National Forum on Biological Control Agents shares success storiesy for sustainable agriculture in Cambodia

By Benjamin Scholz

Introducing and promoting Biocontrol agents as an alternative to commonly used chemical agricultural inputs was at the core of the ‘National Forum on the regulation, trade and use of Biocontrol Agents (BCA) in Cambodian agriculture’ held from 22-23 April 2015 in Battambang, Cambodia.

The two-day workshop was hosted by the GIZ ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems project (ASEAN-SAS) in collaboration with the USAID Cambodia HARVEST funded program and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

An actual body of evidence for advantages of biological agricultural practices, such as higher yields, increased income opportunities, and improved health indicators were presented from BCA field trials by Dr. Kean Sophea from the General Directorate of Agriculture, Ms. Elodie Schoenmakers from Charlemagne High Education Institute, Mr. Melvin Medina from Cambodia HARVEST, and Mr. Sip Pagnasoley from University of Battambang.

Regional GIZ expert Dr. Thomas Jaekel presented on the economic benefits arising from the use of BCA highlighting that “farming is a business” opportunity for smallholders.

From the government side, Mr. Pum Ra from Department of Agricultural Legislation (DAL) provided an overview of the ongoing process of implementing the ASEAN Guideline in Cambodia to regulate the use and trade of BCA products, jointly carried out with GIZ ASEAN-SAS and Cambodia HARVEST.

Among the more than 110 participants were representatives of the General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA), Department of Agricultural Legislation (DAL), International organizations, various farmer and rural development NGOs, farmer cooperatives, the University of Battambang (UBB), and numerous agricultural input companies committed to the commercial production and distribution of BCA.

Some selected forerunners among the companies displayed their products – mainly organic fertilizers and bio-pesticides, seeds, irrigation schemes, and organic groceries – to potential customers and cooperation partners throughout the duration of the workshop. Altogether, the national forum provided a beneficial platform for a broad range of actors to identify entry points of cooperation and push forward the rollout of BCA throughout Cambodia.

29/04/201509/08/2017

Thailand’s 1st Policy Dialogue on Food and Nutrition Security calls for stronger cooperation mechanisms

Panel-discussion-Policy-Strategy-of-FNS-640×360

by Lisa Faust

Most of the 805 million people who do not have enough to eat in the world, live in countries that have food surpluses rather than deficits. Thailand – the world’s leading exporter of rice and fruits and referred to as the “Kitchen of the World” – too suffers from this paradox. The underlying reason behind why 6.8 percent (FAO, 2014) of the Thai population is considered undernourished is thus not a lack of food availability, but rather insufficient access to food.

From left: Mr. David Oberhuber, Country Director, GIZ Thailand; Ms. Jantida Meedech, Office of Agricultural Economics; Ms. Bangjongjit Angsusingh, Department of Foreign Trade Ministry of Commerce; Dr. Apichart Pongsrihadulchai, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives; Dr. Surmsuk Salakpetch, Department of Agriculture; Mr. Chaisiri Mahantachaisakul, National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards; and Dr. Rangsit Poosiripinyo, Office of Agricultural Economics

This challenge is particularly prevalent in many remote areas and has been exacerbated by a steady increase in food prices and production costs throughout the past decade. Other major obstacles to ensuring food security in Thailand include insufficient nutrition, poverty, climate change, an ageing farmer’s population coupled with their deteriorating health, and inadequate soil and water management.

These issues were raised and discussed at Thailand’s first ‘Policy Dialogue on Food and Nutrition Security and the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework in Thailand’, which was organized in Bangkok on 31 March 2015, by the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) project. Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the SAS project aims to enable ASEAN Member States in implementing the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework, and its Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security (SPA-FS) at national level.

