evaluates the risk to women in participating in the activities. In the light of this evaluation, the project designs appropriate activities; this may include supportive activities (gaining the support of the Mosque or husbands) before working with women.

      It is important for farmers to monitor their results using quantitative and qualitative indicators at the end of each rice season. Indicators were identified with farmers which provided information to stakeholders directly involved in the implementation of activities. This enables them to better manage their work.  The IPM programme is still learning from on-going activities and innovations. It has to meet the requests from donor agencies for quantitative information and maintain a project approach which allows the main stakeholders (the farmers) to be in control of the data collection and analysis.

      The investment in staff development is important. To be consistent with the approach used with the farmers, experiential learning has also been the model for staff development. There are three major areas of focus in staff development, mainly in terms of staff perceptions. The first is to ensure that staff understand and respect farmers. The second is to gain a common commitment to center the project on farmers; this decision changed the method of working with farmers, i.e. providing support rather than information delivery. The third is to provide the skills and desire to self-evaluate regularly, looking closely and realistically at issues and acknowledging successes and failures.

      The IPM programme needs to constantly focus on giving opportunities to farmers to take control of their learning. Farmers need to develop confidence in their own judgement,  bring curiosity and a scientific approach to handling challenges and risks, and develop their communication skills. IPM for rice and rice-fish cultivation have proven to be important entry points in this educational process because these are critical to farmers' domestic food security. Finally, the programme must continually evolve and change in order to meet the needs of farmers and the challenges they face: like the rivers of Bangladesh.

For more information about the CARE IPM Programme in Bangladesh, send an Email to anrcare@Bangla.Net

CIDSE - Vietnam

 CIDSE is a working group of 13, mainly European, Catholic development agencies with programs in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. In Vietnam CIDSE's activities concentrate on agriculture, primary health care and micro-credit.

CIDSE has been supporting IPM in Vietnam since 1992 through projects with Plant Protection Sub-Departments of four provinces in north and north-central Vietnam. Initially, activities were limited to rice, but later also included tea, peanuts, and vegetables.

Tea IPM activities started in 1994 in Thai Nguyen province. During the first two years the focus was on developing the technical basis for IPM in tea. A total of 15 farmer groups were formed, using agro-ecosystem analysis to each study one particular topic. A total of seven topics were selected.

The results of these studies were then used as input for a training curriculum for IPM farmer training. In 1996 three pilot FFS were organized. Training activities expanded in 1997 after organizing a five-month tea IPM TOT in Thai Nguyen for 23 trainers. In 1997-98 15 FFS were organized for a total of 423 farmers. Results of these FFS showed a pesticide reduction of 30 - 40 %, while maintaining yields.

Early 1999 a three-year project for tea IPM in Thai Nguyen and Phu Tho provinces was approved by CIDSE. This new programme will train around 3600 poor farmers in tea IPM FFS and provide one TOT for technicians in Phu Tho. The project further envisages that after a FFS, the group of FFS alumni will make a plan to further develop tea production in their area. One of the main activities in these "follow up" activities will be the training of other farmers in the area, either through formal training in a FFS or through more informal contacts such as village meetings, joint field visits, etc. The purpose of this training is to increase the number of IPM farmers in a contiguous area (1 - 3 villages) so that IPM farmers will have good conditions to apply their IPM knowledge and skills as well as make it easier to establish "clean" tea areas.