Safe food, Healthy life in Cambodia

Phnom Penh residents start changing their behavior from eating normal vegetable and fruits which contained chemical residue to consume organic products. Though the prices of organic products are higher than the normal products, some people still prefer to eat since they know these products are good for health.

“The sales volume of vegetables and fruits has increased from 100kg a day to 300kg a day,” said Canady Mao, an Assistant Director of Khmer Organic Cooperative (KOC).

In respond to the increasing demand from buyers, KOC start doing contract farming with 20 local farmers in Kampot Province. This will help to improve the income generation of the farmers and to ensure the products quality meets the organic standard and the quantity meets the demand of the market. Until now, there are around 100 different types of organic products for sale at the KOC shop.

From left, Phen Chhunhak of Improvement of Livelihood and Food Security of Landless and Land-Poor Households, So Saody of ASEAN SAS, and Canady Mao of KOC

“Most buyers come here to buy organic vegetables even though the vegetables do not look good from the outer appearance and have higher price,” said Ms Mao.

KOC also has the strategy and plan to enlarge the scope from working with 20 farmers to many more farmers in other potential provinces. Moreover, KOC is also working collaboratively with community and non-government organizations to promote community’s products. Those products are composed of leafy vegetable, fruit vegetable and processing products.

“Applying organic farming method is not only a way to generate income, but it is also good for human health because we eat safe food,” said Mr. Ieng Sotheara, a Founder of KOC.

The story and photos are outcome of 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.

By Phen Chhunhak and Lum Sereykut, Improvement of Livelihood and Food Security of Landless and Land-Poor Households and So Saody, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

29/03/201710/07/2017

The Phnom Penh Post, 28 March 2017, Push to reduce chemical dependency

The Ministry of Agriculture is working to develop a procedural framework for the trade and use of biological control agents (BCAs) in agriculture in an effort to improve crop yields, protect consumer health and ensure continued access to key export markets. Regulation could also create opportunities for the import or local production of BCA products a possibility that has piqued the interest of foreign firms.

Speaking yesterday at a consultative meeting on regulations and national registration of biological control agents, Sam Chhom Sangha, deputy secretary-general of the Ministry of Agriculture, said the use of BCAs could provide “holistic” support to Cambodia’s struggling agriculture sector, which he claimed had been damaged by the overuse of chemical agents.

“We need to find ways to boost agricultural productivity, encourage crop resilience and diversification and improve commercialisation,” he said.

“Our fields are under-producing and this is because the soil has been damaged by years of reckless use of chemicals.”

Biological control agents are an integral part of pest management programs that use natural mechanisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae or natural insect predators to protect crops from devastating plant diseases and insect infestations. While already in limited use in Cambodia, a regulatory framework on the trade and use of BCAs would facilitate the import of these products and provide solid footing for local production.

“BCAs can improve our yields once we finalise and implement their regulation, allowing our farmers to be less dependent on chemical pesticides,” explained Sangha.

The Ministry of Agriculture is working with regional experts to draft a national regulatory framework on biological control agents based on ASEAN guidelines.

Sangha said the government must speed up its adoption of regulations or risk challenges to its agricultural exports as countries tighten restrictions on the import of contaminated products.

In one recent example, the European Commission has given Cambodian producers of white rice until June and fragrant rice until December to eliminate the use of the fungicide Tricyclazole. Failure to comply could block rice export shipments to the European Union, the Kingdom’s largest market for milled rice.

Thomas Jaekel, a regional GIZ expert, said BCAs offers farmers an “economically and environmentally viable” way to increase yields by building crop resilience and improving soil quality. However, convincing Cambodian farmers to cut back on their chemical fertilisers and pesticides can be a challenge.

“BCAs are used to complement, not eradicate, the use of chemicals, but the problem is that Cambodian farmers and distributors of chemicals are convinced that the more you spray your crops the better they will be,” he said.

