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.
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 8th 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.
Dr. Thomas Jaekel
Chief Technical Advisor of ASEAN SAS, Dr. Thomas Jaekel said that the ASEAN Guidelineson 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
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 findingsClick here
One in ten people in ASEAN is hungry and 9.6 per cent of people living in Southeast Asia are under-nourished, according to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Though many ASEAN countries improved significantly in poverty reduction, and securing adequate food, many are still struggling in producing safe and nutritious food that meets dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life, according to a definition agreed at 1996 World Food Summit.
A high level policy dialogue on Food and Nutrition Security and the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework in Myanmar was organised in Nay Pyi Taw in September 2015.
Food and nutrition security has been put into the global agenda for decades; however, putting sufficient, affordable, nutritious, and safe food on the table for all populations remains a true challenge. This does not include the fact that food production will need to increase by at least 60 per cent to provide food security for the 9 billion people over the next 35 years.
Aiming at improving food and nutrition security in the region, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) has been providing technical supports to ASEAN Member States on policy framework, implementation of production technologies, and market linkages over the past two years since started.
The project gears to increase awareness and understanding of food security and nutrition and the ‘ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework’ among the Member States and pushes for an implementation of national policies and strategies in line with the AIFS Framework as a solution for long-term food security in the ASEAN region. The AIFS Framework was adopted by the ASEAN leaders in 2009, and was reiterated in 2014.
Food production will need to increase by at least 60 per cent to provide food security for the 9 billion people over the next 35 years.
Having this aim in mind, policy dialogues on food security and nutrition and the AIFS Framework in Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Thailand were organised to give platforms for relevant ministries and concerned parties to discuss key challenges, issues, roles and responsible of the agencies concerned, and the contribution of the Sustainable Agrifood Systems towards food security.
Mr. Cheattho Prak from Cambodia (right) said he was now better aware that food and nutrition security was not only about producing a sufficient amount of food for the country.
In contributing to food security and nutrition policy, trainings on food and nutrition security for regional practitioners, and government officers in Lao PDR, and Thailand were also conducted in 2015 to raise awareness and understating on food and nutrition security and strengthen capacity of the personnel at regional and national levels in developing and implement effective policies and strategies addressing food and nutrition security.
Mr. Cheattho Prak, Deputy Director-General of the General Directorate of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Cambodia said before the regional training he initially only concerned about producing sufficient food to meet the demands of the country when talking about food and nutrition security.
“I am now better aware that food security is also about having a sustained variety of nutritious and safe food. For example, children should know about the kind of food they eat, how to select and cook properly,” he said.
“I am now better aware that food security is also about having a sustained variety of nutritious and safe food. For example, children should know about the kind of food they eat, how to select and cook properly.”
Organic vegetables are displayed at a shop in Taman Simalem Resort supplied by local farmers living nearby the resort.
ASEAN SAS has in addition implemented pilot projects with public and private sectors to showcase successful crop protection and pest management models through the use of Biological Control Agents (BCA) and Integrated Pest Management that sustain the livelihoods and competiveness of local agriculture for the future development of regionally-coordinated and national policy and strategy recommendations.
Indonesia, for example, the Project has partnered with the agro-tourism Taman Siamalem Resort (Tsr) together with the Islamic University of North Sumatra in providing knowledge and skills to local farmers on the use of bio-inputs, and giving certification support for organic production. About 70 farmers adopted organic practices and received ‘Organik Indonesia’ certification. Income of organic farmers was increased by 180 percent for growing organic fruits and vegetables since the establishment of partnership.
Ersemina Munthe, farmer from Treasure of Farmers Group – Organik Indah Lestari said: “We have yields increased and earn higher incomes because we change from traditional farming with chemical inputs to organic practices. And, we have farming contract with Tsr which provides us supports needed for organic farming and also receive our produces at a guaranteed price.”
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. (1996 World Food Summit)
Besides the continuing support of policy and strategy development at regional and national levels, in 2016-2017 ASEAN SAS will be particularly focusing on public-private partnership to complete the sustainable value chain needed to promote the use of bio inputs, soil and nutrient management, best production technologies, and successful business models that contribute to sustainable agrifood systems in the future.
