Perú: Dos nuevas clínicas de plantas para los agricultores Lambayecanos

February 5, 2015 by Leave a comment

Proporcionando servicio de diagnósticos y recomendaciones a los agricultores a las clínicas de plantas en Solecape (Martha Passador, CABI)

Proporcionando servicio de diagnósticos y recomendaciones a los agricultores a las clínicas de plantas en Solecape (Martha Passador, CABI)

Autores: Martha Passador (CABI) y Juan Pablo Gonzáles (EEA Vista Florida)

English summary follows

Debido a las necesidades de asistencia en algunos puntos más lejanos de la región de Lambayeque en Perú, y  mediante dos nuevos módulos de asistencia técnica, en el cual las Clínicas de Plantas forman parte del componente de diagnóstico y recomendación a los problemas identificados, implementados por el Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria – INIA. La institución busca brindar el servicio y beneficiar de manera directa a más de 200 agricultores lambayecanos en el diagnóstico oportuno de plagas y enfermedades  con el objetivo de reducir las pérdidas ocasionadas por el ataque de estas.

Las dos nuevas atenciones en las “Clínicas de Plantas” se encuentran ubicadas en los sectores de Solecape y Puente Tuñoque en Muy Finca, distrito de Mochumí. En ellas, los agricultores, podrán acercarse a realizar sus consultas sobre plagas y enfermedades sin costo alguno.

Agricultores de Solecape con doctores de plantas, especialistas del INIA y el equipo CABI (Martha Passador y Javier Franco) (Foto: Juan Pablo Gonzáles Delgado)

Agricultores de Solecape con doctores de plantas, especialistas del INIA y el equipo CABI (Martha Passador y Javier Franco) (Foto: Juan Pablo Gonzáles Delgado, EEA Vista Florida)

La metodología de trabajo de estas clínicas de plantas o módulos de asistencia técnica, permite brindar un espacio donde el agricultor pueda recurrir frente a la necesidad de asesoría y que la reciba de manera oportuna. Para ello estas clínicas atenderán de manera periódica.

La Ing. Patricia Villegas, Coordinadora de la Unidad de Extensión Agraria de la EEA “Vista Florida” – Lambayeque, indica que la metodología de atención en estas clínicas de plantas, es similar a las jornadas de atención médica. El agricultor sólo necesita acercarse con una muestra de su planta atacada por alguna plaga o enfermedad y el “Doctor de Plantas” le brindará la asesoría necesaria para tratar su problema fitosanitario, además de brindarle las recomendaciones necesarias para prevenir futuros ataques de la plaga. Esto no le demandará al agricultor más de media hora, con lo cual puede acudir a la clínica de plantas y luego volver a sus labores cotidianas, indicó la Ing. Villegas.

Las primeras reuniones para implementación de las atenciones de las clínicas de plantas en estos dos lugares se realizaron en los días 2 (Solecape) y 3 (Puente Tuñoque) de Diciembre del 2014. Las atenciones de estas clínica cuentan con dos ingenieros especialistas, que ofrecieron, en esta primera reunión,  explicaciones y demostraciones para utilización del Trichogramma sp. para el control de plagas lepidópteras en algodón.

Explicación y simulación de una atención de clínica de plantas a los agricultores en Puente Tuñoque (Foto: Martha Passador, CABI)

Explicación y simulación de una atención de clínica de plantas a los agricultores en Puente Tuñoque (Foto: Martha Passador, CABI)

Después que Patricia Villegas presentó a los agricultores los objetivos de la clínica de plantas, fue realizado un simulacro de una atención en clínica de plantas. En los dos sitios hubo una respuesta positiva por parte de los productores, los cuales esperan ansiosamente el inicio de las actividades de la clínica de plantas.

Además de dos especialistas en plagas del algodonero y representantes de la asociación de los productores locales, estuvieron apoyando al equipo del INIA, dos integrantes del programa Plantwise de CABI,  la Dra. Martha Passador y el Dr. Javier Franco.

Cabe mencionar que estos módulos han sido instalados gracias al trabajo del INIA y los Coordinadores Nacionales Luis Torres (EEA-La Molina) y Luis Navarrete (EEA-La Molina), junto al Programa Plantwise, el cual se ejecuta a nivel mundial y tiene presencia en 33 países y hasta la fecha ha implementado más de 720 clínicas de plantas brindando un servicio directo a los agricultores.

