NEWS
1st December
2000 - World AIDS Day:
IPM and AIDS
awareness in Cambodia
New
ways to spread understanding about HIV are needed in rural areas in
Cambodia; ways that respect existing knowledge, local networks and the
strengths of the farmers' own life experiences.
For
over 20 years Cambodia was isolated by war. Until recently its isolation
had left it relatively untouched by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In
1991 the first case of HIV/AIDS was diagnosed. By
1999 there were 250,000 reported cases and an estimated growth rate of
nearly 4% among the 15-49 year old age group.
The
idea that farmers themselves can prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS by
applying ecological principles came out of an unusual collaboration
between FAO and UNDP. The principles of
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) are now being used in a pilot project to
strengthen the resilience of Cambodian farming communities to HIV along
the major arterial highway, Route 5.
The pilot project has been
brought to life in what farmers themselves have called the "Farmer
Life School"(FLS). FLS are organized through the network of farmers
who have completed IPM Farmer Field Schools. In an FLS the farmers'
understanding of the web of life in their crop is applied to their own
community. Click on this link to find out more about the Farmer
Life School.