To ensure long-term food and nutrition security, as well as improve the livelihoods of farmers across the entire ASEAN region, the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework was adopted by the Member states at the 14th ASEAN Summit in 2009 to provide scope and joint pragmatic approaches for cooperation among ASEAN Member States. The ASEAN leaders reiterated the importance to develop a common and unified position to ensure sustainable food security and nutrition in ASEAN and endorsed the new phase of AIFS Framework and SPA-FS, 2015-2020 at the 25^th ASEAN Summit held in November 2014 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

With over 60 participants from various agencies and ministries in Thailand, including high level policy makers from relevant Ministries, the Policy Dialogue provided a platform for exchange of information and to build consensus on policies and strategies for tackling food insecurity within Thailand collectively.

The government of Thailand has given priority to food security as highlighted in the Eleventh National Economic and Social Development Plan (2012-2016), which provided a Strategy for Strengthening the Agricultural Sector, Food and Energy Security. The importance of food security is as well emphasized in the Strategic Framework for Food Security of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (2013-2016) to promote sustainable food production and access to quality and nutritious food,

said Dr. Apichart Pongsrihadulchai, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, during his keynote speech at the Policy Dialogue.

There was census among participants in the following: Firstly, the need to revise the mechanisms of the existing food security Frameworks in Thailand and their implementation. Clear roles and responsibilities have to be assigned to the relevant ministries, private sector and other actors, in order ensure a better understanding among every stakeholder involved. Secondly, as effective implementation of technical solutions is often hindered by limited collaboration between stakeholders, participants call for a concrete cooperation mechanism that facilitates and mandates coordination between the private and public sector. Thirdly, at the ASEAN level, improved cooperation and communication is necessary between the different ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry reporting food security bodies and parallel initiatives. This will enable a more fluid sharing and exchange of information, lessons learnt and experiences between the ASEAN Member States.

“Agriculture is a key sector in terms of social and economic development for Thailand. Though Thailand is considered an advanced country in terms of food security, however, issues and challenges still remain and require collaboration and coordination among relevant ministries, private sector and stakeholders in addressing the issues,”

said Mr. David Oberhuber, Country Director of GIZ Thailand, in his speech at the Policy Dialogue.

To follow-up on the outcomes of this Policy Dialogue, SAS project will organise a second Policy Dialogue on Food and Nutrition Security in early 2017. It is hoped that these Policy Dialogues can contribute towards Thailand’s progress in creating food production systems that incorporate economic, social and environmental dimensions, and eliminate poverty and hunger across the nation.

28/04/201510/08/2017

Progress updates on development of the ASEAN’s Soil and Nutrient Management Guidelines

National-soil-and-nutrient-management-experts-met-at-the-consultation-meeting-in-Vietnam

Scope of contents of the Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management was finalized at the 2^nd regional meeting of the ASEAN Expert Group on Soil and Nutrient Management (SNM) in Singapore on 28-29 April 2015. The Meeting agreed to shape up the SNM Guidelines content to include: Chapter I: Properties and issues of soils in ASEAN Member States; Chapter II: Good soil management practices; Chapter III: Good nutrient management practices; Chapter IV: Standards, regulations and market information of fertilizer and supplements; and Chapter V: Recommendations on Soil and Nutrient Management.

Brunei News features the national consultation meeting conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood on 8 – 10 May 2015

Following the Singapore Meeting, the 2^nd national consultation meetings in different ASEAN Member States (AMS) have been expected to be conducted. The consultation meeting aims at sharing and discussion of the key outcomes of the regional meeting. This includes planning of relevant activities and identify respective responsible for preparation of inputs contribute to writing up contents of the ASEAN SNM Guidelines. In Brunei Darussalam the national consultation meeting was conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood on 8 – 10 May 2015. In Vietnam, the consultation meeting was held by the Department of Crop Production (DCP) on 28 – 29 June 2015.

To steer the process on preparation of inputs, a monitoring process has been conducting through a status report form. Presently, only Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam provide feedback in this regard. Base on the status reports obtained fromAMS, Malaysia is the most progressive one followed by Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.

