Focus on NGOs
Non-Government Organisations are playing an increasingly important
role in the design and implementation of IPM training programmes in Asia.
This issue of Spider Web takes a look at what some of these NGOs are doing
in the Region.
The first issue of Spider Web focussed on the work of the FAO
Programme for Community IPM in Asia, and reported on Government training
programmes which FAO was assisting. The seven NGOs featured in this issue
have also had some association with FAO, but the relationship has usually
been less direct. In a few cases FAO has been a channel for funds for NGO
activities, but more often the assistance has been in the form of advice
on technical matters and assistance in developing training capability.
The NGO projects and programmes described below include activities
in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and
Vietnam. Some of these
organisations are active in other countries but we have chosen to focus on
one particular example of their work.
NGO involvement in IPM is
notable for the diversity of technical content. For the last 5 years CARE
in Bangladesh has been managing a large-scale programme of Field Schools
which integrate rice and fish production, while CIDSE in Vietnam has
developed a successful training programme for IPM in tea. Other NGOs have
developed their own curriculum for vegetables and maize. These innovations
are both necessary and possible because NGOs tend to support IPM
programmes which are more localised than those which are managed by
National Governments.
Another
feature of NGO involvement in IPM is the development of activities for
specific social groups. In Thailand, World Education Asia has been
supporting IPM activities in primary schools, while Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka
focuses attention on poorer communities. Other NGO projects which are not
covered in this newsletter are focussing on the needs of illiterate women
(in Nepal) and disabled farmers (in Cambodia).