By Rojana Manowalailao, Sustainable Agrifood Systems
A better multi-sectoral collaboration and coordination mechanism to reach food security and nutrition is needed in the region
One in ten people in ASEAN is hungry and 9.6 per cent of people living in Southeast Asia are under-nourished. These figures of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) were presented at the “ASEAN Inter-sectoral Consultative Conference on Food Security and Nutrition” recently held between 23 and 24 February 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Although many countries in ASEAN improved greatly in poverty reduction, many are still struggling with child malnutrition. As lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goal framework specific to nutrition, it is realised that the focus on undernutrition was too narrow, and that synergies between nutrition and other sectors were underexploited
In handling these food and nutrition security issues more effectively, the recent ASEAN Inter-Sectoral Consultative Conference on Food Security and Nutrition brought together 90 delegates from nine ASEAN Member States, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam particularly in seeking better inter-sectoral collaboration and coordination between relevant ASEAN Sectoral Bodies related to agriculture, rural development, health and social welfare for achieving food security and nutrition. Representatives of UN Agencies, International Organizations, and Development Partners also attended.
This multi-sectoral consultation meeting in food and nutrition security was the first of its kind in ASEAN. It underlined the importance of promotion of nutrition-enhancing agriculture by creating awareness and understanding among ASEAN sectoral bodies as well as sustaining cooperation through multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder engagement, including the improvement of public expenditure for food security and nutrition and additional investment and financing.
The Conference also echoed the importance of the exchange of the experiences and lessons learnt from the ASEAN Member States.
This event was organized with support of FAO in collaboration with German International Cooperation (GIZ) and World Health Organization (WHO).
Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, a Senior Regional Advisor to ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems project
ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) as part of the ASEAN-German Programme on Response to Climate Change in agriculture and forestry represented GIZ at this event. ASEAN SAS supports policy makers and stakeholders to implement the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework by focusing on the promotion of sustainable food production at the national level.
“Sustainable agriculture and food systems can be seen as central core for the partnership. Food security and nutrition is a complex and cross-cutting set of issues. In achieving food security and nutrition it requires inter-sectoral and multi-sectoral cooperation and partnership,” said Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, ASEAN SAS’s regional advisor.
Food security as foundation should have sustainable agrifood systems to promote means of livelihood, competitiveness and ensuring staple supply of food. Towards long-term food security in the ASEAN region, Sustainable Agrifood Systems is regarded as the long-term sustainable approach (in its social, economic and environmental dimensions). ASEAN SAS project recognizes the importance and contribution of sustainable agriculture systems as a core strategy in achieving the food security and nutrition goals and targets.
By Rojana Manowalailao, Sustainable Agrifood Systems
Regional Cooperation contributes to food security in Myanmar
Director of Plant Protection (far right) ensures guidance and policy supports to the ASEAN SAS team in implementing the 2016 project’s activities.
In achieving food security in Myanmar, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) has provided technical assistance supports in policy framework, promotion of sustainable production technologies and market linkages. With the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, ASEAN SAS in 2016 will focus on the inclusion of policy recommendation on biocontrol agent (BCA) regulation into national legislation, field demonstration on the use of BCAs in cabbage and tomatoes in Bago Division and fruit fly management for mango growers in Shan State. ASEAN SAS is negotiating with JJ PUN Co. Ltd. to become a major supplier due to few BCAs available in the country. Collaboration is proposed to be under Public Private Partnership project that aims at scaling-up bio-inputs in Myanmar.
Agriculture officer from Malaysia talks about challenges in supporting sustainable agrifood systems
Mr. Ismail Iberahim, Principal Assistant Director of Plant Biosecurity Division with Malaysia’s Department of Agriculture recently attended the 6th Project Partner Meeting of the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) in Vientiane, Lao PDR where he gave this interview.
Mr. Ismail Iberahim, Principal Assistant Director of Plant Biosecurity Division with Malaysia’s Department of Agricult
What is your role and responsibility at your agency?
“My role is supporting sustainable agriculture. As an agricultural officer, my role is to teach the farmers about good agricultural practices and sustainable agriculture is also included.”
Why do you think we need to support sustainable agriculture?
“We need to be looking for safety first. In agriculture production, what is the most important is not the quantity of the food produced but its quality. The food we produce must be safe to consume. And, everybody in the society no matter if he or she is rich or poor should get chances to similar safe food. There should not be any differences.”
What are the challenges in supporting sustainable agrifood systems in Malaysia?
“The major challenge in promoting sustainable agrifood systems in Malaysia is making everybody know what the sustainable agrifood systems are and why we need the sustainable ways to produce our food. When people understand, they will recognize and appreciate sustainable agriculture produce, and will be looking for it and willing to pay more for it.”
