Pesticide Action Network - Asia & Pacific

Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is an international coalition of citizens groups and individuals who oppose the use of pesticides and are working to promote sustainable agriculture. Based in Penang, Malaysia, PAN Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP) is one of five regional offices.

PAN AP prescribes to the following development principles: a participatory holistic approach, a commitment to gender equality and genuine partnerships; the need to confront social injustice and global inequalities; the value of biodiversity, appropriate traditional and indigenous knowledge systems; and the recognition that our earth is one interdependent living system.

These principles are applied through a range of activities. PAN AP conducts studies and collects data about agricultural policy and practices, produces educational and advocacy materials, organises workshops and provides a voice at numerous forums. 

On-going activities related to pesticides include: lobbying at various meetings for the phasing out of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs); campaigning for improved implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure; involvement in the work of  the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFGC), and maintaining a database of banned and restricted pesticides (which currently includes information about 265 chemicals and 13 countries).  

A major achievement during the last 12 months, has been the production of a Community Pesticide Action Kit (CPAK), consisting of five modules which include both print and video materials. CPAK is intended as a tool for action and advocacy: by involving communities in gathering and using data about pesticide use, it not only supports education and empowerment, but can also link those communities to national and global campaigns.

All of these activities are helping to create and maintain both a policy environment, and a level of popular awareness regarding the dangers of pesticide use, which are supportive

of IPM programmes. PAN AP is not usually directly involved in implementing IPM training activities, although it did support an innovative Field School in Malaysia a few years ago. But PAN does maintain contact with Government agencies, NGOs and international organisations such as FAO which are managing IPM field activities.

A particular concern of PAN AP is the involvement of women in sustainable agriculture programmes. This has been the subject of a number of articles  written by the Executive Director, Sarojeni Rengam, including a recent paper on "Gender and Integrated Pest management". See the Resources section of this Newsletter for further information.

Sarvodaya - Sri Lanka

  In 1958, a small group of young teachers and students from a leading school in Colombo, organised a "gift of labor", a shramadana camp in an under-developed village called Kanatoluwa. This led to the establishment of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement (SSM) which is now active in 8,600 villages in Sri Lanka.

  The philosophy of SSM is best explained by the founder of the movement: "The chief objective of Sarvodaya is . . . awakening. The root problem of poverty is seen as being a sense of personal and collective powerlessness. And 'awakening' is to take place not in isolation but through social, economic, and political interaction. Personal awakening is seen as being interdependent with the awakening of one's local community, and both play a part in the awakening of one's nation and of the whole world." (Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne)

This philosophy is reflected in the wide range of activities carried out by SSM. These include: meditation centres, a non-violent youth movement, orphanages and clinics, women's welfare groups, village-level legal services, community water supply and sanitation projects, and the provision of low-cost housing.