Jaekel noted that when Indonesia adopted ASEAN regulations in 2014 and set up the procedures for properly registering products, there was a massive uptake in applications for BCA products.

“A week after the BCA regulation was approved in Indonesia, they had already over 10 applications from foreign and local firms trying to register their products,” he said.According to GIZ data, the Indonesian government receives almost 200 applications annually.

Sarah Anderson, a Singapore-based research and development project manager for German industrial giant BASF, said that despite BCAs having a limited market in ASEAN, there was plenty of room to grow. She said BASF, which has an entire arm dedicated to research and development of BCA products, would consider exporting to Cambodia if clear regulations were put in place.

“The problem is that there is still a gap between government intentions and those of the traditional chemical distributors,” she said. “Easily 5 percent of the pesticide market in Cambodia could be replaced by bio-pesticides.”

However, she said the use of the products hinged on the government cutting red tape. “If the regulations are too strict or large companies see that costs are too high, they won’t enter the market,” she said.

Ieng Sotheara, founder of Entree Baitang Co Ltd, said local demand for BCAs was growing. His company has been distributing Trichoderma – a naturally occurring fungicide that also protects plants against pests and toxins for the last two harvest cycles.

Last year, the company sold 100 tonnes of compost impregnated with Trichoderma. This year it has orders for 500 tonnes.

Sotheara said he sells the locally-produced Trichoderma at $12 per kilo, or $400 per tonne when mixed with compost.

“Some of the rice farmers say that it has increased their yields by 20 percent,” he said.

24/03/201707/08/2017

From Fruit to Juice: From Integrity to Food Security (Video). Write us for the free copy!

ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) is launching a two-version video of Thai and English filmed in Kuibuiri of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand. The video tells the lives of pineapple farmers, fruit processing factory owner, and SGF’s fruit juice quality assurance auditor and their roles in maintaining the business sustainability and living security.

This first version is 15-minute long with Thai narration and English subtitle. The second version soon to be introduced is 8 minutes in length with English narration. One hundred copies of the video will be distributed at no cost. Please write to Mr. Prawat Chansomboon <prawat.chansomboon@giz.de> stating your name, agency, purposes for the video use, and mailing addresses.

Hope you enjoy it! 😀

20/03/201710/07/2017

Phutawen Farm: The new hub of sustainable agro-tourism in Lao PDR

Posing with sunflowers, picking organic vegetables, and cycling tour are some highlights at Phutawen Farm in Lao PDR.

Situated in Ban Hai Village in Pak-ngum District, a 90-minute drive from the Vientiane Capital, Phutawen or the Hill of Sunflower, aims to be a model to promote sustainable food production and agro-tourism across Lao PDR.

“We would like to create a model farm that benefits local community and Lao’s agricultural sector,” said Ms Dalounny Douangpaseuth, Vice President of DPS Group, founder of Phutawen.

“Due to our [construction] business, we have chances to travel to different parts of the country and seen a lot of empty land which the owners have no clue what to do to generate an income from the land.

“Also, while consumers in Lao increase more concern that food they eat should be safe and have good quality, but the country is flooded in with imported food from neighboring countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and China which might contains high chemical residue, we have seen opportunity.”

DPS Group started its farm business in 2012. The first two years were spent on research, feasibility study, and analysis, deriving the present Phutawen Farm, which combines sustainable agriculture, business, and tourism together.

In 2016, DPS Group’s Phutawen Farm Project entered into cooperation with the GIZ-ASEAN project Standards in the Southeast Asian Food Trade (SAFT). The integrated Public-Private Partnership (iPPP) contract was signed by DPS Group and GIZ on 30 September 2016.

Under the collaboration with GIZ, DPS will verifiably apply Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards for the fruits and vegetables production farm, and the Lao Organic standard for the rice and field crops farm. Regional market linkages as well as farmer and consumer awareness will also be strengthened in the process.