AMS are being expected to submit completed draft of country inputs on subject matter by the end of October for consolidation. The contents received from the AMS will be reviewed by experts at the 3^rd Meeting of ASEAN Expert Group on Soil and Nutrient Management to be held in November 2015 in Vientiane, Lao PDR.

By Wannipa Soda, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

Group photo of soil and nutrient management experts in Brunei Darussalam

10/04/201509/08/2017

Rice Plant-Hopper Management in Dong Thap Province

Survey to develop training for farmers on integrated pest management

A pilot project soon to be established in Dong Thap province, Vietnam will assist Vietnamese farmers to tackle one of the country’s major threats to rice production, Brown Plant Hopper infestation. However, a survey to improve the ‘know-how’ in integrated pest management is firstly needed to design the right training for the farmers. This is to be conducted by the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems project, a module under an ASEAN-German Programme on response to Climate Change in Agriculture and Forestry (GAP-CC) and CropLife International.

Dong Thap province is the third largest rice growing region in the Mekong delta with 523,800 hectares of cultivated area. Three harvests per year require a very intensive cultivation, with high inputs of fertilizers and pesticides. In the past years, yields per hectare have been steadily increasing, reaching an average of 6.3 ton per hectares, which is above the national average of about 5 tons per hectares.

Intensive rice cultivation entails also increasing production costs, often caused by the high usage of seeds, fertilizers and chemical pesticides above the usual levels. Studies have shown that the overuse of chemical inputs can even have an adverse effect, leading to a decline of yields. Therefore it is of utmost importance to identify the optimum of the application of seeds and chemical inputs.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, there are “inadequacies in pesticide advertising and labelling, while many farmers still continue to ignore basic instructions on their use”.

In Vietnam’s Dong Thap province, “Brown Plant Hopper” infestation and the following transmission of viruses is one of the major threats to rice production. Losses can be 100 per cent, if uncontrolled. Actually, the situation is under control, by light traps and the application of biological pesticides among others. Nevertheless, future outbreaks are possible as the insect is migrating fast over long distances. Because of its nature, infestation occurs at the whole growing area, which requires a strategy of including farmers’ communities, suppliers of agricultural inputs, and district and province authorities as well.

In general terms, the causes of the outbreaks include poor agronomic practices, poor choice of variety and, once an infestation is established, misuse of pesticides. The implementation of integrated pest management practices has proved unsustainable, since consistent messages have not been continually provided by all groups. Specifically the misuse or even illegal use of broad-spectrum, neuro-toxic insecticides needs to be addressed.

This requires not only the effective training of farmers, but also pesticide retailers who are a major source of pest management advice. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, there are “inadequacies in pesticide advertising and labelling, while many farmers still continue to ignore basic instructions on their use”. Training of retailers, which should be an integral part of government certification, would help to address this.

It is therefore proposed that the demonstration project be established in Dong Thap province, working with several villages where plant-hopper outbreaks are an issue, that will train farmers in integrated pest management including the responsible use of pesticides and the use of alternatives, including non-neuro-toxic and biocontrol agents, along with their integration and to train pesticide retailers in also integrated pest management, responsible pesticide use and responsible promotion of products. The aim will be to set up a programme, where training messages are re-enforced by the local retailers, as well as other local partners such as the extension services and farmer organisations.

Other elements such as landscape engineering will be included in the information package presented to farmers; this will include how this can be used to encourage and maintain natural enemies, as well as possible negative impacts such as impacts on rat population. Farmers will be informed about such tools and techniques, but it will be their choice as to whether they adopt such approaches.

In general, even though the focus of the programme is management of plant-hopper attacks, in common with all integrated pest management programmes other pests that threaten the rice crop will be appropriately managed.

Preparatory Survey

GIZ by its ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems or in short SAS project and CropLife International agreed upon the conduction of a survey in Dong Thap province, Vietnam. This should be understood as a measure for the preparation of a wider capacity development programme. Plant Protection Department, its respective structures on national, provincial and local levels, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dong Thap province will actively take part in the development of the activities. After the survey has been concluded, and conclusions and recommendations have been analyzed, the envisaged capacity development programme will be carried through.