What would you explain to make people understand what the sustainable agriculture is?
“The sustainable agriculture is the natural way in doing agriculture, for example, we use the natural fertilizer, recycle the waste in the farm, and if possible try to minimize the use of chemicals. The most important thing is we need to conserve our environment and natural resources. When we change the nature, it has very negative effects to the environment.”
“In agriculture production, what is most important is not the quantity of the food produced but its quality. The food we produce must be safe to consume.”
How have the issues been tackled so far in your country?
Staff at the Good Agriculture Practice farm waters vegetables during ASEAN experts’ field visit, part of the 6th Project Partner Meeting and related meetings in Lao PDR.
“So far, in Malaysia only the farmers have been taught about sustainable agriculture. And the rest, the majority of the people, do not know about it. When this happens, the farmers do not get any recognition or any appreciation from the major society for doing sustainable agriculture farming. That is why it is very difficult to make the farmers follow or adopt the sustainable agriculture practices. To them, it does not make any difference whether they follow it or not. They do not get any profit, or any kinds of incentive. For example, although they get a certificate for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), but if they will not get any higher price for their farm produces, the certificate will be no use for them. I think this issue must be tackled. All the people, not only the farmers, need to know what the sustainable agriculture is and complete the chain of the sustainable agrifood systems.”
If you could do anything, what would you like to do in supporting sustainable agrifood system?
“In my mind I would like to educate everybody. Let everybody knows what sustainable agrifood systems are. And, I wish that I could use whatever channel of media, TVs or newspapers, to make the information reach the target. If it is only just the farmers who are aware of these, we will not get success.”
“I wish some days in our ASEAN community people will change attitudes.”
Is there anything that you would like to say?
“I wish some days in our ASEAN community people will change attitudes. For example, in the developed countries people are caring for the environment, and concern about how they are doing agriculture. I am working with Pesticide Control Division, so I always compare. For example, between Malaysian farmers and farmers from the developed country the way they think, it is very different. Farmers in the developed countries are going for safe food. They concern about safety first, and they conserve the environment. If possible, they do not want to use the chemicals anymore. They go for the natural enemy, instead. But in the developing countries, especially in Malaysia, farmers are only just thinking to get the high volume of the produces and with the good looking ones. They also want the fast effect and they are not thinking about tomorrow, but just thinking for today. I wish one day, our farmers can change their attitude towards sustainable agriculture.”
If they do not change, what would happen in the next five or ten years?
“May be, during the time the soil will be deteriorating. The soil will not be fertile anymore. May be, farmers will use double or triple fertilizers compared to today, May be, during that time too many pests have been resistant to the pesticides. May be, during that time there is no more natural predator around and we only have to depend on the chemicals. It will be a very bad situation if these happen.”
Over 70 experts from ten ASEAN Member States recently met in Lao PDR to mark the ASEAN SAS project’s mid-term milestone and discuss emerging issues and challenges to food security, including environment and climate changes in order to develop strategies for project activities post 2015. ASEAN SAS, since the inception of the second phase in 2014, has implemented activities under three priority areas namely policy framework, production technologies and market linkages to encourage regional cooperation in promoting sustainable food production at the national level as well as enhancing synergies and boosting greater impact in respective countries. The 6th Project Partner Meeting and related Mmeetings run on 17-20 November 2015 co-hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Lao PDR.
Interviewed and photos by Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems
Transcribed by Sabrina Kessler, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems
Delegates from Malaysia at the ASEAN SAS’s 6th Project Partner Meeting and related meetings in Lao PDR, November 2015.
Philippines expert stresses the need for governments to formulate and implement a cohesive policy based on real situations
Mr. Gerald Cammagay, a Science Research Specialist with the Philippines’s Organic Agriculture Division
Mr. Gerald Cammagay, a Science Research Specialist with the Philippines’s Organic Agriculture Division recently attended the 6th Project Partner Meeting of the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) in Vientiane, Lao PDR where he gave this interview
What is the role and responsibility of your agency?
“We are the Bureau of Agricultural and Fishery Standards and responsible for the formulation of standards related to food safety and also regulation of organic agriculture. So, in supporting the sustainable agrifood systems, we would introduce the best practices in doing sustainable agriculture, especially and specifically on good agricultural practices and organic agriculture. It is sustainable in a sense that it will follow the international guidelines on farming.
“We face problems like the overuse of the agricultural lands. We plant every season without considering giving back what is taken from the soil. The excessive use of chemical fertilizsers and chemicals is the natural calamities.”