“We have seen many supports to agricultural sector in Lao PDR coming from international donors. However, the beneficiaries [farmers] were not able to continue after the project faded out,” said the Vice President of DPS Group.

“With Phutawen Farm Project, we aim to promote sustainable agriculture that is safe and has good quality and environmental friendly. We hope to share the knowledge we have to interested people and can contribute to improvement of farmers’ livelihood. Also, we provide opportunity to students as well as interested people to have an internship and real practices at our farm.”

Agriculture is a key sector for Lao PDR. Around 75 per cent of population is engaged in Agriculture. However, the sector in general is still considered underdeveloped and income generation is relatively low.

“Currently, agricultural and food products that comply with certain food standards are rarely available or limited. Through food standards, it can ensure that food we consume is safe. Therefore, we would like to start from our farm first to produce quality products that comply with national and regional food standards and to be the showcase that other farmers and companies can learn.

“In general, local consumers are not aware of the importance of food standards and that we need to educate them and raise their awareness,” Ms. Douangpaseuth said.

With the support from GIZ, different experts have been invited to the farm. One expert from Kasetsart University, Thailand, who specializes on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), conducted a training on GAP standard for farm staffs in November 2016. Recommendations on how to make improvements to comply with GAP were also provided by her.

The farm has also been supported by two other experts with experience working with the Royal Project Thailand on the two main topics; plant production and pre-and-post-harvest handling. Both on-the-job trainings and in class trainings were conducted at the farm to train farm staffs as well as university students. They learned about plant production, plant production planning in greenhouses, plant propagation, proper chemical usage, integrated pest management, pre-and post-harvest management, how to reduce postharvest losses, quality production and quality management.

Phutawen Farm opens to public on weekends. For a weekday field visit, it needs to be booked in advance. Activities include farm tours, cycling, and camping. Visitors could enjoy a combination of agriculture and nature as watching blooming of sunflowers and cosmos fields, as well as picking and buying fresh vegetables, for example, tomatoes, leafy salad vegetable, and cucumber.

We thank all the different organizations such as ADB, GIZ, Department of Tourism Promotion, District Agricultural Office, Agricultural Office of Vientiane Capital, Borikamxay Provincial Office, regional and international experts, among many others, for their continuous support and a shared vision for this farm.

Southeast Asian Food Trade is a partner project of ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems.

By Weerinpat Janewatanakul, Southeast Asian Food Trade (SAFT)

09/03/201707/08/2017

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

MAIN-PHOTO_Farmer-practice-field-640×360

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

06/02/201717/07/2017

‘Food sufficiency will not be just a dream’

Senator Cynthia Villar of the Philippines highlights sustainable soil management to achieve “Available and Affordable Food for the Filipino”.

In her keynote address at the 5th meeting of the ASEAN Expert Group on Soil and Nutrient Management (SNM) on 18-19 October 2016 in Manila, Senator Cynthia Villar cited the Philippines cooperation for the development of regional guidance to formulate national policies that encourage sustainable agriculture, crop production, and soil health.

Senator Cynthia Villar’s Keynote Address

“We warmly welcome to the Philippines the guests, delegates and participants to the 5th ASEAN Meeting on Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management.

Senator Cynthia Villar (Picture form Wikipedia)

It is indeed a very timely meeting by the ASEAN Expert Group because our new administration under President Rodrigo Duterte considers as priority the establishment of color-coded soil fertility map that our farmers can use as guide to boost agricultural production in our country. The Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM) of the Department of Agriculture, this ASEAN meeting host, is in fact, in the midst of flurry of field activities to come up with color-coded maps relating to practical soil and nutrient guidelines for rice production areas, to meet the deadlines set by our president.

Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol has also ordered to complete the soil mapping analysis to accomplish the administration’s goal of achieving “Available and Affordable Food for the Filipino”. We have been focusing our attention on increasing rice productivity to feed our increasing population. And we are very well aware that without a sustainable and productive soil resources with which to anchor our production targets, food sufficiency will be just a dream. We acknowledge the important role of soil as a critical success factor to attain food security for this nation.

