Agribusiness model: ‘No green agriculture, no agro-eco tourism’

Over 15 years since it has started, Taman Simalem Resort in Karo Highlands, Indonesia well combines business, agriculture and tourism and becomes a model to many. Eddy Tanoto Sukardi, its Director shares a good mix of success recipes.

‘Simalem’ in Batak Karo language means cool and pleasing.

Bringing up eco-agro tourism

“Taman Simalem Resort (TSR) started an infrastructure project in year 2001-2002. The vision is to provide eco-agro tourism aspect and to visualize the North Sumatra’s tourism industry especially the Lake Toba. [TSR is located on the hills of north-western part of Toba Lake, which is one of the highest and deepest crater lakes in the world.] The project is sub-financed by the group of [private] investors.

“We started this project with 60 hectares of a bear land with no trees in the first year. In a year later, we acquired another 140 hectares which comprise with forests. The reason why we acquire land with forests is to try to stop the villagers from cutting trees for logging. We also rely on water supply from this forest and it supplies water to the whole project.”

Getting out of a comfort zone

“In 2003, we built orange farm followed by loquat farm. Around 2005, we started planting coffee and tea. At that time, we still did not do organic farming yet. We still did it in the conventional way, still using chemical. We started converting to organic in 2011. About five years ago, we started working with the farmers and that was when GIZ came in. Initially, the team first brought the trainers and persuaded us to convert into organic. They found us a consultant, technology and everything. They supplied us, motivated us and showed us success story from elsewhere. It is GIZ’s sustainable initiative project. [GIZ is an implementing agency on behalf of German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.]

Taman Simalem Resort is located on the hills (1,500 above the sea level) of north-western part of Lake Toba, one of the highest and deepest crater lakes in the world, in Indonesia. It is located 45 minutes away from the resort town of Brastagi and can also be reached in 2.5 hours by road from Medan, the provincial capital of North Sumatra. The 206 hectare resort is arguably Indonesia’s first tourist destination that integrates agro-and-eco tourism activities within the same compound.

“Simalem in Batak Karo language means cool and pleasing”

“Also, from 2005 to 2011 we saw that the use of chemical had increased, but the productivity had not risen. At the same time, we met a group of farmers nearby who grew tomatoes and potatoes who came to us for help in 2007. They told us about their problems that the use of chemical had increased 10 per cent but their productivity had in fact decreased by 15 per cent. Other than that, they also suffered a lot from insects that pierced into their tomato plantation [due to the pesticide resistant] from the chemical spray. After that, we met the GIZ officer, Mr. Sulaiman. [Sulaiman Ginting is Regional Project Coordinator of ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems based in Medan, Indonesia.]

“It took us four years from 2007 to 2011 to take courage to convert [from the conventional farming practice to organic]. We, initially, did not believe it. We were also very scared. We were worried about our young coffee plantation, our tea plantation and our orange farm. But, our motivation to move into organic is really on the production aspect and also the soil fertility.

“We actually investigated our soil and the result showed that the level of chemical residue had increased. CN ratio [Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratio] was not that good. The Carbon was increasing very fast so that in 2011 we decided to convert into organic with the encouragement from GIZ team who also wanted to help us to get certified [organic] after one year.

Growing trust

“GIZ help us work with the farmers. And, we have implemented the initiative until today. We still go with farmers—we still supply them with seeds, fertilizer, organic fertilizer, liquid fertilizer, organic pesticide until we buy their products at higher prices than the market rate. This is how we convince the farmers to join us. From five types of crops we have increased our yield up to 55 crops. And thanks to the technical support of GIZ, all our commodities are certified organic. The main organic products are avocado and coffee. The rest are vegetables and fruits. The compost that we use is made of cow dungs. The cows are checked by inspectors. [The process has to be] all organic to make sure that we do not feed chemical to the cows. The cows actually eat only grass.

“We have about 50 contract farming farmers. The most active ones are about 30. The rest depends on the season. These are very new to the farmers that we train them with all kind of vegetables [growing]. We harvest vegetables three times a week, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday about 800 kg to 1,000 kg of 35 varieties of vegetables, about 3,000-4,200 kg per week. Some certain crops are difficult to be organic. They depend on the seasons.

“[In the future] It is to have more vegetable crops like sweet potatoes, red beans, and something that will last longer in the supermarket, maybe, also increase plantation crops like coffee or asparagus since it grows well in the weather here. These are easier crops to be organic.

“The agro-facilities were built in 2005. The agro-center, the greenhouses were started to build in 2012. So, all of these projects, the hotel, the agriculture are sub-financed by the investors because we are looking forwards to the long term and we do not really want to get bankrupt. We are motivated by profit and we know that in agriculture it takes time to be profitable. It may take more than 10 years, more than 50 years to be profitable.”

Investing in the young: Part I

“We have an initiative to work with the students. We try to educate the local farmers’ kids. We sponsor them, about 60 students for every four months. So, one year we sponsor more than 120 students.

“Initially, about three years ago before the government started the initiative education programme that school fees were free, we subsidised their school fees. But, since now the government pays for the school fees that it is free for the education, we change to supporting pocket money for them. And, every week we have to observe them. I spend one hour myself talking with them. The fruits of this after we are doing it for three and a half years since 2012. We start to reap some benefits. One day, they will go back and learn to use more compost. Some try to do organic farming in their own farm.

“It is difficult to change the people’s mindset. The only way to change their mindset is from the young. When I came back from Singapore in 2005, we tried to approach the farmers. We tried to talk to the farmers that they supposed to plant this way, but they still refused to change. They said that they had been planting this since my grandfather, my grandmother time and they were enjoying it. Even we told them that they could increase their productivity two times, they still refused.

Investing in the young: Part II

“We have to start with the young generation. There are school kids that have graduated from the school and come to work with us before they further their studies. We always encourage them to further their study and become a leader. To have enough funds to further their studies they can work with us for one year and after that they continue their studies. What we want from these school children is that they can educate the others like we educate them and become leader of farmers’ groups.

“[At TSR] On the supervisor’s level, they are all university graduates. On the lower level, we use a lot of school students. After they graduate, they want to have work experience for one year and we encourage them to go to school instead of being labors. Since they are graduated, they should go to the university. This is how we ensure the quality of workforce as well. So, we make sure that after graduation, they will come and work with us for one year before they continue their study.

Organic: Losing or winning?

“In 2013, we received a local Indonesian organic standard. Organic leafy vegetables although do not last very long, they do not have a bitter-after-taste compared to the one with chemical spray. Because those use a lot of Urea and that causes a bitter taste especially the spinach. Second is the carrot. Our organic carrots are sweeter compared to those with chemical spray. The guests are aware on that.

“The demand for organic products has increased. In terms of the supply chain, we also supply our organic products to the supermarket every three months as well. I have my people over there standing inside the stores to tell the consumers the benefits of organic and give them flyers [every three months].

