·       The Chief of the Plant Protection Division in Kathmandu, is Bharat Upadhyay. You can contact him at ppd@ipmnet.wlink.com.np

 ·        In November, a workshop was held to review the initial progress of the IPM programme and discuss strategies for the future. The workshop was attended by the Minister and the Secretary of Agriculture and other officials, in addition to Nepalese IPM trainers and representatives from NGOs operating in Nepal.  IPM trainers from Vietnam and Indonesia shared their experiences with the participants.

 ·        A group of 5 Nepalese trainers visited Indonesia for two weeks in November to learn more about other Community IPM activities.

 Philippines

 ·        KASAKALIKASAN, the National IPM Program, provides a coordinating framework for IPM training in a number of crops.  In addition to training for rice and vegetables, the Philippines is perhaps the only country in Asia which is organising season-long training for corn (maize) IPM. For example a Training of Trainers course for corn IPM was held in Mindoro between January and March 1998, funded by KASAKALIKASAN  with technical support from FAO. Graduates of the TOT subsequently conducted Field Schools for corn farmers.

 ·        IPM training activities for school children have been initiated in both Mindoro and Mindanao, involving the school authorities, local NGOs and Provincial Departments of Agriculture. These activities have received the support of Governors, Mayors and Church leaders.

 ·        The National Crop Protection Centre has been developing a capability for the mass production of NPV as a means of controlling  cutworm and Heliothis sp. This has been supported by FAO with funds from the Government of Netherlands. The mass production of Cotesia plutellae has also been supported. 

 ·        The ICP-Vegetable Programme has supported a number of technical studies during 1998 including: evaluating the effect of Trichoderma in controlling damping-off diseases in vegetables; the field evaluation of Paecilomyces against whiteflies; IPM practices on tomato, eggplant, crucifers, bitter gourd and beans. The results of these studies will provide a basis for the curriculum of future Training of Trainers and Farmer Field Schools.

  ·       IPM trainers from the Philippines have  carried out a number of overseas assignments, including season-long courses, in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal and Thailand during 1998.

 Thailand