As defined by ASEAN soil experts, soil nutrient management is an integrated system to manage soils, nutrients, and crops in a sustainable manner to optimize crop production and improve soil health. To grow what we eat and to eat what we grow, we need healthy soils. We need to protect our prime agricultural lands from degradation which can come in the form of neglect as manifested by increased erosion or in the form of abuse such as over fertilization, excessive pesticide application, and intensive cropping system. We need to take the necessary steps to ensure that our soils remain healthy.

We are also alarmed about threats to healthy soils and we are taking action in reversing those threats. Among which is soil degradation, which has reached 33 percent globally and 38 percent here in the Philippines. Based on data from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, out of the Philippines’ total land area of 29.55 million hectares, 11.45 million hectares are ‘vulnerable areas’ to land degradation or moderately to severely degraded, and 2.6 million hectares are ‘hotspots’ or in an advanced stage of land degradation and, as such priority areas for conservation measures.

Soil degradation is a threat globally, every minute we lose the equivalent of 30 football pitches of fertile soil. The threat is even more alarming in Asia, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Our region needs soil more than ever to satisfy the demands of the growing population. By 2050, we need to increase food production by at least 60 per cent to meet the needs of an additional two billion more people. Around 95 percent of our food comes from the soil. As per FAO data, most of the arable land in Asia is already fully utilized. Thus, it is imperative for us to save our soils, which is a non-renewable resource. It takes up to a thousand years for just one centimeter of topsoil to form.

This ASEAN soil experts meeting should be able to provide the necessary guidance that helps decision makers to formulate policies that encourage sustainable agriculture, crop production, and soil health. Giving emphasis on the creation of sustainable agriculture path improves the quality of life of our farmers, and ensures the productive capacity of our agricultural lands for our future generation. Any proposed new policies towards modernization and sustainable development of local agriculture need to be balanced by preserving our agricultural heritage systems that sums up centuries of wisdom and learnings on sustainable agricultural production.

Organic farming helps maintain the health of soils as it retains higher levels of essential organic matter. And there is more to organic farming than reducing the use of pesticides. It also includes crop rotation, intercropping and composting. Thus, we are intensifying our campaign in the promotion of organic farming.

Actually, our country has a National Organic Agriculture Program, which envisions the organic agriculture sector contributing to the overall agricultural growth and development of the country in terms of sustainability, competitiveness and food security. Under the said program, at least five percent of Philippine agricultural farm will be converted into organic by this year.

With this ASEAN experts meeting, which is expected to harmonize recommendation to improve soil and nutrient management, we are looking forward to learn more. And considering how soils differ, climate differs, vegetation differs, topography differs and culture differs from one are to another, we have set ourselves some ambitious goals for the ASEAN region. Thus, at this early, let me congratulate you in advance even for such efforts.

Regional consolidation of good soil and nutrient management practices, as well as standards, is a very important area of cooperation, and the Bureau of Soil and Water Management has much to share our ASEAN friends and neighbors with its past and current programs on balanced fertilization, organic agriculture, soil conservation, and sustainable corn production in sloping agricultural lands. It also has several researches not only in the area of soil fertility but also other basic soil science disciplines like soil chemistry, soil physics and mineralogy, and soil biology.

In closing, let me emphasize that the Philippines in general, is committed to the task of producing food for the nation, together with the Department of Agriculture, we would like to ensure that healthy soil is at the forefront of our policies and programs. And that the specific ASEAN task on soil and nutrient management is an important policy consideration and as cited earlier, it is among the priorities of the administration of President Duterte.

We assure you of the Philippines cooperation and we thank you very much for considering soil and nutrient management as an important area of collaboration in the region. Once more, welcome to the Philippines, I wish you success in your workshop-meeting. Have a good day!”

