uPdATe DECEMBER 2012

Plant clinic in Vietnam

Irish Aid put full support behind Plantwise

The Irish government, via Irish Aid, have given their support to the Plantwise programme. Irish Aid have also provided backing to CABIs Good Seed Initiative, showing that they are pursuing hard their ambition to help smallholder farmers. Totalling 700k, Irish Aids contribution gives valuable support to these successful CABI led initiatives. Both programmes fit with the recommendations of Irelands Hunger Task Force Report, to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers, to target undernutrition, and ensure real political commitment to give hunger the priority it deserves. The contributions also nicely illustrate the different stages at which relevant and timely support can be key. Through the Good Seed Initiative CABI works to ensure farmers have the initial access to seeds which will provide healthy and nutritious crops, whilst Plantwise works later on in the process, to ensure farmers have access to the knowledge to protect these plants from pests and diseases. The Irish government have shown a real commitment to addressing global hunger, especially since the publication of the Hunger Task Force Report. The report, launched in September 2008, set out the areas which Ireland should focus on to reduce global hunger. Clear within these was the need to support programmes which would enable smallholder farmers to be more productive. In particular, the Report recognised the need to invest in agricultural research, to ensure this research is responding to the needs of smallholder farmers, and to support programmes which link farmers and research centres to increase the rates of adoption of agricultural technology and thus agricultural productivity. Plantwise and the Good Seed Initiative are two programmes which clearly do this. The Plantwise programme continues to grow strongly, now established in 24 countries with over 300 plant clinics running regularly. With their help farmers in these countries are getting access to the knowledge which helps them grow more and lose less to pests and diseases. The support from Irish Aid will enable the programme both to consolidate in current regions and expand into new ones. The Good Seed Initiative has educated hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania on ways they can improve the quality of indigenous and introduced seed. The initiative enables farmers to judge the quality and value of purchased seed, empowering them to demand higher quality seed and can also help them to become seed suppliers in their own right. As Kevin Farrell, the Irish Governments special envoy for hunger, points out, Ireland is very well positioned to make a real difference in future efforts to eliminate one of the greatest scandals of our time. With this commitment to Plantwise and the Good Seed Initiative, they take one step further towards that. Paula Kenny from Irish Aids Hunger Unit welcomed the new partnership between Ireland and CABI, saying CABIs Plantwise and Good Seed Initiative are important examples of ensuring agricultural research is transferred from the research lab and put into use on farmers fields. We are confident that these programmes will lead to real change in the lives of smallholder farmers.

Rob Reeder, CABI

TRINIdAd & TOBAGO

HONduRAS
estim ate d

GHANA* CHINA* TANZANIA GReNAdA CAMBOdIA BARBAdOS AFGHANISTAN PAKISTAN PeRu RWANdA PAKISTAN PERU RWANDA SURINAME KENYA NEPAL INDIA SRI LANKA VIETNAM DR CONGO NICARAGUA UGANDA BOLIVIA 2012 (so far)
* Pilot clinics

182

300

124 70
2009
No. of countries with clinics

2010

2011

2012 (so far)

SuRINAMe KeNYA NePAL INdIA SRI LANKA VIeTNAM VIETNAM DR CONGO NICARAGUA UGANDA BOLIVIA 2009 NEPAL INDIA SRI LANKA VIETNAM DR CONGO NICARAGUA UGANDA BOLIVIA 2010 KENYA NEPAL INDIA SRI LANKA VIETNAM DR CONGO NICARAGUA UGANDA BOLIVIA 2011

10

11

SIeRRA LeONe SIERRA LEONE SIERRA LEONE SIERRA LEONE

15

24
dR CONGO NICARAGuA uGANdA NICARAGUA UGANDA BOLIVIA 2006 DR CONGO NICARAGUA UGANDA BOLIVIA 2007

BANGLAdeSH BANGLADESH BANGLADESH BANGLADESH BANGLADESH BANGLADESH BANGLADESH BANGLADESH BOLIVIA 2003 BOLIVIA 2004 BOLIVIA 2005

Plant clinics grow in Rwanda

The director General of the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB), dr Jean Jacques Mbonigaba Muhinda, has announced that plant clinics will be set up countrywide in a move to help researchers and extension officers provide direct support to farmers. Currently, there are two plant clinics in each of the five provinces in Rwanda, but Muhinda said that there was need to have at least one in every district, meaning 30 clinics nationwide. This announcement was made during a national stakeholders forum on plant clinics that took place in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. We already have 57 qualified plant doctors, but based on the need to have more clinics, we are working hard to ensure that we hit the target, said Muhinda. Since last year, CABI have been partnering with RAB to establish plant clinics to support farmers efforts to control crop pests and disease. At the clinics CABI-trained plant doctors diagnose pests and diseases that are afflicting farmers crops. From this diagnosis the plant doctors can then recommend treatment options, making sure that these are ones that are realistic for the farmer. In Rwanda, mosaic disease remains prevalent on the crop cassava. Whilst there are effective treatment methods for this, communicating these solutions with farmers continues to prove challenging. Plant clinics therefore provide a vital service, both in diagnosing problems like cassava mosaic disease and in ensuring farmers are aware of how to treat and protect their crops. Lack of information about crop diseases does not only lead to losses which threaten food security, but it also increases the cost of fighting or controlling disease as it spreads and affects more plants. Muhinda believes the clinics will be used by RAB officials, as well as bringing about coordination with farmers in getting regular information that effectively contributes towards early detection of disease out-break. The two-day meeting, that also attracted local leaders and farmers from various parts of the country, aimed to educate participants about some specific disease control measures and basic farming methods so as to build their capacity and participation in disease prevention and control.