“That is also the cause of the increasing demand. We can see that the supermarkets are ordering more from us. There comes a lot of motivation although we are still at loss. We still cannot educate people from the supermarkets yet. They still want to see something very nice. But at least, we manage to educate the consumers that if you see holes in the vegetable, it means they are very pure organic. The insects are not running away from the vegetables [because of the chemical]. We overspend about 5 years since we go organic. But, our loss is cut about 25,000 USD to 15,000 USD. So, that motivates us to continue with this programme.

“The loss is subsidized by the rooms and the meals. So, the tourists subsidize the agriculture. But, if there is no agriculture, there is no tourism. They are related. If you only start a hotel with no agriculture, people will be bored. They are not going to see the scenery for three hours. So, we have to start these agro-activities. At least, take a look around the greenhouse and then appreciate the food better. You know that the vegetables are from the farm. We just want to show this feeling to the guests.

“We show most of our guests that visit us the organic farming and provide them activities that relate to organic farming. One is the coffee processing, tea processing and agro-tour. There is also agro-trekking as well. From 6 am they can trek around our agro-farm and then we also tell them our farm-to-kitchen concept. They can harvest the vegetable in organic farm. They can eat the vegetable they harvest themselves to be served on their plate.

“In term of benefits, because we are certified organic, our food gets more appreciation than before that we sprayed chemical. In term of indirect result, we get impressive feedback and that motivates others to come and see and enjoy the food as well as Lake Toba.

“One thing is that there should be a concern or awareness in this kind of eco-tourism industry. We should not serve bad breakfast or other bad meals to the guests. There should be a revolution that tourism must have education activities. The guests spend more time doing activities. So, we provide eco-activities for them like the jungle trekking, mountain bike and dinner at bonfire. We also have a handicraft center, a shopping mall with local culture.

Strong and healthy from the within

“We sell our organic vegetables to five big supermarkets in Medan. Almost every supermarket in Medan orders from us. Currently, even lower income supermarkets start thinking of us. So, the awareness of organic products is being raised. We export our organic products to another two provinces, Batang and Riau. We tried to export to Singapore but the transport cost is too huge.

“One of our visions is that we plant something healthy and we should promote it to the people nearby first. That means we should encourage people in Medan, our own place, to eat organic vegetable before we spread them to Singapore, Malaysia, or any other countries. We have to make our own people healthier first.

“We are the biggest certified organic veggie producer in Medan, in North Sumatra. There are a lot of vegetable producers that claim that they are organic but they are not certified. We are the only one organic producer in the Sumatra. We claim we are, because actually in other provinces, they are looking for the organic producers and they only call us. But, because of the low production, we cannot supply them. We send them about 100 kg per time, which is not much.

“One of the things we are doing is trying to develop our own website so that people in Medan or in nearby regions can send order to us through the website. So, this is one of the initiatives that we want to start maybe this year or early next year.

“We have a plan [in an oversea market]. We are looking for the serious customers. I mean a joint partnership. They are also willing to invest and want us to supply seeds. They are willing to make contract with us. That is a kind of partner that we want because we are worried that if we make contract with the farmers, after that, they just cut off the supply. It will not be able to be accountable to the farmers.”

Taman Simalem Resort, the Islamic University of North Sumatra, and the German supported ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) worked jointly together in a project ‘Empowerment of Farmer’s Communities for Sustainable Eco-friendly Practices on Growing Horticultural Crops in the North Sumatra’ from 2013-2015. The objective was to promote sustainable production of horticultural in the Karo Highlands.

The interview was conducted during the ‘In-house Workshop on Market Linkages’ organised by Better Rice Initiative Asia (BRIA) Regional Secretariat at Taman Simalem Resort in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The Workshop was attended by 30 participants from BRIA, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) and private sector during 30 August to 2 September 2016. The objective was to exchange experiences and discuss lessons learnt to better develop the market linkage strategies. BRIA is a sister project of ASEAN SAS.

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By Giri Arnawa, Napaporn Rattanametta, Thitirat Uraisin and Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems and Kamol Taukitphaisarn, Better Rice Initiative Asia

31/10/201610/07/2017

Integrated pest management in rice demonstrates promising results in Vietnam

Demo plots using integrated pest management (IPM) practice in Dong Yen Commune in Kien Giang Province, Vietnam showed rice crops grew better while farmers saved more from a reduction of chemical use.

Farmers in Dong Yen Commune grew rice in a demo field using integrated pest management in a comparision with a farmer’s convention practice.

The summer growing season in Vietnam recently brought about 1000 farmers in three provinces of Hau Giang, Dong Thap and Kien Giang to a six-month GIZ/ Croplife International’s IPM training for safe and sustainable agriculture environment.

Set up by GIZ and co-funded by Croplife International, the programme expects additional 4000 farmers to be trained indirectly through “farmer to farmer” knowledge exchange with an involvement of specialists of the Plant Protection Department (PPD) at provincial and district levels, extension services and farmer organizations. The programme runs from July 2015 to December 2017.

Thirty-four groups of farmers in the three provinces of the Mekong Delta met on a weekly basis during March to September 2016 to exchange experiences on IPM and plant protection related issues through a specific training module guided by PPD technical staff as the Master Trainers. For demonstration purposes, each farmer group established two experimental fields: one with IPM measures and another with farmer’s conventional plant protections.

At the end of the planting season, the lesson learnt was collected and summarized and the results of both IPM demonstration and farmers’ practice fields were analyzed.

Sample results in Dong Yen commune in Kien Giang Province are presented as below.

Organizing farmer group

Farmers: Thirty active farmers (28 males and 2 females) who were interested in new agricultural production technologies were selected to participate as a directly trained farmer group. The group consisted of a leader and a deputy and was divided into four smaller sub-groups for discussion on farmer field school activities.
Master trainers: Two master trainers who earlier participated in Training of Trainers on IPM at the Southern Regional Plant Protection Center (SRPPC) took care of the group.

Activities

Every week two master trainers organized IPM training classes including field survey, rice eco-system analysis, evaluating the development of rice crop as well as emerging pests to prepare suitable control decisions. The training classes were organized through the 12-week of the rice growing season.

Sowing preparation:

Land preparation: Clean the field, leveling, GAS (Golden Apple Snail) control.
Sowing preparation: Seeds were soaked for 24 hours and put in heap for 36 hours before sowing.
Two DAS (Day After Sowing) spraying pre-germinate herbicide

Monitoring Indicators

Rice crop was monitored during 21, 35, 49 and 63 DAS. In each field, four plots were selected 50x50cm) and data was taken from these four plots.

Plant height: Count from soil surface to top of the rice plant (tip of the leaf or panicle). Five plants per plot were randomly selected for data.
Number of tillers: Count number of tillers with at least three leafs.
Root length: Three plants were selected in each plot. Roots were cleaned and measured (unit: cm)
The population of main pests and their natural enemies were counted in both IPM demonstration and farmer practice fields.
Disease level was evaluated both in demonstration and farmer practice field.

Results

Seed

Both IPM demonstration and farmer practice fields used OM6976 rice variety.

IP demo: 120 kg/ha
Farmer practice: 170 kg/ha

IPM demonstration is saving 50kg of certified seed per ha compared to farmer practice. (In comparison with usual farmers’ practice, the seed rate was reduced at the demonstration plot. Achieving the same yield of 7.5 t/ha, this cultivation practice reduced the production costs significantly and contributes to a higher farmers’ income.

Fertilizer

Table 1. Applied fertilizer for IPM demo and FP field (kg/ha)

DAS	IPM Demo			Farmer Practice
DAS	Urea	DAP	Kali	Urea	DAP	Kali
15	40	70	–	50	70	–
25	50	50	–	70	60	–
42	70	–	40	70	–	50
Total	160	120	40	190	130	50
Nutrients:	95,2 N – 55,2P₂O₅–24 K₂O			110.4 N – 59,8 P₂O₅– 30 K₂O

According to Table 1, nutrients in IPM demo were more balanced and suitable for the demand of the crops in each growing stage. The seed rate in IPM demo was lower than farmer practice (FP), and the applied fertilizer was also lower. IPM demo saved 15.2 kg N, 4.6 kg P₂O₅, and 6 kg K₂O per ha compared to farmer practice.

Pesticide application

Observation from pesticide application (see Table 2):

IPM demo: Low seed rate and balanced fertilization according to crop stages facilitated a healthy crop from the beginning of the season. Moreover, insecticide was not applied during the first 40 days, and as a result, natural enemies were conserved. Consequently, the application of insecticide was not necessary during the whole rice growing season. For disease control, four applications were used, including two applications for sheath rot at 56 and 63 DAS (appearance of disease), and two preventive applications for neck blast and grain discoloration at flowering stage.

Time (DAS)	Pest/disease	IPM demo applications		FP applications
Time (DAS)	Pest/disease	Name	Dosage	Name	Dosage
3	Weed	Sirus 10WG	0,2	Sirus 10WG	0,2
7	Weed	Co 2,4D 500DD	0,2	Co 2,4D 500DD	0,2
42	BPH	–		Chess 50WG	0,3
47	Sheath rot	Validacin 5L Anvil 5sc	0,7 L 1 L	Validacin 5L Anvil 5sc	0,7 L 1 L
59	Sheath rot	Validacin 5L Anvil 5sc	0,7 L 1 L	Validacin 5L Anvil 5sc	0,7 L 1 L
63	Leaf folder Blast grain discoloration BLB	Tilt Super 300 EC Visen 20SC	0,3	Indosuper 150SC Chubeca 1.8 SL	0,3 0,3
73	BPH	—		Chess 50WG	0,3
77	Rice Blast Grain discoloration	Tilt Super 300 EC	0,3	Tilt Super 300 EC	0,3

Table 2: Pesticide application, name, dosage, and time

Farmer practice: High seed rate and excessive nitrogen application made pest and disease developing faster. Moreover, the farmer relied on chemicals for insect control especially in the early crop stage. As a result, the population of natural enemies decreased, and insect pest population developed faster. Finally, in the farmer practice field insecticides were applied three times and fungicides were applied four times for combating pests and diseases.

Result: IPM demonstration reduced three applications of insecticides compared to farmer practice.

Farmers in Dong Yen Commune learn about integrated pest managment for safe and sustainable agriculture environment.

Agronomic Indicators

Number of Tillers (tillers/m²)

In FP field, a higher seed rate was applied so they get a higher number of tillers. Tiller density reached the highest number at 35 DAS. Weaker tillers which could not compete for nutrients and light with others became ineffective and had low yields. At the end, the number of panicles in IPM demo and FP was nearly similar. It was found that the low seed rate did not affect the rice yield but contributed to saving farm inputs and expenses.

Root length (cm)

IPM demo applied better land preparation and water management at the early crop stage; as a result, the root system developed better, so root length is higher than FP, which protects the plant from lodging.

Pest and Diseases Indicators

* Brown Plant Hoppers (BPH)

Insect Pest and Natural Enemies’ Population in IPM Demo

Insect Pest and Natural Enemies’ Population in FP

IPM demo: Low seed rate, no insecticide application, balanced fertilization, protection of natural enemies; as a result, BPH population could not develop.

FP field: High seed rate and high nitrogen application facilitated BPH population development. At 42 DAS, a new generation of BPH hatched. As a result, farmers needed to spray against BPH. At 63 DAS, leaf folder appeared so the farmer needed to apply insecticide for controlling the leaf folder. At 70 DAS a second generation of BPH hatched and the farmer had to spray once more against BPH. In total, three insecticide applications were used in the FP field.

Conclusion: Growing a healthy crop and conserve natural enemies would prevent a BPH outbreak in the late crop stage. As a result, reducing chemical applications contribute to lower farm input expenses, avoid pesticide residues and protect the environment.

* Natural Enemies

Table 3: Natural enemies’ (NE) population in IPM demo and FP field; Units/m2

Day after sowing	Spider		Water bug		Mirid bug
Day after sowing	IPM	FP	IPM	FP	IPM	FP
28 DAS	1	3	—	—	2	5
35 DAS	10	7	5	8	9	9
42 DAS	16	16	10	12	12	15
49 DAS	20	11	17	9	20	4
56 DAS	24	10	35	10	23	9
63 DAS	23	12	25	8	21	4
70 DAS	17	8	20	4	19	4
77 DAS	18	3	—	—	15	5
84 DAS	12	5	—	—	10	7

Observation: In the early crop stage up to 42 DAS NE population in IPM demo and FP field was similar. However, at 42 DAS farmer applied insecticide to control BPH and, consequently, the NE population reduced significantly. In IPM demo insecticide was not applied; as a result, the NE population was higher.

Diseases

During the rice eco system analysis sheath rot disease was found in both IPM demo and FP demo so two chemical applications were used.

Thirty farmers in Dong Yen met on a weekly basis to exchang experiences on plan protection and intergrated pest managment practices.

Yield calculation

Table 4: Projected Yield of IPM demo and FP

Field

Panicle/m²

Fertile spikelet/ panicle

Grain weight

1000 (g)

Yield (kg/ha)

IPM Demo

555

7.50

613

7.50

According to Table 4, IPM demo had a lower number of panicles compared to FP field. The reason is IPM demo used a lower seed rate, which leads to a lower number of tillers and panicles. However, in IPM demo there was a higher number of fertile spikelet per panicle than in the farmer practice field. Under good farming practice, a balanced fertilization and pest and disease control, and a higher number of fertile spikelet was recorded. As a result, IPM demo and FP field expect the same yield.

Gross margin calculation (see Table 5)

– IPM demo expected the same yield as FP. The revenue from both fields would be 36,750,000 VND/ha. Gross margin of IPM demo would be 25,780,000 VND/ha (1028 EUR), and FP field would be 23,709,000 VND/ha (945 EUR).

– Farm expense of IPM demo was 10,970,000 VND/ha, and of FP field is 13,041,000 VND/ha, so IPM demo saved 2,071,000 VND/ha compared to FP (83 EUR).

– Conclusion: At the IPM demo, the gross margin is 2,071,000 VND/ha higher than at the FP.

Table 5: Farm Expenses and Gross Margin Calculation

No	Description	IPM demo		FP				Diff.
		Amount	Cost	Amount		Cost
1	Rice seed	120 Kg	1.560.000	170Kg		2.210.000		+650.000
2	Land preparation	1 ha	1.000.000	1 ha		1.000.000		–
3	Fertilizer	320 Kg	2.750.000	370 Kg		3.158.000		+408.000
4	Pesticide	1 ha	1.560.000	1 ha		2.363.000		+803.000
5	Other cost	1 ha	2.000.000	1 ha		2.210.000		+210.000
6	Harvesting	1 ha	2.000.000	1 ha		2.000.000		–
7	*Farm expense*		*10.970.000*			*13.041.000*		*+2.071.000*
8	Yield (kg/ha)		7.5			7.5
	Paddy price	4.900 VND/kg
9	*Revenue (VND)*		*36.750.000*		*36.750.000*
10	Grossmargin (VND)		25.780.000		23.709.000		*+2.071.000*

Conclusions

Directly trained farmers improved their knowledge in farm management, especially safe and sustainable agriculture, reduced chemical applications, and conserved NE. As the result, environment pollution was reduced, farmers’ health was less affected, and product quality was enhanced.
Leaf cutting of 25 per cent and 50 per cent of leafs in 21, 42 and 63 DAS showed that leaf folder may not damage the rice yield. Farmers were convinced on avoiding defoliator pesticide applications.
IPM application in the early crop stage will reduce the number of spraying.

A wide range of pests affects rice cultivation in South East Asia including Vietnam. In the recent years outbreaks of pests as brown and white-backed plant-hoppers caused by poor agronomic practices such as asynchronous planting, poor choice of variety and, particularly, misuse of pesticides have been reported.

Vietnam continues to face a challenge of an overuse and misuse of pesticides with a need to optimize pesticide treatments and eliminate unnecessary pesticide applications. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is widely considered as most appropriate to prevent crop losses through insects, diseases, weeds, rodents and others. Relevant stakeholders in crop protection including farmers and various associates in the pesticide supply chain have a common interest in maintaining the sustainability of effective pest management including the responsible and safe use of pesticides.

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By ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems Vietnam team

21/10/201604/08/2017

In different shades of green agriculture

Public and private sectors in Cambodia give green agriculture a pat

A recent Cambodian-German forum received 146 attendees from both public and private sectors in Phnom Penh, which made it one of the biggest green events in Cambodia to promote the use of environmental friendly inputs for crop protection.

The participants comprised regulators, extension workers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and farmers from Cambodia and overseas. The 3^rd National Forum on Regulation, Use and Trade of Biocontrol Agents (BCAs) in Cambodian Agriculture was held on 22-23 September 2016 to provide a platform to the relevant stakeholders to exchange and discuss the benefits in using the BCAs, and showcase the green agricultural success.

Highlights included a visit to three demonstration fields in Kien Svay district, Kandal Province about 90 minutes from Phnom Penh. Responsible by three private companies, each field grew different crops. Eco Agri Centre provided green inputs and technical supports to farmers at the cucumber demonstration plot, while Angkor Green took care of the sowing tomato trials, and Fertikal gave advices and supplies to farmers at the yard long bean demonstration trials.

Mr. Doeun Thuk, a farmer at the cucumber demonstration plot said the cucumbers grew better using Trichoderma when compared to his traditional practice.

“I would apply the Trichoderma again for the next crop season, said Mr. Thuk.

Mr. Tak Tok, a farmer at the tomato trial observed that with the use of biocontrol inputs mixed with compost the germination of sowing tomatoes seeds grew quick and looked healthy. Besides, the roots did not rot.

Mr. Chea Vanda, a farmer who took care of the yard long bean demonstration plot, said he was happy to see his crop growing well

“To get the same result, I will need to spray the Nitrogen chemical twice,” Mr. Vanda said.

The three demos started at different periods and each crop varied in terms of the productive stages. For the cucumber plot, it was planted on 15 August 2016 and took 38 days for the total productive stage. The farmers got 66 kg of cucumber for a two-time harvest. Yard long bean trial was transplanted on 2 September 2016 and took 21 day for the growing stage. The tomato plot was sown on 17 September 2016 and took seven day in the seedling stage.

The participants were divided into three groups consisting of 30 to 35 people and rotated to visit all the three plots.

The two-day forum consisted of presentations and discussions between the public and private sectors including a working group session for a Learning Alliance on Policies Supportive of Rice Integrated Pest Management which is a discussion among groups of farmers, companies, NGOs, and government agencies.

H.E Hean Vanhan, Deputy Secretary of State said at the forum that the main functions of BCAs consist of plant protection, soil fertility improvement, and pathogen. He furthered that BCAs regulations and products in Cambodia were quite limited because the country did not produce BCAs or chemical pesticides, but mostly imported them from foreign countries. The BCAs products could be registered only when they had gone through a laboratory and field experimentation.

At the forum Dr. Kean Sophea, a Deputy Director of Department of Horticulture and Subsidiary Crop talked about ‘Trichoderma’ which was fungal organism that controlled a variety of fungal and bacterial diseases which could help farmers produce better crops and have higher income while protecting the soil environment. The Trichoderma left no residues, dissolved excessive soil salts, and naturally provided a long-term immunity to crop and soil.

In addition, Mr. Bun Saborn from Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), a non-profit international development organization presented the result of BCA trials on the insect control by using Pheromones and Bacillus Thuringiensis. The fields were implemented in Stung Treng and Preah Vihear provinces in Cambodia and the target crops were yard long bean and green mustard. There were five different types tested in each field: BT (Xentari), BT (strain 911), Neem liquid (oil), Farmer practice, and Check (apply nothing). BT (Xentari), BT (strain 911), Neem liquid (oil) are BCAs. It was found that the fields using BT (Xentari) and BT (strain 911) had higher yields than the others (Table 1).

Table 1: Result of experimentation

Rep	Average Yield in two provinces
Rep	Yard Long Bean (T/ha)	Mustard (T/ha)
Check	16.88	18.61
BT -Xentari	17.21	25.75
BT-Strain 911	17.72	26.44
Farmer’s practice	16.20	22.38
Neem oil	15.99	23.39

Moreover, Mr. Saborn did a comparison between Pheromone Lures for Spodoptera litura, and plutella xylostella and Check. As seen in the Table 2, an average yield of the yard long bean trials using the BCAs was higher.

Table 2: Result of experimentation

Rep	Average Yield in two provinces
Rep	Yard Long Bean (T/ha)	Mustard (T/ha)
Check	9.52	15.53
Pheromone lures for Spodoptera litura	11.33	16.32
Pheromone lures for plutella xylostella	11.20	17.03

Mr. Trinh ViSieu from ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood System project in Vietnam presented an application of Metarhizium against brown plant hopper. Metarhizium is an entomopathogenic fungus that was used as control agents against insect pests. They were naturally occurred in the field, and could be found on infected insects.

In his study Mr. ViSieu compared among Metarhizium, Chemical Control and Farmer’s Practice, and the result showed that ‘Metarhizium’ was an effective control agent against brown plant hopper and rice bugs, and significantly had less damage to natural enemies such as mirid bug and spiders. Also, Metarhizium had prolonged effect against brown plant hopper and was not likely to cause brown plant hopper resurgence. It could be used as preventive and curative measures.

There were five private companies displaying their products, mainly organic fertilizer, bio pesticide, drip irrigation, seeds, and training books related to agriculture at the forum.

Ms Lim Lili, a farm manager at Pepper Hill Farm in Cambodia said she found the forum very interesting.

“I gained a lot of knowledge on the theory concept of BCAs and practical sides of how to germinate tomato seeds, grow yard long bean and cucumber, and apply Trichoderma and bio fertilizer and pesticide during the field visit. Also, the effectiveness of BCA is impressive. It is really good not to use chemical,” she said.

Ms Lili plans to share what she learnt from the forum to her colleagues and other partners.

The event was launched in cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) through the “Development of Ecologically based Participatory Integrated Pest Management Package for Rice in Cambodia or” (EPIC) project and the German International Cooperation (GIZ) via ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) Project.

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By Saody So and Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

13/10/201604/08/2017

Cambodia’s Minister supports environmental friendly plant protection in promoting sustainable agriculture

H.E Veng Sakhon, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) recently received a visit of agricultural representatives from five International development cooperation projects and organisations to discuss constraints in promoting the sustainable agriculture systems in Cambodia.

The six representatives came from the German International Cooperation (GIZ), ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems in cooperation with SNV Netherlands Development Organization CHAIN project, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) through the Ecologically-based Participatory Integrated Pest Management for rice in Cambodia (EPIC) Project, Virigina Tech and World Vegetable Center.

The aim of the meeting was to discuss gaps and receive the Minister’s advice on how to promote the regulation, use and trade of biocontrol agents in Cambodian agriculture. The group met on 4 October 2016 at the Minister Hall of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Phnom Penh.

Referring to the meeting, there is a lack of specified registration and management regulations for environmental friendly crop protection which is seen as a barrier to trade and farmer to access to the biocontrol agent products.

The ASEAN Guidelines on Regulation, Use and Trade of Biological Control Agents (BCAs) which was supported by the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) project although have been approved by the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) and translated into Khmer language, it needs to be finalized and adapted to fit the Cambodian context and regulation.

The application for registration of biocontrol agents is now drafted with supports of GIZ and in a process of seeking approval from the MAFF.

Agriculture is an important economic sector in Cambodia and plays a key role in the fight against poverty and hunger. However, its productivity is impeded due to the misuse of chemical inputs which cause poor soil conditions and lead to high incidences of pesticide resistances. Cambodia’s products are still competitive on the world market because they are acknowledged for having low chemical residues. But, the regulatory management of synthetic pesticide and fertilizer application need to be strengthened in order to keep this reputation.

Biocontrol agents are known as effective organism and are used for over hundred years throughout the globe to improve agricultural productivity, especially nowadays in Integrated Pest management (IPM) approaches to minimize the use of chemical inputs. There are a lot of research shown that biocontrol agents do not have a risk to human health and environment.

In Cambodia, there is an increased interest from the farmers to work with biological plant protection methods. And already a number of Cambodian companies offer biocontrol agents for plant protection and fertilization. However, the companies have experienced obstacles in the registration of such products, slowing effective distribution. The registration will also help farmers and users because currently some companies claim their products as natural even though they are actually chemical.

The followings were agreed among the international development cooperation projects and organisations for their urgent implementation in promoting the sustainable agriculture systems in Cambodia

Enhancement and improvements of knowledge and capability of official at department of agricultural legislation and general directorate of agriculture by providing training, exchange studies and field demonstration with biocontrol agents on different crops.
Working closely with private sectors in term of quality control and dissemination.
Establish working group to draft and finalize Cambodian regulation on use and trade of Biocontrol Agents (BCAs).
Evident-based to apply and see effectiveness of BCAs for controlling root rot disease in black pepper farm, Kirivong district, Takeo province by involving General Directorate of Agriculture and other experts

By Mr. Samorn Channa, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

06/10/201604/08/2017

Food safety project manager says the government body would complete her missing jigsaw.

Food-safety-project-manager-of-the-ASEAN-SAS-shares-her-experiences-on-her-fruit-juice-pr

‘I have missed but I have gained…’ Food safety project manager reflects on her past to better the future.

A question raised at a market linkage workshop I recently attended in Indonesia made me look back and ask myself: What could I have done better in my finished project ‘Improved product safety and quality for the Thai fruit juice industry’?

Ended in April 2015, this project gave consultancy to six Thai national fruit processing factories to improve their product’s hygiene, safety and quality assurance, as well as authenticity in complying with the European self-control standard of Sure and Global Fair or SGF based in Germany. The pilot factories were mostly pineapple juice manufacturers. Thailand is the world largest exporter of pineapple juice concentrate.

Fruit growers who supplied raw materials to the pilot factories were trained on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Market surveys on Thai fruit juice safety and authenticity were conducted. Workshops to update the trends including issues and challenged of the fruit juice industry were organised and attended by roughly 100 participants from laboratories, associations and private companies.

“Market Linkages” as described by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is “a physical connection between the producer and the ultimate consumer.”

Mr. Somneug Wantem, Factory Manager of Pranburi Hotei in Kuiburi

But, none involved government agencies.

During the post monitoring and evaluation assessment in August 2016, two pilot factories in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province were visited and found that they increased their quality and assurance measures in meeting the international required standards and as a consequence wider their market accesses.

“Having internationally accepted standard guarantees trust with buyers,” said Mr. Somneug Wantem, Factory Manager of Pranburi Hotei in Kuiburi, “It eases trade barriers, increases market opportunities, and reduces economic loss from rejected products.”

Six pineapple growers from three families were met, and they said they received knowledge updates from the pilot factories through a regular visit. Some of them received funds from the factory for a two-year certificate study in a local agriculture college.

Mr. Amornthep Phummun (right) and his wife, Ms. Lookjieb Yimnoi, Pineapple Farmers in Kuiburi, Thailand

Mr. Amornthep Phummun, Pineapple Farmer in Kuiburi, Thailand said: “The manufacture asked if we were interested in learning about the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and, we did. So, my wife went back to school through the financial support of the factory. Since then, my wife and I have had good experiments in applying what she learnt from her classes with the knowledge we gained from our parents, and grandparents.

“Within the same plot of land we produce more pineapples but in less cost. We get better quality fruits and reduce the unnecessary chemical inputs. The soil quality becomes better, and we do not have to worry too much about the chemical exposure,” said the father of three.

Upon the meetings with the factory managers and farmers, everything seemed to fall into place, except the worried-free future. Due to drought and irregular pattern of climate, constantly high demand of concentrate fruit juice from the oversea markets, and lack of regulation and management plan overseen by the government authority, the sustainability of pineapple industry is still too far to reach.

Ms. Prathumporn Kitthakerng, Vice President of Takerng Pineapple Industrial, one of the pilot factories in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, said: “Thailand should have agricultural crop zoning system for pineapple farming, including farmer registration, contract farming, and allocation of farming and food processing quota in order to foresee supply, quality and price of pineapple fruit.

“This will make everyone in the supply chain enjoying their lives better. Farmers and manufactures then do not have to worry about the fluctuation or shortage of pineapples, neither nor the high nitrate or low nitrate residues in pineapples, or the incredibly rocket prices or bottom flat prices of the fruits,” she said.

What did I miss?

To answer the question, “What could I have done better in my finished project ‘Improved product safety and quality for the Thai fruit juice industry’?”, I wish I had involved the government authorities in the project to work more closely together in finding solutions on the issues and challenges the farmers and manufactures had.

I wish I contacted them since an initial stage to plan the project and develop activities together to better the situation in increasing the livelihoods of the farmers and manufactures.

Thanks to the In-house Workshop on Market Linkages to make me ponder about the missing links and key responsible actors who could support and make the fruit juice project delivered with better outcome and impact.

I have missed, but I do not regret. I have gained more careful visions to think a 360 degree to look for options and solutions to complete the gaps in the supply chain.

About 30 participants from Better Rice Initiative Asia (BRIA), ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) and private sector attended the ‘In-house Workshop on Market Linkages’ from 30 August to 2 September 2016 to exchange experiences and discuss lessons learnt to better develop the market linkage strategies. The event was organised by BRIA Regional Secretariat, in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood System project implemented the market linkage concept through the Public and Private Partnership project entitled “Improved Product safety and quality for the Thai Fruit Juice Industry”, a partnership between SGF and GIZ.

Ms. Napaporn is the project manager on food safety of ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems.

By Napaporn Rattanametta and Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

02/09/201607/08/2017

Myanmar experts push ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management

About 40 national experts in Myanmar recently gathered in the 2nd Meeting of National Soil and Nutrient Management (SNM) Expert Group for ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management in Yangon, Myanmar on 25 August 2016. The Meeting aimed to discuss soil and nutrient issues in the country as part of the development of the ASEAN Guidelines on SNM. The issues discussed included soil data, land use constraint, and good soil and nutrient management in Myanmar and ASEAN.

Chair person, Mr. Soe Win, Director of Land Use Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

Mr. Soe Win, Director of Land Use Division, on behalf of Director General, Department of Agriculture delivered the opening remarks. He stated that Soil and Nutrient Management (SNM) practices played a vital role to ensure the long-term food security and malnutrition in Myanmar as well as other ASEAN Member State. For this reason, he said that the most important step was to craft the ASEAN SNM Guidelines, which included appropriate SNM technologies for ASEAN region by integrating the ideas of regional and national soil experts.

Mr. Soe Win also welcomed and suggested all participants to put comments and discuss their options freely on the draft ASEAN SNM Guidelines.

The meeting was comprised of SNM experts from Land Use Division, Department of Agricultural Research and Yezin Agricultural University from Yangon and also other States and Divisions as well as the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, private sector, and coordinator from the ASEAN Sustainable Agrofood Systems project.

It was hosted by the Land Use Division, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation.

For more details, please read the Summary Report of the 2nd Meeting of National Soil and Nutrient Management Expert Group for ASEAN Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management

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By Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

30/08/201610/07/2017

Standard is needed to lift Thailand’s agrifood trade, says exporter

The outbreak of fatal mad cow disease found in red meat and other dairy products in 1999 in Belgium had fired up the food safety issue among the consumers not only in Europe, but around the world. This effected directly to Thai exporters and manufacturers, who export products especially perishable agricultural goods to the continent.

Mr. Chusak Chuenprayoth, founder of Thailand’s Kamphaengsaen Commercial Co., Ltd. or known as KC Fresh, who exported fruits and vegetables to Europe since 1993 had also been affected tremendously by the so-called issue.

Since the outbreak, the European Union required the international exporters to follow the standard classified in the EU white paper’s ‘Good Agricultural Practice’ (GAP) and this gave Mr. Chusak and his partner quite an astonished time.

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) uses GAP as a collection of principles to apply for on-farm production and post-production processes, resulting in safe and healthy food and non-food agricultural products, while taking into account economical, social and environmental sustainability.

“When we started, we just bought the vegetables from the market, packed and sold [export]. GAP was quite new to Thailand and not many Thai people had the knowledge about it at that time,” Mr. Chusak said.

His first attempt was to educate himself about this sustainable production. He contacted Kasetsart University, which was well known in agricultural education in Bangkok, in order to translate the EU’s GAP from English to Thai for his better understanding.

At a step by step, he redesigned and reconstructed his export business system taking into consideration the concept of sustainability in the three dimension areas mentioned. Instead of buying fresh vegetables and fruits from the local markets, he established his own ‘family farming system’ under his close monitoring on a use of chemical pesticide and fertilizer. Mr. Chusak made farming contracts with local farmers in Kanchanaburi, Nakornprathom, and Suphanburi.

“Farming contract is a deal on the paper, but what is more important is building trust. I see my farmers as partners. We communicate a lot to make sure that farmers are happy with us and the offers,” he said.

In the ‘family farming system’ farmers share lands and work together in a group as a one big family. In Dontoom Farm, Nakornprathom, for example, 30 contracted small-holder farmers from 13 families grow vegetables together in the shared cultivation area of 125 rai (20 hectare). They grow Chinese morning glory, green asparagus and sweet basils which bring them a net annual income of Baht 211,500 (Euro 5,430) per person. For the Chinese morning glory alone, the farmers at the Dontoom Farm harvest 1 ton (1,000 kilograms) per day continuously for 365 days for export and domestic markets.

On average, KC Fresh delivers 75 tons per month to the oversea markets and 20 tons per month within local markets from the three farms.

“In the beginning I had a lot of headaches,” Mr. Chusak said. “We had to design and calculate how we could harvest the required numbers of the fresh produces daily for every 365 days in GAP qualities.”

In the early days Mr. Chusak had experts from Kasetsart University and also other local agriculture universities visiting the farms on a regular basis to train and educate farmers about the GAP and how to keep up the farming system with the global standard.

It took Mr. Chusak almost 10 years to develop the standardized and sustainable family farming system. He put the special thanks to Kasetsart University and advices from an agricultural expert from South Africa, as well as his farmers and good partnership with supermarket chains in the United Kingdom, where he mostly imports his fresh vegetables and fruits to.

“We will never be successful without the qualified human resource,” Mr. Chusak said, “It is very important to help the people in our supply chain developed as we possibly as we could.”

Mr. Chusak also developed a packing house system and made sure that all the fresh produces were checked, recorded, washed, pre-graded and packed to be in accordance with the certified food safety and standard measures.

KC Fresh is currently certified with ThaiGAP, Q-GAP and GLOBALG.A.P. ThaiGAP is the voluntary private standard while Q-GAP is the government standard belonged to Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. GLOBALG.A.P is the global GAP certifications.

“Standardization is a basic rule and we have to comply,” he said.

Mr. Chusak also put high priority on logistics management to make sure that customers receive quality fresh produces.

The vegetables and fruits are picked in the early morning and sent directly to the packing house within half an hour. At the Dontoom farm where it is quite a distance from the main packing house he built a packing room to secure freshness. After all the packing processes, the products are delivered by the cool truck and always kept in the cool storage room or containers during shipment. For local markets, the products are guaranteed delivery within 24 hours after harvesting while the oversea supermarket chains will receive the goods within 48 hours.

In case of exporting, Mr. Chusak said good communication and support from reliable airlines were needed.

“We have our pride and we have to maintain our reputation,” he said.

After over 20 years in the agrifood business KC Fresh now becomes one of the successful export companies in Thailand with chains of partnership in Asia and Africa continent. Only in the first half of 2016, the company reached a sale volume of 20 million Pound.

When asked if he found anything left challenging, Mr. Chusak said he wanted to name Thailand the food safety and food standard country.

Now that he also chairs at Thai Chamber of Commerce as Deputy Secretary General, he is working on a setup of primary GAP, which is the voluntary private standard, as an entry point for Thai farmers to acquire the higher level standard of ThaiGAP and Q-GAP.

“If we want to develop the [agrifood] industry, we need to set the standard,” he said, “But it is hard to push when people are not yet ready. The farmers need to grow one step at a time. It is like before students pass to secondary schools, they have to go through primary schools first. The benchmark of global GAP is high and to get the Thai national GAP is also not easy. Government may wish to subsidize the cost to implement the Thai national GAP. The farmers need a lot of coaching and training.

“Without the certified food safety and standard, who will trust products from Thailand?,” Mr. Chusak said.

By Rojana Manowalailao and Thitirat Uraisin, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

23/08/201607/08/2017

Calling for public-private partnerships in developing green agriculture

Sustainable Agrifood Systems urges for more public-private partnerships in improving environmental friendly food production in agriculture.

Nineteen representatives from eight ASEAN Member States and ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) project recently met at the 7th Steering Committee Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand to report on progress and seek advice on the project’s strategies and future activities.

Dr. Matthias Bickel, ASEAN SAS Project Director said a lot still needed to be done in reaching green agriculture and teaming with public and private companies would deem necessary.

During the Meeting, Mr. Quy Duong Nguyen, Deputy Director General of Plant Protection Department from Vietnam addressed an overuse of chemicals in agriculture in the country and suggested further trainings for both farmers and chemical retailers to be responsible pesticide users to achieve sustainable agrifood production.

Supported by Croplife International in Vietnam, ASEAN SAS cooperates with the Can Tho University and the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute to develop training modules for farmers and retailers in a programme called “Promotion of Integrated Pest Management to address plant hopper outbreaks in Rice”. It is expected that a minimum of 15,000 farmers and 300 pesticide retailers will be trained in agro-ecological practices and the effective use and safe application of pesticides.

“Pest is the huge issue in the ASEAN countries, and so does the education for the pesticide dealers. We should take this [further] to PPP [public private partnership], because this PPP allows us to tap on additional funds and investments from the private sectors, whose concerns are also raised exactly on that kind of point,” said Dr. Bickel.

The ASEAN SAS steering committee also discussed a potential improvement of a Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) system in Myanmar particularly on Mango and other crops besides the project’s priority crops (rice, vegetable, and fruit) and facilities for pesticide residue examination which was suggested by Mr. Aye Ko Ko, Deputy Director General of Department of Agriculture from Myanmar.

To improve the GAP system in Myanmar, Dr. Bickel again emphasised the role and cooperation of the private sector would deem significant. In addition, internal discussion would be further conducted upon Myanmar’s request regarding guidance on technical knowledge and facilities for the pesticide residue examination.

“To link the various activities to PPP…that is exactly the approach we are trying to take stronger and stronger to incorporate the biocontrol, farm economies, nutrient management in supply chain.

“[Also] By being able to test the residue level on spot is to make longer sustainable chain, upgrading the supply chain, enabling the farmers and all the traders to really check on spot, and avoiding the cargoes to be rejected. That’s one of the most important issues in ASEAN region,” said Dr. Bickel.

Mr. Aye Ko Ko, Deputy Director General of Department of Agriculture from Myanmar

Mr. Aye Ko Ko from Myanmar also showed interests in improving crop insurance mechanism in the country. He said around 800,000 acres of rice field were destroyed by the change of climate last year.

Ms. Wilma Cuaterno, Chief of Crop Pest Management Division, Bureau of Plant Industry, Philippines shared a story about the crop insurance in her country. She said the crop insurance covered not just crops, but also fish and livestock, and it is being subsidized by the government.

“Two years ago, we talked with the insurance companies, and they doubted that they wanted to erase insurance on pests and diseases because they said that there were some strategies and technology that could really control our management in pests and diseases, and they just wanted to concentrate on natural calamity, because Philippines were very prone to disaster,” she said.

The 7th Steering Committee Meeting of the ASEAN SAS was held on 17 June 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand and attended by steering committee members (focal points) from the eight ASEAN countries with the exception of Brunei Darussalam and Singapore and representative from Project Coordination Unit (PCU) of ASEAN SAS project as members of Project Steering Committee.

Malaysia will host the 8th Steering Committee Meeting in December 2016.

By Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

11/07/201610/07/2017

A study in Cambodia finds organic contract farming raises income of smallholders by as much as four times

A recent study compiled by ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) found that organic contract farmers in Cambodia generated almost four times more from farm activities than conventional smallholders – an economically highly substantial finding. For the most part, these results are attributable to the CEDAC (The Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture) agricultural programme, which through a bundle of hands-on training on organic farming, group certification, and contract farming arrangements aims to tackle rural poverty.

