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IPM
activities of DAE-DANIDA SPPS Project
About 84 percent of the country's total
population is directly or indirectly dependent
on agriculture in Bangladesh. Rice, vegetables,
sugarcane, pulses, oilseeds, wheat, potato
etc are the major crops. At present, rice
covers about 75 percent of the cultivated
land in Bangladesh. But, one of the main
constraints to increasing crop production
is the pests. The word "pest"
refers to organisms such as insects, pathogens,
weeds, nematodes, mites, rodents and birds
that cause damage or annoyance to man, his
animals, crops or possessions. According
to an estimate, annual yield loss due to
insect pest alone is 16 percent for rice,
25 percent for vegetables crops in every
year. Therefore, to increase crop production
it is imperative to reduce the crop loss
caused by insect pests and diseases.
In Bangladesh, chemical control has been
the principal method of pest control. Although
pesticides may provide temporary relief
from pest problems, long-term dependency
on pesticides is not desirable. To avoid
such consequences and at the same time to
increase the crop production on a sustainable
basis, a viable alternative to sole dependence
on chemicals for pest management is needed.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the
best alternative strategy.
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Integrated Pest
Management (IPM)
Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) is a broad ecological approach
to pest control using various pest
control tactics in a compatible manner.
In the contemporary usage, IPM is
not limited to dealing with pesticides
and pest management, in fact, IPM
has holistic approaches to crop production
based on sound ecological understanding
and in this sense, IPM could even
be termed as an ICM (Integrated Crop
Management). IPM aims at empowering
the farmers so that they become able
to grow a healthy crop, and increase
the farm out put and income on a sustainable
basis while improving the environment
and community health.
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Benefits
The benefits of IPM are (a) increasing
the crop yield while reducing the
input costs (i.e. through reduction
in the quantity of pesticides uses)
and provides additional income to
farmers through "ail" (dike)
crops, rice fish culture etc., (b)
reducing risks associated with pesticides
(health hazards to farmers and general
public, accidental poisoning, pesticide
residue in food) and promoting pollution
free environment, and (c) helping
to conserve beneficial insects, fish,
frogs ,birds and other animals and
organisms in the environment and to
maintain an ecological balance.
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IPM in Bangladesh
Before
DANIDA support
In Bangladesh, IPM activities first started
in 1981 with the introduction of the first
phase of FAO's inter-country programme (ICP)
on IPM in rice crop. However, it was in
1987 that IPM activities began to expand
and became a popular topic among people
from all walks of life. From 1989 to 1995,
the ICP played a strong catalytic role in
promoting the IPM concept and approach among
the government officials and donor community.
This programme provided IPM training to
same field level workers to build the training
capacity of the Department of Agricultural
Extension (DAE) and introduced Farmers'
Field School (FFS) approach for training
of farmers. A number of persons from the
non-government organizations (NGOs) were
also given training in IPM. As a result
of the success of this programme and on
the basis of the need for IPM in Bangladesh,
a number of IPM projects in rice and vegetables
were in operation during 1995-2001 and executed
by different government departments and
NGOs. About 440,000 farmers were given season
long and practical training in IPM during
that period.
With
DANIDA support
Phase I: Strengthening
Plant Protection Services (SPPS) Project
funded by DANIDA and implemented by the
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE)
was implemented IPM programme in Bangladesh
during 1997-2002. During the first phase
the project has completed 14 Season long
Training of Trainers (ToT) courses where
a total of 626 DAE staff and 75 NGO staff
have been trained in practical IPM as facilitators
(trainers) for rice and vegetables. SPPS
Phase-I operated activities in 137 upazilas
(sub-district) of 47 districts during the
period. These IPM trained persons provided
training to farmers through Farmers'
Field Schools (FFS) (Click
here to know more) on rice and
vegetables crops and completed 4,534 FFSs
in rice and vegetables. From these FFSs,
113,239 farmers (male and female) have received
practical, field oriented, season long IPM
training. In addition, 1,220,803 farmers
were given exposure through field days.
The project has also helped to lay a solid
foundation of IPM in Bangladesh and initiated
community IPM through IPM
clubs (Click
here to know more). Also, the
SPPS Phase-I in collaboration with UNDP/FAO
IPM Project drafted the National IPM Policy
and the Government has approved it in April
2002.
Phase
II: The duration of the second
Phase of the project started from September
2002 and will be ended in June 2006. In
the second phase, the project operates in
201 upazilas of 64 districts on rice and
vegetables (brinjal, tomato, cucurbits,
beans, cauliflower and cabbage). The development
objective of the project is to increase
smallholder farm output and income on an
environmentally sustainable basis. Training
of farmers in IPM through FFS is the main
activities of the 2nd phase. A total of
8,500 FFSs and 7,800 IPM clubs will be established
during this period. Meanwhile, 8029 FFSs
have been completed in rice and vegetables
and 6938 IPM clubs were established up to
February'06. As a part of community IPM
the project has also developed 1305 Farmer
Trainers (FTs), who runs the FFSs in their
localities to train their fellow farmers
in IPM.
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Outputs
The overall outputs of the SPPS project
are:
- A National IPM Policy is established
in Bangladesh.
- Increased the availability and
quality of technical support services
to a substantial number of male
and female farmers in the field
of IPM and related areas.
- Enhanced the capacity of DAE and
other relevant institutions to provide
services in IPM and related areas
and increasing public awareness
of IPM.