The Knowledge Bank an insiders view

Pests and diseases are among the biggest problems that farmers face, reducing harvests by up to 40% and damaging income and food supplies. Beating these enemies isnt easy, and farmers may need a variety of weapons to fight them, but perhaps the most important weapon is knowledge. With the right knowledge, farmers can recognise the early signs of a problem, and know the best means of treatment. In July 2012 the Plantwise Knowledge Bank was launched giving farmers the knowledge they need to protect their crops. The Knowledge Bank is a free online resource which provides information on pests and diseases, their distribution, and methods of combating them. MaryLucy Oronje is a content editor working on the Knowledge Bank in Nairobi, so has inside awareness of the Knowledge Bank and the benefits it can bring. In Kenya, where MaryLucy is based, stalk-borer is a prominent pest on maize, a key crop. She explained how the Knowledge Bank helps users to combat this particular pest for the African maize stalk borer you have a range of information in the Knowledge Bank. This includes plants, list of symptoms and even management practises: what to do if you have that problem. With this information farmers can fight back straight away against this prevalent pest. The Knowledge Bank also contains factsheets. MaryLucy explained that these factsheets are developed with scientists and farmers on a particular pest. This means not only are they accurate, they are also in a language farmers understand. They give information on the pest, how it is being seen, how to identify it and how to control it.
...continued on page 3

Patrick Simbalalya Plant Doctor

Julien Lamontagne-Godwin, CABI

...continued from page 2

based in Beni in DRC. Patrick, with his experience in coordination, plant pathology and cocoa expertise was a perfect applicant and was hired by Esco in November 2010. In his time as a plant doctor Patrick has seen clinics come on leaps and bounds. The first Plantwise-Esco plant clinic opened in Mbau in the Beni district of North Kivu just a month after Patrick joined. Since then Plantwise and Esco have launched plant clinics in at least 13 sites across 4 districts of North Kivu, diagnosing samples from as many as 104 villages in the 18 months clinics have been operating. In 2011, 686 queries came into the clinics, and the figures are expected to grow for 2012. All this has kept Patrick very busy, and has only furthered his enthusiasm. Patrick is still as keen to continue to run clinics in the local area as he is in exploring new areas for clinics. He might run a clinic as far as 5-6 hours drive away! ESCO have been extremely positive about the development of a plant clinic system in their extension operations, as it not only builds their reputation, but also makes their field agronomists more knowledgeable. Their logistical support and assistance with infrastructure has been invaluable. With the help of people like Patrick, Plantwise is continuing to work with partners in DRC to help the countrys high number of smallholder farmers get the advice and support they need.

Patrick Simbalalya diagnoses an infected crop

MaryLucy also described the powerful image-based diagnostic tool. This works by comparing the problem presented with images of the crop on the Knowledge Bank. MaryLucy gives an example say the problem is on wheat, then you type wheat in the search box and ask yourself, which part of the wheat was being affected? You can then select a specific part of the plant, for example leaves. This takes you to the diagnostic tool to see your results. And when you go there you find pictures of diseases on wheat, on leaves. The Knowledge Bank also provides support for the rest of the Plantwise programme by providing Plant Doctors with key information on pests and diseases. As MaryLucy points out, not all farmers are connected to the internet, whereas most of our plant doctors are connected to internet and they can refer to this information when there is need. This support capability is what makes the Knowledge Bank so valuable with it there is no guess work when it comes to diagnosing plant problems. MaryLucy highlights the importance of knowledge if you have knowledge of a particular pest on a particular crop you are able to manage it.

Patrick Mumbere Simbalalya is 27 years old and has lived in the war-torn North Kivu Province of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) all his life. Patrick is a graduate from the Universit Catholique du Graben, which specialises in agronomic research, and has been a Plantwise partner since 2005. His end of year thesis was on the use of botanical products in pest and disease control. Having graduated and gained experience of plant clinics at University (where students are the manpower at the clinics) Patrick was keen to stay in the field of agriculture, where he could put his knowledge and skills to use. Following his graduation, Patrick saw a position as plant clinic coordinator being advertised by Plantwise and Esco Kivu, the cocoa exporter

