NEWS December
99:
Latest IPM cooperation between China and Indonesia
Indonesian
and Chinese trainers have been working together during the last two years
to strengthen IPM programmes for rice farmers. The process started in
March 1998 when 10 Master Trainers from China visited Indonesia for a
period of two weeks. The following month, two experienced Indonesian
trainers traveled to Sichuan Province to assist Chinese officials in
conducting a 4-month Training of Trainers (TOT) course. Since then, a
further five Indonesian trainers have been to China to provide similar
assistance.
The
latest cooperation between the two countries has been a visit to Indonesia
by a group of 14 Chinese IPM Trainers from 13 to 25 November 1999. These
visitors came from five major rice growing provinces in China where the
National IPM Programme is being implemented. The visit was geared towards enhancing
the
participants’ ability
and commitment to plan, implement and support an effective program of
Community IPM in their respective provinces.
During
the visit, the team met with staff of both the Regional Office of the FAO
Programme for Community IPM in Asia and the FAO IPM Country Office in
Indonesia. The team also met with officials of the Indonesian National IPM
Programme. Presentations on IPM programme development in both countries
were made during these meetings.
The
core of the Study Tour was field visits that the team made to West
Sumatera, West Java and Bali. In these places, the participants were
exposed to a wide range of community IPM activities. These activities
include farmers organizing themselves into groups for rat control; field
studies by farmers on the use of bio-agents developed by local
laboratories; establishment of farmers’cooperatives in conducting
farmer-to-farmer training and mobilizing local resources;
farmers’technical and planning meetings and farmer studies etc.
The
participants also sat down with local government officials in the three
provinces they visited and discussed the strategy for the development of
community IPM programme, especially the role of the local government in
providing support to the community IPM programmes.
At
the end of the visit, a one and half day workshop was conducted. The
participants discussed and presented their findings from the visit and
made suggestions for further developing Community IPM Programme in China.
For
more information about the IPM Programme in China, you can contact Mr.
Kevin Kamp, IPM Country Officer. Fax: (86-10) 64621620. Email: kevin.kamp@FAO.org
and Mr. Piao Yongfan, Deputy Director General of the National
Agro-technological Extension and Service Center. Fax: (86-10) 64194542.
Email: natesc_fang@agri.gov.cn