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Impacts of IPM
Several impact assessment studies on IPM
training shows that the farmers who have
received training are using less pesticide
(55-95%) on brinjal (egg plant) and rice,
and also have been able to increase their
crop yield (8-25%). Therefore, the SPPS-II
is supporting the DAE's Strategic Plan (2002-2006)
and the National Agricultural Policy, to
increase the production and also helping
for the reduction of environmental pollution
by the reduced use of pesticide by the IPM
trained farmers. Moreover, the IPM farmers
use pesticides as a last resort and they
follow the "safe handling and use"
practices which they have learnt during
their training at the season long FFS programmes.
As a result they are less exposed to pesticide
poisoning and health hazard.
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Farmers' Field Schools (FFS)
Farmers' Field Schools consists of
a group of 25 male and female farmers,
their crop fields and some training
materials. Experienced facilitators,
who graduated from the ToT courses,
organize and conduct the FFS. The
25 farmers and the facilitators meet
once a week throughout the cropping
season (14 sessions) taking active
part in participatory and discovery
based learning. The teaching method
is non formal education approach.
They learn by doing small experiments
in their own fields. In this approach,
adult learning principle such as valuing
farmer's field experiences, collaborative
activities, encouraging group interactions
etc. are incorporated in order to
promote the learning process for conceptual
change to take place. Farmers of the
FFS are encouraged to continuously
monitor their crops, a process called
Agro-Eco System Analysis (AESA). At
FFS farmers not only deal with pest
management practices but also go through
a holistic crop management processes.
At the end of the season-long training,
the farmer who graduates from an FFS
is a confident IPM farmer who is willing
and able to take his own crop management
decisions.
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In this training, the participants
spend most of the training time in
crop fields undergoing participatory
and discovery based learning. They
learn various aspects of crop husbandry
such as seed selection, land preparation,
raising nursery, fertilizer management,
water management, pests and diseases
management, developing additional
income for farmers by culturing fish
in rice fields, growing "ail"
(Dike) crops, harvesting, storage,
etc. Above all they improve their
skills as trainers when they learn
how to conduct IPM Farmers' Field
Schools (FFS).
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After the training they become experts
in their own fields. FFS farmers develop
self confidence to make their own decisions
as per their understanding of their crops
agro ecosystem. They grow healthy crops
in which beneficial insects are conserved.
They are able to reduce the inputs and due
to better farm management practices even
increase the yield. Consequently the profit
is higher and environmental pollution is
reduced.
Each FFS is run by two season long trained
facilitators. In FFS, answers given by the
facilitators are not in a direct way, the
questioners are answered with more questions
designed to guide the farmer to self-discover
the solution. Other strategies incorporated
in IPM FFS sessions include drawing pictures
of pests, predators and parasites, group
reporting of agro-ecosystem analysis and
the justification of decisions made to the
whole class.
The IPM FFS curriculum for rice and vegetables
has 14 sessions to cover the duration of
crops from seed to seed. The duration of
each session is at least 3 hours except
the first session which is longer. The FFS
farmers meet normally at weekly intervals.
During certain stage of the crop especially
at the beginning and at the end the school
may meet at two weekly intervals. This way,
the crops of duration more than 14 weeks
can be studied with the school meeting at
14 times.
The curriculum is a general guideline but
not a step-by-step plan for conducting IPM
FFS. Actual session topics and activities
to be carried out in each FFS are determined
by the FFS farmers and the facilitators
based on thorough discussions on the local
crop management problems, field situations
etc.
In FFS a Field Day is also organized between
11th and 12th sessions as per convenience
and participatory discussions with the FFS
participants. At least 250 neighbouring
male and female farmers (i.e. one FFS farmer
will invite 10 farmers from outside) will
attend the Field Day. In addition, upazila
level Agricultural Officers, Chairman and
Members of Union Parishad, local elites
and leaders are also invited in the Field
Day.
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IPM club
For sustainability and lateral spread
of IPM in the country, the SPPS-II put
emphasis on the formation of IPM Clubs.
A farmers' field school functions during
a whole cropping season. In order that
the IPM practices are incorporated and
inculcated in the community, each FFS
is transformed into an IPM club which
is a permanent body. An IPM club functions,
in fact, as a guardian of the community.The
range of activities varies among clubs.
The clubs have their own way of generating
fund, which include pest management in
rice fields(of club and non-club members)
on a contractual basis, production of
seed of improved varieties, fish cultivation
in ponds and in rice fields, raising nurseries
and seedlings, chicken and duck farming
and monthly
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subscription from the club members.
In addition, the club gets donation
from the local Member of Parliament
(MP), Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO)
etc. Thus it helps the poor and the
needy people of the community by lending
money (micro credit), supplying rickshwas
and whatever the individuals are in
need of. Thus the IPM club solves
many problems of the society. The
IPM clubs are proving to be a key
for the promotion and sustainability
of community IPM in Bangladesh.
IPM trained farmers with adequate
water supply have become able to grow
fish in rice fields. Some of the fish,
thus grown, is sold which gives an
extra income and some is consumed
by the family thus improving the nutritional
status of the family.
Therefore, the IPM training of the
project is contributing not only in
the development of human resources
and empowering farmers in decision
making on crop management but also
contributes to reduce poverty of the
poor and marginal farmers of Bangladesh.
This improves the standard of the
whole community.
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