Recently in New Delhi, the Plantwise team in India held a plant health stakeholder workshop between 24th -26th September to discuss and review the programme implementation in 3 states across India; Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, and Pondicherry. All in-country stakeholders including the State Department of Agriculture, Jammu M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, and National Agro foundation-FPOs participated in the 3-day event followed by a field visit to Trichy.
In developing regions where pest and disease outbreaks and the impact of climate change is most devastating, early warning systems are required to build resilience into agricultural production. These early warning systems cannot operate in a void, but proves effective when incorporated within a national policy framework that can support a holistic plant health system approach.
In Myanmar, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MOALI) has identified that its efforts to intensifying and diversifying agricultural production is being challenged by increasing pesticide use, illegal importation of pesticides, introduction of invasive species and slow response to disease and pest outbreaks. These issues have served as constraints to building a strong national plant health system as they undermine the resilience of millions of smallholder farmer who are key stakeholders in the agricultural sector.
Representatives for agricultural development from South and West Asia came together for a two-day conference in Bhurban, Pakistan in April to discuss country plans for Plantwise activities. Decision-makers from countries including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and UK, met to share ideas and knowledge of their plant health systems. Continue reading
