June 1998, Volume 19 No. 2

• Editorial
• General News
• Biorational
• Internet Round-Up
• New Books
• Conference Reports
• Proceedings
• Training News

Conference Reports

IPM Communication and Information in Africa

An Integrated Pest Management Communications and Information Workshop for Eastern and Southern Africa (ICWESA), took place on 1-6 March 1998 at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi, Kenya. Its purpose was to explore ways in which access to electronic mail and the Internet could enhance communication and knowledge transfer of IPM in sub-Saharan Africa. The ultimate aim is to facilitate delivery of IPM information in order to improve development and implementation of IPM by the farmer in collaboration with research and extension intermediaries. The more than 80 participants included all the key players involved in IPM research, extension and implementation, including national and international programmes, NGOs, farmers and their representatives and the commercial private sector, and information and telematics (electronic information) specialists.

The Workshop identified a need (1) to empower IPM practitioners through improved access to relevant and reliable information throughout sub-Saharan Africa; (2) to create and equip national nodes within a regional framework; (3) to create and enhance rural resource centres with the capacity to develop and disseminate IPM extension materials; and (4) to develop an inventory of sector-oriented IPM resources at the local, national and regional levels.

While it was clear that the concept of subsistence farmers carrying laptops linked to satellite Internet pest management services was a long way off, a surprising amount of sensible common ground was discovered. This is partly because African communications and African pest management extension both suffer from a lack of resources and high operating costs. E-mail and the Internet both provide, in some cases, potentially quick and cost effective ways to circumvent this, and where this is possible, then electronic information systems can accelerate IPM. In this context, FAO·s Global IPM Facility is already incorporating Internet and e-mail training into the Training of Trainers programmes for extensionists running farmer field schools in Zimbabwe.

The IPM Information Partnership is a collaboration of international initiatives dedicated to dissemination of IPM information, particularly through the use of electronic media. Present partners include CAB INTERNATIONAL, CICP (the Consortium for International Crop Protection), the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) SP-IPM, IPMEurope, IPMForum, and USAID·s IPM-CRSP (Cooperative Research Support Project). The Workshop was also supported by experts from its host institution ICIPE, as well as CTA (the Technical Centre for Agricultural & Rural Cooperation, Netherlands), FAO, ICRAF (the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry), and the USAID Bureau for Africa (Africa IPM-Link, AfricaLink and Leland Initiative).

IPM in Vegetables

The Collaborative Network for Vegetable Research and Development in Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic (La Red Colaborativa de Investigacion y Desarrollo de Hortalizas para America Central, Panama y Republica Dominicana - REDCAHOR) held its first workshop on IPM in Constanza, Dominican Republic on 2-6 February 1998. Twenty participants from the region assembled to hear presentations on biological activities in Honduras (Zamorano) and Nicaragua (CATIE; Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences), the Whitefly IPM Project (CIAT; Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical) and a socioeconomic analysis of growers in Constanza. Additionally, country reports of vegetable IPM in the region were presented by national representatives.

Following the presentations, the participants discussed and prioritized the pests and management options for five crops: tomato, peppers, onion, cucurbits and crucifers. The group selected four crop/pest/management topics which are recommended to be researched collaboratively and internationally in the region and supported in part by REDCAHOR:

(1) Development of tomato, pepper and cucurbit varieties tolerant to whitefly and geminivirus.

(2) Biological control of Plutella xylostella.

(3) Cultural practices and associative crops for management of pepper weevil.

(4) Biological control of lepidopterous larvae in tomato and onion. Project co-leaders were assigned for each topic.

Afterwards, Dr N.S. Talekar of AVRDC (Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre, Taiwan) gave presentations on IPM research efforts in solanaceous crops, onion and cabbage in Asia. The workshop finished with visits to a local farm, the Vegetable Experiment Station in Constanza and the Trichogramma rearing facilities at the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo.

Financial support for the meeting was provided by the Instituto Interamericano de Cooperacion para la Agricultura, Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economica, Asian Vegetable Research & Development Center, Bank of International Development, the International Cooperative Development Fund and the Secretaria de Estado de Agricultura (Dominican Republic). A second REDCAHOR vegetable IPM workshop is scheduled for 1999.