Follow-up Activities. In this session, the experience of Indonesian farmers after attending IPM Field Schools was presented.  The discussion covered farmers’ studies, alumni participatory planning activities, TOT’s for Farmer IPM Trainers, and FFS’s conducted by Farmer IPM Trainers.

Folk Media.  The group was first asked to brainstorm answers to the question “What is Folk Media?”.  The group was then divided into small groups to answer questions, the following questions: 

What kind of folk media do you have in your province?

What is the purpose of these activities?

What do people get from folk media performance?

How can we use folk media to strengthen the IPM program?

This session was ended by small groups presenting their answers and ideas for using folk media in IPM in Laos.  

6.   An IPM Project Review and Strategy Development Workshop in Nepal

Nepal became part of the ICP in 1998 and began an IPM training project during that year by conducting a rice IPM TOT for field trainers and rice IPM Field Schools for farmers.  In October and November of 1998 a group of five A-Team trainers, two each from Indonesia and Vietnam and one from the Philippines, participated in a national workshop to review the program and determine strategy for further program development. (Alifah Lestari, Herry Suwartojo, Cesar Galvan, Nguyen Tuan Loc, Le Thi Sau)  Before the workshop began, the A-Team trainers made field visits to observe FFS implementation in Katmandu and the Terai.  Nepalese trainers accompanied the A-Team trainers on their field trip.  The observations and analyses of the team that made the field visits served as the basis for strategy development during the workshop.  One of the strategies that resulted from the workshop was the commitment of the project to developing farmers as IPM trainers.

“During the trip to Nepal, we learned a lot about the implementation of the IPM Program in Nepal, Nepalese culture, and Nepalese environment.  We were able to share experience not only between two countries, but, because several countries were involved, trainers from four countries were able to learn from each other.  It was very good strategy to increase A-team capabilities.”

 Alifah Sri Lestari

7.     A Rice IPM TOT in Nepal

The TOT took place at the Field Training Center (FTC) Janakpur, Dhanusha District, Nepal from 27 June until 15 October, 1999. 

The training was conducted over a period of one cropping season to be able to produce a second group of IPM trainers to enable the Department of Agriculture to conduct rice IPM FFS’s throughout all rice growing areas in Nepal.  The TOT for 35 field workers from NGO’s and extension and crop protection officers over a period of one cropping season, the TOT had several goals. 

In this TOT, the Nepal National IPM Program was able to build on the experience of the first TOT by introducing additional field trials in weed management related to the use of compost.  The A-Team trainer also introduced additional field exercises to help participants to better understand the function of natural enemies and decompositers. Habitat studies were also introduced to enhance discovery based learning.  Also, more meaningful group dynamics exercises were introduced to improve facilitation skills of both TOT facilitators and participants. Other new activities exposed participants to field sites where they conducted case studies and field observations of pests that were not available in the TOT and FFS sites.   

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