The 5^th meeting of the ASEAN Expert Group on Soil and Nutrient Management

The 5th meeting of the ASEAN Expert Group on Soil and Nutrient Management (SNM) was held on 18-19 October 2016 in Department of Agriculture Manila, Philippines. This two-day regional consultation meeting was attended by members of the ASEAN Expert Group on SNM from ten ASEAN Member States (AMS): Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The meeting was facilitated by Ms. Wannipa Soda, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems expert in Soil and Nutrient Management. It was hosted by Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM)

The meeting was officially opened by Ms. Sonia M. Salguero, Director of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management under the Department of Agriculture Manila, Philippines, followed by the Message by Hon. Emmanuel F. Piñol Emmanuel F. Pinol, Secretary Department of Agriculture. The opening ceremony was delivered by Senator Cynthia Villar.

The objective of this 5th^th Meeting was to review the final texts of ASEAN guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management draft contents. The development of ASEAN guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management to provide regionally coordinated guidance and to facilitate decision makers in formulation of policy recommendations on soil and nutrient management has been making progress towards its completion. It was expected that this two-day meeting would be resulting in critical and solid comments and feedback on the final draft, as well as future needs to foster the implementing of the guidelines in AMS.

In particular, the expert group discussion is dedicated for consideration of contents from a whole-of-ASEAN regional perspective, including accuracies of important facts and figures presented in these guidelines. As individual, AMS delegates need to focus on important issues related to their context if any key information has been left out. The group needs also to focus on opportunities and recommendations for future implementation of these guidelines.

The 4th ASEAN Expert Group Meeting was held in Brunei Darusslam on 11 – 12 May 2016 for a review of contents based on synthesis report of country inputs. A number of issues regarding finalization of the guidelines were highlighted including additional data requirement for improvement of the contents from AMS. The outcomes of the 4^th meeting were incorporated to a new draft of improved contents for finalization of exert group at the 5^th meeting in the Philippines.

02/02/201717/07/2017

Fortified rice and nutritional patterns for Indonesia

The Food and Nutrition Society (PERGIZI PANGAN) Indonesia in collaboration with Better Rice Initiative Asia (BRIA) Nutrition Component Indonesia and GIZ conducted a study on fortified rice production and a clinical impact study to gain evidence on the effectiveness of fortified rice for school children in order to reduce micronutrient malnutrition in Indonesia. BRIA is a sister project of ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems.

The general objective of this study is to gain evidence on the efficacy of fortified rice for female boarding school teenager students on improving nutritional status.

Evidence showed that consuming micronutrient fortified rice – 150g per meal, three meals a day for a period of fifteen weeks – increased haemoglobin level, ferritin level (3,31 ± 1,67 ng/mL) and folic acid level (1,62 ± 0,45 ng/mL) of teenage girls.

Indonesia is one of 17 countries with concerning nutrition problems (Global Nutrition Report by IFPRI). BRIA has stimulated the interest of the private sector to join the fortified rice business since the technology and production process have been tested and proven domestically. A number of small and big companies have become interested in producing premix kernels and fortified rice.

Rice plays an important role in Indonesians diet. About 97.7% of Indonesians consume rice every day (MOH 2015). The Indonesian population still consumes less than 50% of the amounts of vitamins and minerals required especially iron, calcium, vitamin B1, B2, B3, and B9 (Hardinsyah et al. 2012).

Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) is a serious health issue that compromises the cognitive development of young children and increases the risk for maternal death at birth. According to Riskesdas 2013 (Indonesian Basic Health Research) of Ministry of Health, 37.1 % of pregnant woman, 28.1% of children under-five years and 26.4% of school children are anaemic. There is not much change in the prevalence of anaemia among children under-five and school children.

According to this study, it was also found that the participants in the urban area were interested in purchasing the fortified rice, however, under the following conditions: affordable pricing, good taste, fluffy and tender (pulen), and if there is no chemical smell.