In the aspect of organic agriculture, we consider the three components, which are livelihood or the economic status, environmental friendly and also farmers’ health very important. We are buying by the principle that if a farmer is not healthy, he will not benefit from his livelihood. It will be used for medication. So, it is useless. And, the environment will be at stake. The neighbors will get sick. The river systems will be contaminated. So, we believe that in doing this [sustainable agriculture], it would sustain the three factors, especially for farmers that they can do their job well and the soil is being conserved. It would result into sustainability.”
Staff at the Clean Agriculture DevelopmentCenter II during ASEAN experts’ field visit, part of the 6th Project Partner Meeting and related meetings in Lao PDR.
What are the issues and challenges in promoting sustainable agrifood systems in your country?
“For sustainable agriculture in the Philippines, we face problems like the overuse of the agricultural lands. We plant every season without considering giving back what is taken from the soil. The excessive use of chemical fertilizers and chemicals and also the challenges we face is the natural calamities. The Philippines is the way of Typhoon, and Monsoon. I think those are the major problems we face. So, it is really going into the point that the farmers are not doing this sustainable farming. So, we try to educate them, train them, send them to workshops, and give seminars to them for them to be aware of the problems what may happen if they do not do the sustainable way.”
To you, why is sustainability important?
“Sustainability is very important because what you have today might be lost tomorrow because of the wrong practices, and wrong techniques.”
Mr. Gerald Cammagay presents the updates of sustainable agriculture activities in Philippines at the 6th-Project Partner Meeting.
In order to promote the sustainable agrifood systems, can you give some examples of the activities that your organisation do?”
“In relation to sustainable agriculture, we do information dissemination and we collaborate with our local counterparts who do the actual jobs. We do the policy formulation. But, on the ground works it is the local counterparts who implement it. We really have to make the best guidelines or practices for them to really apply it in the field.”
What do you think the information dissemination can do?
“This is to raise awareness of what we have developed at the national level. It will be passed on to the lower levels, and farmers will know if they follow this standards or guidelines, it will result to better things. They will not stay with their old practices, so it is like an innovation and we are informing them, educating them, and passing the information to the ground level.”
Organic vegetables at the Clean Agriculture DevelopmentCenter II in Lao PDR.
Has there been any progress?
“The progress right now is that the introduction of specifically this Good Agricultural Practice [GAP] is gaining popularity and many farmers are getting involved in it. This GAP certification is important in marketing and export possibility. It is developed at a national level. Also, it has been developed at a local level like GAP certification but at a local level for their products to be able to compete in the market either local or international. So, it gains so much interest and many are getting involved in it.”
How do you do that?
“We have a very strong campaign so we have conducted GAP caravans. We go around provinces and regions for the simultaneous seminars and information dissemination. We meet with the local farmers directly. That is the strategy we implement. For example, in a case of onions in the Philippines which are the commodity for export for Indonesia and some parts of the world, we make sure with the onion producers that Indonesia and the world market require the GAP certification, so with these the farmers have to have their farms being certified by GAP, so they would be able to export. I think it is quite successful.”
“Government has to do his job to really know what the real situation is. And upon knowing the real situation they will base those real experience, real situations in formulation of good policies and that would be very good for the farmers [and everyone].”
Agricultural experts from Philippines at the ASEAN SAS’s 6th Project Partner Meeting.
What else can be done in your opinion in promoting sustainable agriculture practices?
“I would suggest that it is really about going down to the farmers’ field and let them speak of what are really the hurdles, and what are the problems they face. And, that information will need to be used in the planning, and development of policies. So, it is based on the actual situation, not mainly based on theory, but it must be based on true facts.”
Is there anything you would like to say?
“The government has to do his job to really know what the real situation is. And, upon knowing the real situation they will base those real experience, and real situations in formulation of good policies and that would be very good for the farmers. It is like a bottom-up line. We call it the bottoms up because from the bottom we have farmers. It will be related on the national level.”
Over 70 experts from ten ASEAN Member States recently met in Lao PDR to mark the ASEAN SAS project’s mid-term milestone and discuss emerging issues and challenges to food security, including environment and climate changes in order to develop strategies for project activities post 2015. ASEAN SAS, since the inception of the second phase in 2014, has implemented activities under three priority areas namely policy framework, production technologies and market linkages to encourage regional cooperation in promoting sustainable food production at the national level as well as enhancing synergies and boosting greater impact in respective countries. The 6th Project Partner Meeting and related Mmeetings run on 17-20 November 2015 co-hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Lao PDR.