04/04/201509/08/2017

A Study Tour to Thailand

The GIZ-ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN-SAS) project in Cambodia has brought people together to strengthen the capacity of farmers in organic production techniques, to help them establish linkages to international markets. To that end, the technical staff of GIZ ASEAN-SAS (Cambodia and Thailand), the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC), and CEDAC Sahakreas Ltd. (SKC) undertook a study tour to Thailand, which took place 25-29 January 2015. The aims of the study tour were:

To share experiences with entities working in the organic food sector in Thailand,
To study agricultural best practices, including CO₂ fumigating procedure for organic rice, and
To strengthen the network between practitioners in the organic agriculture sector.

Entities were selected according to the technical background and specific interest of the participants. In the beginning, participants presented their experiences with organic rice value chain development in Cambodia, where the demand for organic rice has been gradually growing. However, there is no established national regulation on the certification and declaration of organic agricultural products, meaning that anyone can claim that their products are organic without any certification. CEDAC has been working with small-scale farmers to promote organic rice production, resulting in the export of approximately 1,000 tons of organic and fair-trade certified rice in 2014. To comply with international organic standards, CO₂ fumigation to eliminate insects before shipment is a requirement for export. Herba Bangkok Sl is a company experienced in CO₂ fumigation and marketing strategies for organic rice. In order to tackle the lack of experience in the CO₂ fumigation procedure, Herba showcased the treatment for the participants: 2kg of CO₂ per ton of rice must be circulated consistently in a covered plastic bag. The share of oxygen must be lower than 13.7%, and the concentration of oxygen and CO₂has to be regularly monitored, or else insects will not be killed within 14 days. In its warehouses, Herba uses mechanical traps, daily cleaning and uniform packaging. Herba buys from organic rice farmer cooperatives and exports mainly to the US and the EU. They are very interested in importing premium organic fragrant and non-fragrant rice, as well as half broken rice, which is an opportunity for Cambodian farmers and CEDAC to enter the market. During the next rice season there will be a joint workshop between farmers, CEDAC and Herba to discuss the production plan.

Xungdur is another organic food company known for initiating market-linked organic food processing, working closely with organic farmer cooperatives that use their own resources to produce
fertilizer and bio-pesticides in compliance with organic standards. Xungdur used to apply conventional practices, which involve high chemical inputs, ultimately causing health problems and low profits. However, once the owner of Xungdur discovered that following organic principles is the most effective method in developing and improving health, she began to promote organic rice and vegetable production to farmers, providing weekly trainings on organic agricultural techniques. She altered Xungdur’s product lines to contain only organic rice, and developed food processing and packaging lines. Xungdur’s products are now well known and in high demand. Government agencies and organizations are assisting the cooperative with production techniques, marketing, and financial resources to strengthen the company’s sustainability.The study tour was very useful and informative to the participants, who gained a better understanding of the concepts and principles of effective business practices and production techniques. Moreover, they benefited from lessons and experiences shared at the training workshop, not only to improve their own knowledge but also to develop ideas that will promote the sustainable development of organic agriculture in Cambodia.

12/03/201509/08/2017

Malaysia Expert Group Meeting on developing ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management

The 1st National Expert Group Meeting on Soil and Nutrient Management that organized by Soil Resource Management and Conservation Division, Department of Agriculture was held in Malaysia on 12 March 2015 at Department of Agriculture, Putrajaya. National Members Expert from Malaysian Palm Oil Board, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Malaysian Rubber Board and ESPEK Research and Advisory Services Sdn. Bhd. were invited to discuss the draft ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management; roles of National Expert Group in developing guidelines and exchange information.