Agricultores de Solecape con doctores de plantas, especialistas del INIA y el equipo de CABI )Martha Passador y Javier Franco) (Foto: Juan Pablo Gonzáles Delgado)

Agricultores de Solecape con doctores de plantas, especialistas del INIA y el equipo de CABI )Martha Passador y Javier Franco) (Foto: Juan Pablo Gonzáles Delgado)

El programa tiene como objetivo mejorar la seguridad alimentaria mediante la reducción de las pérdidas de cultivos a través del apoyo a los agricultores con los módulos de atención- clínica para plantas y un banco de conocimientos global sobre plagas y enfermedades de los cultivos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In December 2014, due to an increase need for agricultural assistance in some of the furthest parts of the Lambayeque region in Peru, INIA (Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria), assisted by Plantwise staff, implemented two new plant clinics in Solecape and Puente Tuñoque (Muy Finca, Mochumí district). Through those new clinics, INIA aims to provide a diagnostic and recommendation service to more than 200 farmers with the objective of reducing crop losses caused by pests and diseases. As part of the service provided by the plant clinics, during the first session, two cotton specialists demonstrated the use of parasitic wasps (Trichogramma sp.) to control lepidopteran pests in cotton fields. In both locations, positive feedback has been received from producers, who are looking forward to the beginning of the plant clinic activities.

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Behind the scenes of Plantwise plant clinics in Uganda

October 29, 2014 by Leave a comment

PhD student, Andrew Tock, of the Warwick Crop Centre, has spent three months monitoring Plantwise plant clinic success in Uganda as part of a BBSRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnership. During this time, he kept a research diary (video above), describing his experiences in Uganda and the day-to-day work of plant doctors in the field.

To read an interview with Andrew, visit the BBSRC website: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/food-security/2014/141029-f-plant-clinics-in-uganda.aspx

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A plant doctor’s fight against rice blast in Tamil Nadu, India

June 23, 2014 by 2 Comments

Story by Malvika Chaudhary, CABI in India

Photo: Saurav Paul

DSC_4249Vargur is a small village in the Tamil Nadu state of India where paddy is grown on a large scale. The plant clinics in this region are very popular with farmers. For plant doctor Sarangpani it was a usual day, anticipating the regular crowd of paddy farmers in his plant clinic. He enjoyed this interaction with them, especially after improving his pest diagnostic and advisory skills through training provided by Plantwise and research non-profit M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF).  His rich experience as a farmer in the past had now translated into service for his community through these regular plant clinics.

Though ‘samba,’ or long grain rice season was usually quiet, this time Balchander and many farmers like him had a different story. The farmers had been seeing white spots on the young leaves of their paddy plant, which began to turn to grey-green in couple of days, bringing them increasing worry. It was time for plant doctors like Sarangpani to take immediate action to try and help Balchander and his neighboring paddy farmers.

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Photostory: SDC visits Plantwise Sri Lanka

April 14, 2014 by 1 Comment

The story of support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for the Plantwise food security programme goes back to its inception in 2011. Since the start, SDC has been a major supporter of both in-country programme activities as well as global resources such as the Plantwise knowledge bank. Sri Lanka is one example of a Plantwise country that has shown particularly strong uptake of the plant clinic concept. This prompted Dr Carmen Thoennissen, an SDC senior advisor for the Global Programme Food Security, to join CABI staff and partners in Sri Lanka for 3 days to discover how the programme is unfolding on the ground and understand what makes it a success. Check out the photo story and read more after the jump