Delegates from Philippines at the ASEAN SAS’s 6th Project Partner Meeting on 17-20 November 2015 in Lao PDR.
Interviewed and photos by Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems
Transcribed by Sabrina Kessler, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems
Cambodia Rice Federation features ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems in supporting safety and sustainable food production
Rice is one of the major crops both for Cambodia and South-East Asia. Since the agriculture sector struggles to meet the demand, the use of chemical inputs is increasing. Farmers believe that chemical inputs can foster productivity, eliminate pests and boost profit. However, improper use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizer may contribute to various problems including farm losses, ecological risks and health hazards. In addition, detected chemical residues in food can threaten export opportunities. Between 2006 and 2010, the value of synthetic pesticides imported into Cambodia and used for rice cultivation increased by 285 times (FAO 2012).
To address this concern, the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN-SAS) project by GIZ aims to provide solutions for long-term food security in Cambodia as well as in the whole ASEAN region through the development of regionally coordinated policies and strategies for sustainable agriculture. This also includes promotion of cross-border value chains in cooperation with public decision-makers, agricultural enterprises as well as farmer and private associations. Agrifood systems are sustainable when they are profitable along the value chain. The project focuses on three components comprising policy framework, production technology and market linkage.
Trichoderma harzianum
In order to reduce the use of hazardous synthetic pesticides the project developed the ASEAN Guidelines on the Regulation, Use and Trade of Biological Control Agents (BCA) with regional experts. This Guideline was endorsed by ASEAN in 2014 which the projects supports to implement in Cambodia.
In 2015, two National fora on regulation, use and trade of Biocontrol Agents (BCA) were organized with cooperation between Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery(MAFF), GIZ and Cambodia Harvest implemented by Fintrac Inc with the aim to provide an opportunity to different stakeholders for sharing successful experiences in agricultural production by using BCA, which are living organism, nontoxic mechanism and specify target enemy. Biocontrol Agents were group into 4 product categories as state as below:
Natural products (plant extracts or ‘botanicals’, fermentation and other products)
They are most applicable in the context of appropriate Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies that emphasize preventative pest management: with regular observation of the crop and timely, targeted intervention only where required.
Trichoderma is one of BCA that can help farmers grow better crops and have higher income while protecting the soil environment. They are living freely in soil in agricultural and natural environments and permitted in organic farming according to international regulations. The best use of Trichoderma can be used as soil amendment, foliar spray and seed coating. It grows rapidly below 30 C temperature and 5-6.8 of pH soil.
Trichoderma species are effective against soil-borne fungal pathogens , especially causing root rot, damping off , and wilting
In 2014, ASEAN-SAS supported field demonstrations of Trichodema with rice which was evaluated by the General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA) under MAFF (see table). As a result, using Trichoderma in combination with compost or manure can significantly boost yields up to 6 tons per hectare, healthy roots and resist to rice blast disease and drought.
Further it can premature harvest comparing to the control plot. GIZ developed a Manual on Trichoderma and can facilitate trainings on the application and advice where the product is available.
In 2016, the project plans field experiments with Matarhizum, which is found as effective BCA against the brown plant hoper, especially in rice production. The third national forum on regulation, use and trade of biocontrol agents in Cambodian Agriculture is planned in the beginning of 2016 in Phnom Penh. (www.crf.org.kh)
The development of the Guidelines is facilitated by ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS).
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 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.
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).
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.
Although many countries in ASEAN improved greatly in poverty reduction, many are still struggling with child malnutrition. As lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goal framework specific to nutrition, it is realised that the focus on undernutrition was too narrow, and that synergies between nutrition and other sectors were underexploited
This multi-sectoral consultation meeting in food and nutrition security was the first of its kind in ASEAN. It underlined the importance of promotion of nutrition-enhancing agriculture by creating awareness and understanding among ASEAN sectoral bodies as well as sustaining cooperation through multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder engagement, including the improvement of public expenditure for food security and nutrition and additional investment and financing.
Trichoderma is one of BCA that can help farmers grow better crops and have higher income while protecting the soil environment. They are living freely in soil in agricultural and natural environments and permitted in organic farming according to international regulations. The best use of Trichoderma can be used as soil amendment, foliar spray and seed coating. It grows rapidly below 30 C temperature and 5-6.8 of pH soil.