The meeting begun with a briefing by Ms. Wannipa Soda, representative from GIZ’s ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) on scopes of the Soil and Nutrient Management which was finalized at the 2^nd Regional Meeting of the ASEAN Expert Group in Singapore on 28-29 April 2015. The second presentation was delivered by Mr. Borhan Jantan, expert from Department of Agriculture of Malaysia. He described the outline of ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management towards Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. National Members Expert later discussed the contents include:

Chapter 1: Properties and issues of soil in ASEAN

Chapter 2: Good soil management practices

Chapter 3: Good nutrient management practices

Chapter 4: Standard, regulations and market information of fertilizer and
supplements

Chapter 5: Recommendations for soil and nutrient management

Based on the differences among the ASEAN Member States, regional mechanism is required for cooperation and coordinating on soil and nutrient management at regional level. In dealing with the issues at regional level, there are needs for ASEAN to provide policy recommendations that support the implementation of effective and efficient approaches in managing soil and nutrient, along with other complementary measures in order to maintain and increase crop productivity, whilst securing productive capacity of soils. This underlines the need for good cooperation among AMS to establish a regional working group to develop a set of recommendation on soil and nutrient management for the region. In response to the needs, ASEAN SAS has an initiative entitled “Development of Regional Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management” in 2014.

The meeting also emphasized the importance of soil and nutrient management through diverse farming approaches to promote the sustainable agriculture. Relevant concern and issues had also been discussed and taken into consideration on Soil Quality Standard and how to manage the good soil to sustained the soil including mangrove area.

The recommendations and relevant activities of the National Expert Group will be updated to Regional Expert Group for development of ASEAN Soil and Nutrient Management Guidelines.

Supported by ASEAN SAS, it is expected that ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management will provide regionally coordinated guidance to facilitate decision makers in formulation of policy recommendations on soil and nutrient management that will promote sustainable agrifood systems in the region.

15/12/201409/08/2017

The 5th Project Partner Meeting and related Meetings in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar from 2-4 December 2014

Four Regional Meetings to Agree Step Forward in Addressing Food Security

Authors:
Pouchamarn Wongsanga
Duangruetai Surasakjinda

During 2-4 December 2014, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), GIZ together with the Department of Agriculture of Myanmar’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation organized the 5^th Project Partner Meeting (PPM) of the “ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS)”, The 6^th Meeting of the ASEAN BCA Expert Groups on Application and Regulation, The 1^st Meeting of the ASEAN Soil and Nutrient Management Expert Group, and The Dialogue on ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework at in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

Attended by over 60 participants from nine ASEAN Member States, with the exception of Brunei Darussalam, the meetings highlighted progress of activities and discussed strategies and project activities as step forward for activities implementation at regional and national levels from 2015-2017.

Overview of the implementation strategies of the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

The 5^th PPM agreed with the overall implementation strategies of SAS project outlining key activities and their linkages across the three intervention areas, namely policy framework, production technologies (i.e. biocontrol agents, soil and nutrient management), and market linkages. Project implementation strategies appears below.

The 5^th PPM recognized that other GIZ partner projects could provide complementary support in the implementation of SAS Project. These projects include:

Forestry and Climate Change (FOR-CC) (Climate Smart Agriculture Component)
Better Rice Initiative Asia (BRIA)
ASEAN Food Standard
Remote sensing-based Information and Insurance for Crops in Emerging Economies (RIICE)

Outcomes and Recommendations of the 6^th Meeting of ASEAN BCA Expert Groups on Application and Regulation

The proposed activities and interventions namely, policy frameworks, implementation of production technologies, and market linkages were discussed and agreed. Complementing the interventions at national level for achieving the project goals of SAS, there are some regionally integrative elements that support the implementation of the AIFS and also relate to ASEAN standards like ASEAN Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Organic.

Outcomes and Recommendations of the 1^st Meeting of ASEAN Soil and Nutrient Management (SNM) Expert Group

The Meeting agreed on the following.

Draft definition of the term “soil and nutrient management” for ASEAN Guidelines as “Soil and nutrient management is an integrated measure to manage soils, nutrients, water and crops in a sustainable manner to optimize crop production”;
The tentative scope of ASEAN Guidelines on SNM; and
To include general role concerning the bio-input database after the scope is defined.