Plantwise Knowledge Bank from CABI Highly Commended at 2012 ALPSP Awards
The Knowledge Bank team are delighted to be recognised by the ALPSP community, said Shaun Hobbs, Global Director of the Plantwise Knowledge Bank. The Plantwise programme is a really important project designed with a clear focus on the needs of the farmers wholl use it. Its a great way for CABI to use our expertise in publishing to support our International Development mission. A commendation in this category highlights that, even after a century of work in this area, CABI continues to innovate in new and exciting ways. A key challenge for any global resource is to deliver locally applicable results and this is particularly true in agriculture. Knowledge Bank users can start their search from a homepage tailored to their country to ensure they are seeing geographically relevant information. They can also explore interactive distribution maps if they need a more regional or worldwide view. The diagnostic tool then identifies plant diseases and pests from pictures of symptoms and a range of factsheets provide information on possible treatments. Access to validated science-based information helps farmers and those who support them bring more crops to maturity. These crops feed farmers and their families, as well as contributing to the wider food security of countries across the world. The Plantwise Knowledge Bank currently holds over 1600 factsheets to help extension workers, government organizations and researchers identify solutions and the resource is continuing to grow.

The Plantwise Knowledge Bank has been highly commended in the Publishing Innovation category at the 2012 Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) awards. As part of the wider Plantwise programme, the Knowledge Bank helps extension workers, government organizations and researchers support farmers by providing vital information on essential crops and the pests and diseases which attack them. The resource is intuitive and disarmingly simple with clear practical benefits, noted the awarding panel. They also recognised the geospatially indexed content and field observations, which connect farmers in developing countries to reliable plant health information.

facebook/cabi.development

twitter.com/cabi_news

Plantwise is a global alliance, led by CABI, working together to improve food security and the lives of the rural poor by reducing crop losses.

How to train a plant doctor

Training of plant doctors is challenging but rewarding. The remit is daunting in that you are preparing the trainees to accept and comment on any crop with any problem no small task. One of the first things that has to be made clear is that no one can be an expert in every crop and every problem (trainer included) but general principles can be applied. The plant doctor training course was designed to be suitable for all and it really does work in that way. People with no agronomic experience at all leave feeling empowered and those with more advanced skills are generally impressed that their understanding of symptom recognition can be summarised so succinctly. How does the training work? It provides the basic principles and encourages the trainees to use their existing knowledge and to look with fresh eyes at problems. Ruling out various factors (well it is obviously not X, Y or Z) is the beginning of a diagnosis and that is what the training builds on. Many of them often say that they have never thought of diagnosis in that way. That way being with all the biology stripped out, the symptoms are what indicate the problem and the background biology is deliberately not included. The course is entirely one of matching causes to symptoms. When the training starts there is always a certain amount of trepidation. The idea of the title of Plant doctor both thrills and intimidates the trainees as (medical) doctors are seen as the pinnacle of learning in many countries. However, they soon settle down with a few ice breakers and begin to relax into the training. The first exercises involve examining plants and describing what they see, there is no technical requirement necessary here at all. After descriptions there are exercises that involve making broad brush diagnoses. The trainees have to decide if the problem in a photo is caused by an abiotic factor (wind damage nutrient deficiency, herbicide damage etc.) a biotic factor (parasites and pests as

BY PHIL TAYLOR

in order to be able to make correct diagnoses. One of the most important hand-outs they receive is a table of symptoms and causes of problems. This handy checker is an essential part of the plant doctor kit. They can cross reference the symptoms and causes so that they can tell if their diagnosis could be correct. Although pest and pathogens can give unique symptoms, many of them require careful examination and even the most experienced field worker cannot diagnose them with any certainty. That is why there is a component in the course which encourages plant doctors to forge links with diagnostic laboratories. If an internet and literature search cannot identify the problem (or if the symptoms are too nondescript) laboratory help is required. On the third and final day their newly acquired skills are put into practice, when they are required to run a plant clinic. Although nervous, with a bit of encouragement they soon usually realise that they can make sensible suggestions as to problems and what to do about them. Post training there is a debrief when they get to discuss their first experiences. Usually they are excited at having faced the public and they have a feeling of achievement. They leave with a certificate and trainer pack containing course summary and photosheets of common diseases on particular crops. The trainees tend to find the experience challenging but enjoyable. Stephen Byandala, a trainee in Uganda, summed up his feelings afterwards, The course was so good, enriching and hands on with practical experiences. He also brought home why plant doctor training is so important, plant clinics will go a long way in solving farmers pest and disease problems that are a threat to our food security.

Phil Taylor is a member of the Plantwise team, and has been involved in training plant doctors for several years. Plant doctors run plant clinics, where they give farmers diagnosis and treatment advice for crop pests and diseases. well as birds and mammals) or if they cannot diagnose it. Although some of the pictures are confusing, some of them are obvious and the trainees are encouraged to become bold in making a diagnosis (of abiotic or biotic) based on the photographs. The exercise is repeated with live specimens, which gently brings them to the idea of a diagnosis on a pest-crop combination they have never seen before. These presentations provide confidence in their abilities, convincing the trainees that they do not need to be experts

Plantwise is supported by:

To find out more visit www.plantwise.org or contact: Phil Abrahams, Market Development Director T: +44 (0)1491 829374 e: p.abrahams@cabi.org

LOSe LeSS, Feed MORe

www.plantwise.org