The urban participants agreed that fortified rice is needed by each and every member of their family as a daily consumption at all times. However, this opinion will not translate into practice if they cannot afford the price. Some of them mentioned that the same condition applies to brown rice. Some of them are supposed to eat brown rice because they have diabetes. But they do not regularly buy brown rice because of the higher price compared to regular rice.

To most participants in the urban area, eating more nutritious rice for healthier lifestyle is not something they would aspire to. This may be caused by the relatively higher cost of living in the urban, compared to the rural areas. Also, the participants have limited understanding of the importance of micronutrients in the fortified rice. Thus, their preference towards fortified rice depends more on the price, texture, and taste of the rice, rather than the health benefits offered.

Read more about the study and its findings Click here

24/01/201710/07/2017

Life of contract farmer in Cambodia: Growing organic, glowing income

Since Ms. Ing Sarun grows organic vegetables for Khmer Organic Cooperative, she smiles more often.

Ms. Sarun, 58, grows rice and vegetables on her family’s land of 0.92 hectare in Kampong Nung Village in Kampot Province, Cambodia. She cultivates rice and grows vegetables such as cucumber, bitter gourd, eggplant, pumpkin, and long bean for a living. She has six members in her family including her husband and four children, two boys and two girls.

The Khmer Organic Cooperative (KOC) buys organic vegetables from farmer groups in Cambodia and supply the fresh produces to its sister company, Eco-Agri Co. Ltd (EAC) in Phnom Penh. EAC is a joint initiative of ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems to provide green agricultural input suppliers such as bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers to farmers and chemical free agricultural products to consumers in Cambodia.

Having been a contract farmer for three months for the KOC, Ms. Sarun has opportunities to attend different organic production trainings such as technical cultivation, compost making and pest and farm management. In complying with organic standard, she knows that she has to use organic fertilizer, compost, and natural fertilizer and insecticide. Ms. Sarun also participates in meetings with her farmer group and representatives of KOC to discuss about the production plan and fixing price of vegetables as well as sharing constraint in production to inquire possible supports from KOC regarding pest, seed and necessary techniques.

At KOC, Ms. Sarun enjoys her home grown vegetable such as cucumber at over a double price compared to general market. She can sell her cucumber at 0.75 US dollar per kilogramme while at a local market she will receive 0.3 US dollar per kg. From KOC Ms. Sarun will get payment for her produces about two to three times per month.

“I am very happy with the price and also technical supports from Khmer Organic Cooperative which assists me in improving my knowledge and vegetable growing techniques,” says Ms. Sarun. “Also, I learn now that growing organic vegetable is not only benefiting me but also consumer and environment.”

Being a farmer for more than half of her life, Ms. Sarun is proud to share her tips on when to best grow cucumber in Cambodia.

There are two seasons in Cambodia: rainy season (from May-October) and dry season (from November-April). From November till January the weather is cool which makes it a good season for growing vegetable while from February-April it is very dry and difficult to grow vegetable.

However, in the rainy season since the soil temperature is always cold and wet which is favorable for plant pathogen to grow and spread, the plant is infested, especially rotted root. Also, when the soil holds a large amount of water, it will cause water stress for plant causing downy mildew on leave and productivities decrease.

Still, cucumber grows better in the rainy season and it gives about 15 per cent higher yield. In the land of 180 square meter, Ms. Sarun spends about 53 US dollar to grow cucumber in the rainy season while in the dry season she spends 12 US dollar more for the total input’s cost in a two-month cycle of cucumber.

Ms. Sarun is an exemplary farmer and has a lot of experiences through her collaborations with NGO and government agencies. She shares that during the rainy season farmer should prepare higher bed and use plastic mulch to control weed and soil compaction, and invest in the plastic raining protection from pest and heavy rain.

She also says that cucumber cultivation in the dry season is harder due to water deficiency so the productivity is limited. Besides, the weather is too hot and the vegetable grows slowly while in the rainy season the vegetable grows faster and more productive.

By Saody So and Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems