Đề tài Assessing the effectiveness of Farmer Field Schools for Implementation of Citrus IPM in Viet Nam - MS6

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development _____________________________________________________________________ CARD Project Progress Report 036/04VIE Assessing the effectiveness of Farmer Field Schools for Implementation of Citrus IPM in Viet Nam MS6: THIRD SIX-MONTHLY REPORT 1 INSTITUTE INFORMATION Project Name Assessing the effectiveness of Farmer Field Schools for Implementation of Citrus IPM in Viet Nam Vietnamese Institution Plant Protection Department Vietnamese Project Team Leader Mr Ho Van Chien Australian Organisation University of Western Sydney Australian Personnel Debbie Rae, Oleg Nicetic, Robert Spooner-Hart Date commenced January 2005 Completion date (original) December 2006 Completion date (revised) Reporting period January to July 2006 Contact Officer(s) In Australia: Team Leader Name: Debbie Rae Telephone: +61245701118 Position: Research Program Coordinator Fax: +61245701103 Organisation University of Western Sydney Email: d.rae@uws.edu.au In Australia: Administrative contact Name: Gar Jones Telephone: +6124736 0631 Position: Director, Research Services Fax: +6124736 0905 Organisation University of Western Sydney Email: g.jones@uws.edu.au In Vietnam Name: Mr Ho Van Chien Telephone: +8473834476 Position: Director Fax: +8473834477 Organisation Southern Regional Plant Protection Centre Email: hvchien@vnn.vn 2 1. Project Abstract Citrus is an important fruit crop in Viet Nam but productivity and production are impeded by a range of pests and diseases. Integrated pest management (IPM) is widely recognised as an effective and sustainable method of pest and disease control. Viet Nam has a well- developed National IPM program of farmer participatory training and research using Farmer Field Schools (FFS), which has trained more than 500,000 farmers in IPM technologies for rice, vegetable, cotton, tea, soybean, peanut, and sweet potato crops. Prior to this project the Vietnamese capacity to train farmers in citrus IPM technologies was very limited. Capacity has now been significantly increased by this project and by November 2006 more than 2,200 farmers will have completed season long training in citrus IPM. In order to achieve this level of farmer training the capacity of extension workers has also been significantly enhanced. In 2005, 98 extension workers undertook training in citrus IPM, and subsequently facilitated 24 FFS across 12 provinces in the Mekong Delta and the Central Coast regions of Viet Nam. In 2006 a total of 111 trainers were trained and those trainers are currently facilitating 52 FFS across 11 provinces in the Mekong Delta and the Central Coast regions. 2. Executive Summary Viet Nam has a well-developed National IPM program that has resulted in more than 500,000 farmers being trained in IPM technologies for rice, vegetable, cotton, tea, soybean, peanut, and sweet potato crops. Prior to this project no IPM training had been conducted in citrus, despite it being an important fruit crop in Viet Nam. In the first six months of 2006 efficient planning and sustained efforts by all project personnel has resulted in 111 master trainers being trained by 11 key scientists, and these trainers successfully commencing 52 FFS in 11 provinces in the Mekong Delta and Central Coast regions of Viet Nam. The FFS program has been modified after feedback from the project review meetings held in November 2005. These modifications include the FFS starting earlier and finishing later with less frequent sessions to allow all phenological stages of citrus from flowering to harvest to be included in the program. The timing of FFS meetings is determined by the local facilitators in order to closely coincide with the most important citrus growth periods and critical stages of pest and disease development within the local region. Teaching demonstration trials have also been implemented at all FFS. A farmer practice baseline study was conducted at 9 locations and all farmers participating in FFS completed a 52-question pre- and post-intervention survey. All components of the project logframe for the first 6 months of 2006 have been completed. 3. Introduction & Background Citrus fruit is one of the major fruit crops in Vietnam and citrus production is an important source of income for many Vietnamese farmers. However, a range of pests and diseases seriously impedes productivity and production of citrus in Vietnam. This 3 project has adopted the methods of participatory based learning and action based research to train Plant Protection Department extension officers and farmers in improved methods of citrus cultivation and management of pests and diseases. Increased trainer and farmer knowledge of citriculture and IPM methods will allow better-informed decisions about citrus growing and pest and disease management. The training program involves Training of Trainers (TOT) by key research scientists and extension workers in citrus IPM, followed by season long Farmer Field Schools (FFS) conducted by trainers in their local regions. Training conducted as part of this project is contributing to the establishment of a network of citrus IPM Trainers throughout the Mekong Delta and the Central Coast regions of Viet Nam. Increasing the number of extension workers who have undertaken training in citrus IPM will significantly enhance the capacity of the Plant Protection Department extension network to effectively train and support Vietnamese citrus farmers to better manage their crops. 4. Progress to Date Implementation Highlights Activities for 2006 commenced with a stakeholder meeting held at the Southern Regional Plant Protection Centre on Monday 9th January. A total of 18 participants attended the meeting including Mr Nguyen Huu Huan, the Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department. Participants and their affiliations are listed in Annex 1. The major outcomes from the meeting were: ¾ The TOT training program would be adjusted to include more practical activities ¾ The number of FFS to be held in each participating province would be adjusted to better reflect the importance of citrus and the area of citrus cultivated ¾ Teaching materials would include one set of posters of pests and diseases for each FFS and a clipboard, monitoring sheets and a hand lens for each participating farmer. At the end of the project a field guide of pests and diseases would be produced Further information about the meeting outcomes are provided in Annex 2. The program schedules for each of the 3 TOT training programs were determined. Starting dates for the TOT were set as 13th February, 27th February and 13th March 2006. Details of the topics and presenters are provided in Annex 3. All of the TOT training programs were carried out as according to plan and a total of 111 trainers, including 74 men and 37 women successfully completed their training. A list of names of the participants receiving certificates of attainment and their assessment scores are provided in Annex 4. From March 21st to 24th Oleg Nicetic visited southern Vietnam and attended meetings at the Southern Regional Plant Protection Centre and Vinafruit in Ho Chi Minh city. A report on this visit is provided in Annex 5. Major outcomes of the meetings were: 4 ¾ The TOTs were very well organised. Some changes were made to the distribution of participants because Quang Nam province has a small area of citrus and their needs were met by training in 2005. Binh Dinh province did not send their trainers or organise FFS and it is not clear why at this stage. ¾ Teaching demonstration trials were found to be very effective as a learning tool in 2005 but feedback from the review workshop indicated that they could be simplified. The strategy suggested for 2006 was one based on the flush cycle and use of a single application of imidacloprid per flush followed with 3-4 mineral oil sprays at a concentration of 0.25%. As part of the TOT, participants worked in groups to further refine protocols for this season’s Teaching Demonstration Trials. Protocols addressing citrus cultivation, pest management, pruning and nutrition were developed for each of the three most important citrus species of pomelo, mandarin and orange. ¾ It was acknowledged that links between Vinafruit and the current project could be improved. Mr Chien has been facilitating these links by providing presentations to members of Vinafruit cooperatives in the Mekong Delta. In 2006 all participants in one FFS in Ben Tre are members of the Vinafruit cooperative. In 2005 Can Tho PPSD TOT participants and PPSD staff developed a set of 12 posters on pests and diseases of citrus in collaboration between extension officers, researchers, trainers and farmers. As these posters present important information in a visual medium that is easy for farmers to understand and remember, it was suggested that a set of posters be made for all FFS to be conducted in 2006. A total of 56 copies of the 12 posters were produced at the cost of VND 106,400,000. As funds had not been allocated in the budget to print the posters, ACIAR, Communication and Policy Secretariat generously contributed 60,800,000 VND, and the Centre for Plant and Food Sciences (UWS) 45,600,000 VND. Examples of the posters were submitted to CARD PMU in Hanoi on 28th March 2006. In April a book entitled “IPM on citrus-Ecological Guide” was published and distributed to all participating trainers. The book incorporates chapters on establishment and management of citrus orchards, irrigation, fertilization and integrated pest, disease and weed management. This publication was received with great enthusiasm by many trainers. A copy of the book was provided to the PMU with the Milestone 5 Report. From 13th -24th June Oleg visited Viet Nam and together with Mr Chien and Dr Hai conducted profiling of the sites and villages in 9 of the provinces where FFS are currently being held. Because of limited time the FFSs in Tra Vinh province were not visited. An additional activity of evaluating each site for compliance with EUREP GAP was conducted in order to establish the difference between Vietnamese citrus farmer production practices and EUREP GAP requirements. A full report on the farmer baseline study and findings is provided in Annex 6. Major findings of the study were: ¾ There are marked differences in the agro-ecological systems and citrus growing practices used in the Mekong Delta and the Central Coast region, including Nghe An province. ¾ Farmers need to acquire more skills in recognising pests and diseases and connecting these pests and diseases to the phenology of citrus trees. 5 ¾ Farmers predominantly used cheap, older generation pesticides but their knowledge about alternative control methods including mineral oil, weaver ants and compost and Trichoderma for phytophthora control appears to be increasing and these practices are gaining greater acceptance ¾ There was virtually no compliance with EUREP GAP requirements and it is recommended that a simpler model that is appropriate for Vietnamese socio- economic and environmental conditions should be developed in order to ensure safer citrus products for consumers and reduced environmental impact. Capacity Building This project continues to enhance the capacity of the PPD to facilitate farmer participatory training in citriculture and management of citrus pests and diseases. The participatory approach provides a framework within which the pluralism of ideas of the trainers can be harnessed, adapted and refined in consultation with farmers in order to provide effective solutions for the farmers. In the first year of the project in 98 trainers undertook training conducted by 10 key scientists, and these trainers facilitated 24 FFS in 12 provinces in the Mekong Delta and Central Coast regions of Viet Nam. In 2006 an additional 111 trainers undertook training conducted by 11 key scientists. Trainers are now facilitating 48 FFS funded by this project and another 4 funded by the provincial government. FFS will continue until the end of the citrus growing season in November. As a result of linkages formed between this project and CARD project 052/04VIE “Management of phytophthora diseases in Vietnamese horticulture”, Mr Duong Minh from Can Tho University conducted training sessions in each of the 3 TOT. In these sessions trainers learned about the problems of phytophthora in citrus and methods for effectively managing the disease. Training Programs Training is a major component of this project and a participatory training approach is used in both TOT and FFS. As described above 98 trainers attended TOT in 2005, and then facilitated FFS in 24 FFS. In 2006 training activities have been scaled up and 111 trainers attended TOT and 52 FFS are currently underway (Table 1). Further details of the TOT training program for 2006 are provided in Annex 3. In addition to the FFS funded by the project in 2006, 2 additional FFS are being conducted in Tien Giang province and 2 in Vinh Long province (Table 1). These additional FFS have been financed by the provincial government. Table 1. Distribution of FFS in the Mekong Delta and Central Coast regions and the number of participating farmers from each province No. Province No. of FFS funded by CARD No. of FFS funded by province No of farmers participating Male Female MEKONG 6 DELTA 1 Tien Giang 7 2 237 213 24 2 Can Tho 7 210 203 7 3 Hau Giang 2 60 59 1 4 Soc Trang 2 60 58 2 5 Dong Thap 6 180 178 2 6 Vinh Long 6 2 240 232 8 7 Tra Vinh 3 90 83 7 8 Ben Tre 5 150 138 12 Total 38 4 1227 1164 63 CENTRAL COAST 1 Nghe An 4 117 90 27 2 Binh Dinh 2 58 46 12 3 Khanh Hoa 4 128 55 73 Total 10 0 303 191 112 Publicity An important finding of the pre-intervention survey was that more than 90% of all farmers have a television set in their own home. Every province in Vietnam has a local television station and as 70% of the population live in rural areas, the level of content relating to agricultural matters is high. As television has high potential impact to farmers, television reporters have been invited to all major project events such as meetings and the opening and closing of FFS. Numerous television reports about the project were broadcast in 2006, and details of reports broadcast on Tien Giang TV (TGTV) and Vinh Long TV (VLTV) are provided in table 2. Table 2. Details of television programs reporting on project activities from the commencement of FFS until June 2006. Topic Program title Program length (mins) Broadcast date TV channel The second year of CARD Citrus IPM project and prospect for future project in GAP News in Horticultural Practices 15 17/04/06 Tien Giang TV Natural enemies and reduced pesticide use How to Become Richer Farmer 90 11/06/06 Vinh Long TV Fertilizer application technologies at citrus flowering stage Topics in Horticulture 30 12/06/06 Tien Giang TV 7 Project Management The project has continued to be very well managed in terms of on time and on budget achievement of training objectives. The Vietnamese partners are highly committed at all levels of the Plant Protection Department. Activities commenced for 2006 with a stakeholder meeting which was opened and chaired by Mr Nguyen Huu Huan, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department. The meeting was highly effective with all major planning decisions for the year agreed on. Dr Debbie Rae and Oleg Nicetic both attended the meeting without cost to the project, because travel was combined with other projects. The Vietnamese Project Team Leader continued to demonstrate exceptional project management skills and has remained intimately involved in all aspects of the project including facilitation of 3 TOTs as well as presenting part of the course. In June 2006 Mr Chien spent 2 weeks travelling together with Dr Hai and Oleg Nicetic to all participating provinces in order to conduct a baseline survey of farmer practices and determine compliance with Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) principles. Mr Chien has also continued to initiate activities outside the original scope of the project including sponsorship for provision of materials to be used in teaching demonstration trials. Mr Huan organised editing and printing of the book “Ecological Management of Citrus” and has facilitated the writing of another book, which will be a field guide for farmers and trainers. Saigon Plant Protection Company (SPPC) is participating very actively in the FFS program this year and have donated mineral oil for all the schools and published 10,000 leaflets for farmers that outline how to use mineral oil in the citrus IPM program. 5. Report on Cross-Cutting Issues Environment The focus of FFS is to increase the farmers understanding of the ecosystem and the impact of human influences on it. This approach has the potential to reduce the detrimental impacts of human activities on the environment. Farmers in the Mekong Delta are reporting that IPM strategies they learned in FFS and have adopted on their own farms have made it possible for them to raise fish in the canals between the citrus trees. This is clear evidence of improved ecosystem health. Gender and Social Issues In the training of trainers 69 males and 29 females were trained in 2005 and 74 males and 37 females were trained in 2006. The proportion of male and female trainers is reflective of the overall gender balance of PPD trainers. At the FFS level women were strongly encouraged to participate, but participation by women depends on the 8 household partitioning of duties, which varies considerably between provinces and regions. For example in Phu Son village in Ben Tre province all FFS participant were men, whereas in Vinh Thanh village in Khan Hoa province 80% of FFS participants were women. Representatives from NGOs are invited to project planning meetings and kept informed about project activities. 6. Implementation Issues Issues and Constraints No new issues or constraints arose during the first 6 months of 2006. The major issue previously identified is the need for the Australian Organisation to forward funds to Vietnam for training activities, before funds have been received from the funding organisation because of the requirement to complete milestones before payments can be made. The major constraint identified previously is the limited local resources available to Vietnamese scientists, researchers and trainers to allow travel outside the local region in order to seek or provide expertise and exchange information. Options All changes to TOT curricula and the way FFSs are conducted that were suggested at the review workshops in November 2005 and at the stakeholder meeting in January 2006 were successfully implemented. 7. Conclusion High levels of enthusiasm for this project, efficient planning, open communication between project personnel and sustained efforts have resulted in all components of the project logframe for the first 6 months of 2006 being completed. List of Annexes Annex 1. Participant list for the stakeholder meeting held at the Southern Regional Plant Protection Centre on Monday 9th January 2006. Annex 2. Outcomes from the stakeholder meeting held at the Southern Regional Plant Protection Centre on Monday 9th January 2006. Annex 3. Training program and curriculum for 2006. Annex 4. 9 Annex 5. Report on a visit to the