Outcomes and Recommendations of the Dialogue on ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework

The Dialogue discussed on what and how “ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS)” can support ASEAN and ASEAN Member States. The recommendations for activities have been provided in relation to the two topics discussed i.e. a) Synergizing food security policy (national and regional) as well as develop and promote Sustainable Agrifood Systems; and b) Developing/promoting market linkages.

Challenges and Way Forward for the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

SAS project should give focus in the promotion of sustainable agrifood systems and how it will contribute to food security in ASEAN;
Sustainable agrifood systems should target on GAP products by improving integrated pest management (through the use of bio-inputs), better soil and nutrient management, and market linkages. Organic products could be considered if they are considered high priority in the country(s);
Policy dialogue on food and nutrition security at both regional and national levels are important to raise awareness on the AIFS Framework, linkages and contribution of sustainable agrifood systems to food security and other issues of importance (i.e. food trade, nutrition, etc.);
Planning and implementation of SAS activities across intervention areas at both regional and national levels should be coordinated to ensure interlinkages, synergies and greater impacts; and
Capacity development is considered a cross-cutting issue across intervention areas and should be designed and developed to suit the target groups and context.

Launching and handing over of the translation AIFS Framework and ASEAN BCA Guidelines

In conjunction with four meetings, the translation the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework and the ASEAN Guidelines on the Regulation, Use and Trade of Biological Control Agent (BCA) was launched and handed over to Head delegations from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand for the implementation by the ASEAN Member States at national level.

ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework and the Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security in the ASEAN region (SPA-FS)

The translation of AIFS Framework and SPA-FS has been accomplished for Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand with a view to facilitating the implementation at the national level and promoting awareness and understanding among concerned stakeholders, which need multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder approaches and collaboration.

It is hoped that AIFS Framework provides a useful basis for mutual understanding on food security and the development of policies and strategies to improve food security situation at national level and contributes to ASEAN integration and community-building process.

ASEAN BCA Guidelines

The ASEAN Guidelines on the Regulation, Use and Trade of Biological Control Agent (BCA) describes ways to improve sustainable crop protection through more extended use of BCA in concert with the principles of “integrated pest management”. A working definition, focusing on BCA within the context of internationally-recognized IPM narratives. BCA encompass a wide range of products. It is acknowledged that they are not applicable to all pest management situations, so specific case studies, where application appears effective and feasible; regulations and how they might develop in future, with necessary improvements, rationalization and harmonization; and suggestions for improvement that integrate aspects of regulation and use of BCA in details are described in the Guidelines.

It is hope that the Guidelines provides an agreed framework for future development of BCA: specifically creating a regional blueprint for national regulation and implementation strategies. In addition, harmonization of registration requirements would make regulation of BCA easier, less costly and promote their trade between ASEAN Member States.

06/12/201409/08/2017

1st ASEAN Expert Group on Soil and Nutrient Management

The First Meeting of ASEAN Expert Group on Soil and Nutrient Management

German International Cooperation (GIZ) through the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) project hosted the First Meeting of the ASEAN Expert Group on Soil and Nutrient Management (SNM) for the ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management (SNM), from 3^rd – 4^th December 2014 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The two-day meeting was attended by delegates from the nine ASEAN Members States (AMS).

Food security has been recognised as an importance agenda of ASEAN. In addressing long term food security and improve the livelihood of farmers in the region, there are need for ASEAN to provide regionally coordinated policy recommendations in particular to support sound management of soil and nutrient in promoting sustainable agriculture and food production systems in the region.

In order to achieve this, the project aims i) to establish the Regional Technical Expert Group on Soil and Nutrient Management; and ii) to develop the ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management.