Since additional income is created, organic cultivation offers a highly interesting modality for development whereas the organic label reflects the value added.

In 2015, ASEAN SAS commissioned this research to evaluate how organic contract faming impinges on the livelihoods of small-scale farmers adopting it. Over the course of three months, lead researcher Mr. Benjamin Scholz supported by an interpreter and two CEDAC field staff conducted over 250 face-to-face interviews with rice farmers from 39 villages in Tram Kak district in Takeo province.

On 23 June 2016, the ASEAN SAS team in Cambodia held an event to disseminate the findings at the newly inaugurated Eco-Agri Center, located at the heart of Phnom Penh city. Among the participants were representatives of CEDAC, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the Japanese Embassy, Oxfam Cambodia, SNV Netherlands Development Organization, the German Foreign Exchange Service (DAAD), Indochina Research, the project’s partner company Entrée Baitang, and other GIZ projects as well as the GIZ Country Director to Cambodia, Mr. Adelbert Eberhardt.

Apart from sharing specific study findings, the event served as a valuable platform to exchange ideas and spread the word about the organic movement in Cambodia. During the presentation of results, some participants were surprised about the stark difference in farm income separating CEDAC farmers and conventional farmers.

But on an alarming note, many among the audience were shocked as to how vulnerable both organic and conventional rice farmers appear to be towards frequently occuring natural disasters, such as drought and flood. The findings revealed that in many cases farmer households lost up to one third of their total produce, reflecting both particularly severe climatic conditions and low capacity to cope.

Irrigation systems are therefore still very much needed to secure harvests in times of recurring water scarcity – regardless of whether one grow with organic techniques or not.

The results of the research study are now available and will soon be publish published by ASEAN SAS.

By ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems Team, Cambodia

07/06/201607/08/2017

Cambodia experts contribute to the drafting of Regional Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management

National expert group discussed issues of soil and nutrient management in Cambodia emphasizing adoption of good practices for current soil problems in contribution to the development of the ASEAN Regional Guidelines on Soil and Nutrient Management.

The consultative meeting in Phnom Penh jointly organized by the General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and GIZ through ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS) project brought together 35 national participants from NGOs, public and private sectors to exchange their experiences on practical management of soil constraints, soil fertility, cropping system, and relevant law, regulations, and directives in Cambodia. The information would be submitted to ASEAN Expert Group for drafting the ASEAN Regional Guidelines (GLs) on Soil and Nutrient Management (SNM).

There is an alarming call for ASEAN to formulate a specific set of regionally coordinated policy recommendations in addressing soil degradation problems and encouraging and supporting productive use of agricultural crop lands to secure agrifood system in the region. In recent years, more attention has been given by ASEAN to an integrated approach to tackle soil degradation in the context of the environmental, economic and livelihood and against a background of harsh climate change, globalization and demographic shifts within the region. Such an approach involves policy development, legislation and regulation, and the application of comprehensive and coordinated measures to stabilize and remediate soil degradation.

ASEAN SAS supports the ASEAN member states (AMS) in formulating ASEAN Regional GLs on SNM. The development of the GLs is designed as a policy framework tool to create enabling condition for AMS for the promotion of sustainable food production at the national level.

Deputy General of GDA, Mr. Sron Sokhom who said during his opening remarks that the ASEAN economic integration that came to effect in December 2015 allowed combining effort among the member states to work together for improved food and nutrition security, and the results of the meeting should be valuable inputs for developing the GLs.

In Cambodia, rice farming is a major production which occupies around 3 million hectare equalling 80 percent of total agricultural land and 20 percent of national territory.

Mr. Tim Thon, representative from GDA told that the Cambodian royal government defined soil as a key factor to improve agricultural productivity. It is required to have better knowledge on the management of soil resources, especially farmer or extension works should be able to identify and analyse their soil type and its fertility before transplanting.

He furthered that in Cambodia deforestation for crop cultivation is observed in slopping land areas. As a consequence, high surface runoff takes place resulting in soil lose and nutrient depletion. In farmer fields where cultivate monoculture such as maize cultivation in North provinces, farmer practice also causes soil loss and water runoff, and soil degradation.

At present improper use of fertilizer and/or pesticide is widely observed, and soon to be a major issue occurring – in southeast of Cambodia, however he stated that Cambodia is one of its neighboring countries that consume lowest chemical fertilizer (N,P,K).

Mr. Thon highlighted that GDA would focus on the law drafting on agricultural soil management, designing of a map for cropping (Geography Crop Identification), increase of production and price of agricultural products, and development of irrigation system.

ASEAN Regional GLs contents are developed through regional and national consultations. The ASEAN Expert Group on SNM is responsible for writing contents of the GLs with support from national working groups in AMS. The Group of regional expert comprises of ten senior officers nominated by AMS government officials. In the implementation at the national level, ASEAN Expert Group member leads and directs the national task force in preparation of national contents on relevant topics based on the scope of contents of the GLs.

The 1^st and the 2^nd meetings of ASEAN Expert Group were held in Myanmar in 2014 and Singapore in 2015 consecutively where scope of contents of the GLs was finalised. The scope of guidelines on SNM covers:

Properties and issues of soils in ASEAN
Good Soil Management Practices

Good Nutrient Management Practices

Standards, Regulations and Market information of bio-fertilizer and supplements
Recommendations for soil and nutrient management

The guidelines will be derived from what has been suggested as best practices in AMS and aim to:

emphasise the importance of soil and nutrient management in attaining sustainable agriculture;.
provide guidance that helps decision makers to formulate policies that encourage sustainable agriculture, crop production and soil health;
provide guidance to practitioners to implement best management practices that underpin productive, profitable and sustainable soil and nutrient management;
harmonise recommendations across the ASEAN region in order to improve soil and nutrient management and support the rural sector to become resilient to climate change.

Currently, the development of the guidelines has reached the third review stage by the ASEAN Regional Expert Group. The latest review of contents was conducted last November through the 3^rd meeting of ASEAN Expert Group in Vientiane, Lao PDR.

The 4^th meeting of ASEAN Expert group on SNM was organized from 11 to 12 May 2016, in Brunei Darussalam to review the 3^rd draft of ASEAN Regional GLs on SNM.

ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems supports the ASEAN member (AMS) states in formulating the ASEAN Regional Guidelines (GLs) on Soil and Nutrient Management (SNM). The development of the GLs is designed as a policy framework tool to create enabling condition for AMS for the promotion of sustainable food production at the national level. The ASEAN Regional GLs contents are developed through regional and national consultations. The ASEAN Expert Group on SNM is responsible for writing contents of the GLs with support from national working groups in AMS. The Group of regional expert comprises of ten senior officers nominated by AMS government officials. In the implementation at the national level, ASEAN Expert Group member leads and directs the national task force in preparation of national contents on relevant topics based on the scope of contents of the GLs.

By ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems Team, Thailand