guidelines for the Conduct of Pest Risk Analysis for ASEAN

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20/02/201711/07/2017

ASEAN Phytosanitary Guidelines for the Importation of Citrus spp. (Citrus Fruits)

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20/02/201711/07/2017

ASEAN Regional Guidelines for Promoting Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Practices

Southeast Asia (SEA) is one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change, due to its long coastlines, high concentration of population and economic activity in coastal areas, and heavy reliance on agriculture, fisheries, forestry and other natural resources1. Climate hazards such as temperature increase, erratic rainfall patterns, extreme climatic events (such as strong typhoons and severe droughts) cause adverse effects and impacts on ecosystems, livelihoods and on many other aspects of human societies. In particular, climate change threatens agricultural production and indirectly food security, ecological stability, and sustainable development. The most vulnerable countries of SEA have to respond through measures that will reduce the adverse effects and impacts of climate change (adaptation) and by significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation).

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20/02/201711/07/2017

ASEAN Standard for Organic Agriculture

This standard provides the requirements for plants (including mushroom) production, wild harvest (excluding honey), post-harvest, processing, handling, storage, transport and labelling of organic produce, and processed products for human consumption.

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17/02/201727/04/2018

ASEAN GAP Produce Quality Module

ASEAN GAP is a standard for good agricultural practices to control hazards during the production, harvesting and postharvest handling of fresh fruit and vegetables in the ASEAN Member States. ASEAN GAP is divided into four modules – 1. Food safety, 2. Environmental management, 3. Worker health, safety and welfare and 4. Produce quality.

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