·        The Department of Non-Formal Education in the Ministry of Education, has also started an IPM programme with the assistance of the NGO World Education. A Rice IPM Curriculum Workshop was held in  Nakornsawan in July, and this was followed by a season-long Training of Trainers course which ended in October. 

 ·        A number of field studies on vegetable IPM have been carried out in Northern and Central Thailand with the support of FAO experts. The results of these studies provided inputs for a curriculum development workshop in November, which has been followed by a Training of Trainers course.

 ·        World Education continues to support IPM activities in Primary Schools. This experience has been documented in a video and shared with other countries at a Regional Workshop held in Thailand in April. More information about the work of World Education in Thailand is available from Marut Jatiket at weasia@mozart.inet.co.th

 Vietnam

 ·      The Plant Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development continues to manage a large-scale IPM training programme with the support of FAO. In 1998 approximately 1,000 Field Schools were organised for rice farmers, in addition to 200 FFS for vegetable farmers (covering cabbage, tomato, French bean and cucumber). The major source of funds for these activities is now the Government of Norway, which has taken over the role previously played by the Government of Australia.

·        The Royal Netherlands Embassy is funding a number of IPM Field Schools for cotton farmers, organised by the Vietnam Cotton Company.

·        A number of initiatives have been taken to promote community-based activities, focussing on 9 Districts. These activities are supported by 3 Sub-Regional Teams ('Cum Tinh' teams) which have been trained in participatory planning and have introduced these techniques in at least 36 villages.

·         Community IPM activities in the 9 selected Districts include farmer-managed FFS, field studies, technical meetings at district level, and regular group meetings in the villages.  Participatory evaluation exercises have also been carried out in recent months.

·        Some of the other issues which have received special attention as part of the IPM programme in Vietnam during the last year are:  management of rice diseases, management of rats, studies of the economic impact of IPM training, the establishment of the diadegma to control cabbage pests, and the development of farmers capability to use NPV in the control pest of Spodoptera and Heliothis.  The biocontrol  activities have been carried out  by the National Institute of Plant Protection in collaboration with the FAO ICP for Vegetable IPM.  

·        Vietnamese trainers have carried out overseas assignments in Cambodia, Nepal and Australia following the completion of 6-month language training in the USA.

·        The FAO IPM Training Officer in Hanoi is  Alma Linda Morales-Abubakar. She can be contacted at ipmdada@ibm.net

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