A farming family visits the plant clinic in Vavuniya. Today it’s estimated that 500 million farming families like this one produce food for over 2 billion people worldwide. (Photo Credit: W. Jenner, CABI)
Dr Carmen Thoennissen (left) of SDC visits the diagnostic facility at the Horticultural Research and Development Institute (HORDI), Gannoruwa, Kandy District. This facility received approximately 1,000 plant diagnostic queries from plant clinics in 2013. “By continuing to implement as planned this year, I think we will see more and more benefits, especially as these clinics are running regularly in one site,” says research officer Dr M.G.D. Lakmini Priyantha (right). (Photo Credit: A. Rehman, CABI)
Meeting with Dr D. B T Wijeratne (right from centre), the Additional Secretary, Agriculture Technology, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, and the national coordinator for Plantwise Mr W.M.P.T Bandara (right), Deputy Director, Plant Protection Service. They discussed the progress of Plantwise since its 2013 launch in the country. “This is information that can inform policy-makers,” says Mr Bandara. (Photo Credit: A. Rehman, CABI)
Permanent sign in front of a plant clinic location in Anuradhapura District, indicating the fixed date and time of the plant clinic. “Here the farmers can bring their samples to a common place, and they can expect some remedy for their problems,” says Provinical Director of Extension, Mr M B Dissanayaka. (Photo Credit: W. Jenner, CABI)
A plant clinic in operation at a community centre in Anuradhapura District. Three teams of plant doctors (government extentions workers), each focus on a different category of crops, examine the sick plants and provide advice. This plant clinic can sometimes have more than 100 farmers at a single session. (Photo Credit: A. Rehman, CABI)
The plant doctor works from a Green & Yellow List, one Plantwise tool where they find safe pest management options for farmers, and records the diagnosis and recommendation in a prescription pad. ”These farmers are using less chemicals,” says one plant doctor. “We’d like more training because the farmers come and we can help them here.” (Photo Credit: W. Jenner, CABI)
Two plant doctors who were trained in 2013 by national trainers with support of CABI staff including Abdul Rehman (left) now run and organize their own plant clinics in teams like this one today. (Photo Credit: W. Jenner, CABI)
Farmers, once registered and given a visit number, wait patiently with their various plant samples until a plant doctor calls on them for their consultation. Farmers have all gathered here from the surrounding villages to consult the plant doctors. “We receive answers here,” says women farmer with a gourd boorer problem from Menikdiwela. (Photo Credit: W. Jenner, CABI)
CABI’s Malvika Chaudhary looks on as plant doctors ask the farmer questions and proceed to record their diagnosis and recommendation, with a sign announcing the type of crops they attend to at that table. This year, national teams in Sri Lanka will begin to review these clinic records to help target training and ensure the quality of advice for farmers. (Photo Credit: A. Rehman, CABI)
Outside the clinic, Research Officer W. M. D. H. Kulatunga with the Department of Agriculture speaks to CABI’s Wade Jenner about the extension materials created and displayed by plant doctors here in local language. “It’s impressive to see the level of committment and ingenuity of plant doctors here to deliver messages farmers can relate to.” (Photo Credit: A. Rehman, CABI)
Sakeela Banu (right), the Deputy Provincial Director of Extension in Vavuniya District, talks with Agriculture Officer M. U. P. Jayasundara from Gannoruwa about plant clinic activities in her area, including how this modified ‘tuk-tuk’ (3-wheeler) is used to announce plant clinic events. (Photo Credit: A. Rehman, CABI)
Dr Thoennissen (SDC), Ms Banu and Ms Chaudhary discuss the provision of advisory services to farmers. “When we have the clinics, nearly 30 or 40 farmers are gathering there,” explains Ms Banu (left). “Some come with problems and some come for a chat, to share their needs and what they expect from us in the extension department. We can have a close link with the farmers.” (Photo Credit: A. Rehman, CABI)
A plant doctor consults a farmer on his crop problem and writes down a diagnosis and advice. One copy of the ‘prescription’ goes to farmer while another is kept so that the information can be entered into a national database, which is then used to inform priorities in research, extension and policy in the country. (Photo Credit: W. Jenner, CABI)

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Plantwise joins IPPC in Rome to discuss building linkages for NPPOs

April 11, 2014 by Leave a comment

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IPPC’s Dave Nowell addresses the side event audience from the panel at FAO headquarters

 

 

Delegates from over twenty-six countries attended last Thursday’s side event jointly-hosted by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat and the CABI-led Plantwise programme which served the goals common to both organizations: empowering countries to protect crops, thereby increasing food security.

The event on the evening of April 2ndat Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN headquarters brought together key plant health stakeholders of the IPPC there to attend the 9th Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM).

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Eunice Kagendo Lingeera of the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) shares her experience as a Plantwise National Data Validation Team member   (Photo: D.Nowell, IPPC)

Agricultural officials from the governments of Sri Lanka, Uganda and Kenya stood and presented their own experiences of establishing and tapping into Plantwise resources to support their daily roles in National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs). Back home, these presenters’ all work for the NPPOs whose activities cover a range of different plant health roles, including extension, research and phytosanitary quarantine. Read more of this post

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Who benefits from Plantwise?

March 31, 2014 by Leave a comment

Plant doctor, Agnes Kariuki, helping a female farmer diagnose her crops in Embu Town clinic, Kenya ©CABI (photo credit Holly Wright)

Plant doctor, Agnes Kariuki, helping a female farmer diagnose her crops in Embu Town clinic, Kenya ©CABI (photo credit Holly Wright)

As part of our Monitoring and Evaluation within Plantwise, we are identifying indicators both to help us improve the way we operate and also increase accountability to our participants, partners, and donors. As a follow-up to our blog post on International Women’s Day, one of the ways we can improve our current work and set the stage for more effective project design in future is by collecting sex-disaggregated data. Read more of this post

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Plant health system developing well in Zambia

January 30, 2014 by Leave a comment

Farmers' validation of factsheets during Plantwise training in Lusaka, Zambia

Farmers’ validation of factsheets during Plantwise training in Lusaka, Zambia. Credit: Stefan Toepfer © CABI

Since the launch of Plantwise in Zambia last year, much progress has been made to build capacity within the national plant health system. In collaboration with the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI), CABI staff have successfully trained crop officers and extension staff from the Department of Agriculture, ZARI, and Self Help Africa on ‘how to be a plant doctor’. In addition to this, training on development of pest management decision guides and factsheets has produced content that will be made available on the Plantwise knowledge bank for other plant doctors to use. A workshop on data management has also been run, training plant health experts in recording data at plant clinics, data harmonization, validation, analysis and sharing. Read more of this post

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