The First meeting of ASEAN Expert Group on SNM served as a face-to-face dialogue platform for ten senior experts from AMS to brainstorm ideas and discuss on the scope of guidelines, objectives, and target user. The Meeting also discussed their roles and responsibilities in drafting the ASEAN Guidelines. Thandar Nyi from Myanmar and Dr. Varughese Philipfrom the Philippines were elected as the chairperson and the vice chairperson of the Meeting, respectively

The key outcomes from the First meeting include:

Tentative scope of the Guidelines to cover general property of soils in ASEAN; soil problems in ASEAN; good soil, nutrient and crop management practices; fertiliser regulations and standards.
Term of Reference (TOR) of the Regional Technical ExpertsGroup in writing up the ASEAN Guidelines with support from national experts through national consultation meetings and fora.

The next expert group meeting will be held in April 2015 to discuss further on the draft outline of contents of ASEAN Guidelines on soil and nutrient management.

By Wannipa Soda, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

17/09/201409/08/2017

Successful Trials on the Use of BCA to Control Flea Beetles in Chinese Cabbage in Thailand

During a series of Regional Experts Meetings on Biological Control Agents (BCA) organized throughout 2013, many ASEAN Member States (AMS) expressed their interest in conducting research and demonstration trials on the application of BCA for pest management. In Thailand, Chinese cabbage was selected as a priority crop as it is often becomes infested with flea beetles.

Flea beetles have been causing headaches to cabbage farmers for years. A heavy infestation can kill seedlings while moderate damage delays maturity, reduces yield and lowers crop quality making crops unmarketable. Reports indicate that larvae and adult flea beetle infestation is responsible for about 10 percent of yield losses.

Flea beetles infestation in Chinese cabbage

In cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, the Royal Project Foundation, and Thep Watana Co., Ltd., the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN Biocontrol) has been conducting field trials since January 2014 to test the effectiveness of the microbial and nematodes against flea beetle infestations in Chinese cabbage. Trials in a farmer’s cabbage field in Huai Pong, Chiang Rai were conducted to compare performance of the BCA with a negative control (no pest control) and the farmer’s own practices, which included the use of locally available pesticides.

The results of the first trial conducted between January and March 2014 on the application of both BCA showed significantly better root growth of cabbage during the first 2-3 weeks compared to the negative control. Both agents targeted the larval stages of flea beetles, which cause most of the damage. Further development of cabbage plants through to harvest was similar with both BCA and pesticides, and significantly better than the negative control. However, biocontrol was only applied three times in comparison to six chemical applications. The experiment thus demonstrated that BCA were similarly effective at a lower application rate, thus promising to deliver economic benefits to the farmer. A second trial is under way to confirm this finding.

The results of this field work will be helpful in developing application guidelines for environmentally friendly and safe management of this notorious insect pest in Southeast Asia.

04/08/201411/08/2017

Bio-agriculture Input Sector Pushes ‘Green Center’ Forward in Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Cambodia –Six private and social business companies leading the local market in providing inputs for agriculture and trainings in organic agriculture sent eleven of their representatives to join GIZ for a consulation this week. GIZ ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program hosted the consultation with local companies to discuss moving the concept of a ‘green center’ in Cambodia forward. The new center will aim to bring bio-agricultural companies under one roof, to provide their high quality inputs for a sustainable and environment friendly sound agriculture. Open to the public, the center plans to act as platform for training and dialog activities for national and international development partners, extension workers and farmers, and will provide seminars to consumers interested in learning about agriculture and urban gardening.

To push their vision forward, the participants of the workshop developed an action plan to map out the next steps for the center.

Companies that joined the consultations have the common aim to promote sustainable agriculture with little or no chemical (organic) use. These companies include Bayon Heritage Holding Group Co, Ltd., Angkor Green Investment and Development Co. Ltd., EX-M (Cambodia) Co. Ltd., iDE Cambodia, and Entrée Baitang Co. Ltd., which met at the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC).

For more information on the development of Cambodia’s first ‘Green Center’ contact:

Mr. Claudius Bredehöft

National Project Coordinator Cambodia

ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

M +855 12 21 54 30

E claudius.bredehoeft@giz.de