1 0 Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development _____________________________________________________________________ CARD Project Progress Report 037/06VIE Introduction of the principles of GAP for citrus through implementation of citrus IPM using Farmer Field Schools MS7 : 4 th Six-monthly Report (October 2008 to March 2009) 2 Key information about project Project Name Introduction of the principles of GAP for citrus through implementation of citrus IPM using Farmer Field Schools Vietnamese Institution Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Plant Protection Department Vietnamese Project Team Leader Mr Ngo Tien Dung Australian Organisation University of Western Sydney Australian Personnel Oleg Nicetic, Robert Spooner-Hart Date commenced March 2007 Completion date (original) August 2010 Completion date (revised) Reporting period April 2008 to September 2008 Contact Officer(s) In Australia: Team Leader Name: Oleg Nicetic (til 2/07/10) Robert Spooner-Hart (from 3/07/20) Telephone: +61245701329 Position: Research Program Coordinator Fax: +61245701103 Organisation University of Western Sydney Email: o.nicetic@uws.edu.au In Australia: Administrative contact Name: Gar Jones Telephone: +6124736 0631 Position: Director, Research Services Fax: +6124736 0905 Organisation University of Western Sydney Email: g.jones@uws.edu.au In Vietnam Name: Mr Ngo Tien Dung Telephone: +84-4-5330778 Position: National IPM coordinator Fax: +84-4-5330780 Organisation Plant Protection Department Email: ipmppd@fpt.vn 3 1. Project Abstract 2. Executive Summary All activities undertaken in the second six months in the second year of the project resulted in successful completion of all planned FFSs and 3 review workshops. Other outcomes achieved in the reporting period include printing of the Field Guide for Citrus Pests and Diseases, GLOBALG.A.P. certification of My Hoa Cooperative in Vinh Long province and satisfactory progress of VietGAP implementation in Dong Thap province. Within the reporting period a total of 57 FFS in 13 provinces were completed with 1710 farmers been successfully trained. Farmers increased their knowledge about the principles of GAP including record keeping, IPM, understanding of citrus orchard ecosystem, influence of pruning and tree density on yield and tree health, and understanding of the influence of organic and mineral nutrients on soil health and citrus orchard productivity. Review workshops were conducted at 3 locations in the North of Vietnam. At these workshops curriculum for FFSs specific for each province was developed. Team from VACVINA headed by Dr Vo Mai has been working with group of 11 farmers from Long Hau village, Lai Vung district, Dong Thap province for nearly 18 months. The implementation of Viet GAP with high level of support from local government has been progressing very well. Funds for the certification of the group were transferred to VACVINA and precertification auditing was performed. My Hoa cooperative in Vinh Long province was awarded GLOBALG.A.P. certification. Our project provided training of farmers and Metro provided funds for certification. The Field Guide for Citrus Pests and Diseases and brochure Guidelines for management of major pests and diseases in citrus were printed and distributed to farmers, extension officers and researchers. The key objective of this project is to align the Vietnamese citrus industry with world standard production practices and open opportunities for export markets. Adoption of sustainable integrated pest management (IPM) aligned to principles of good agricultural practice (GAP) leads to both economic and environmental benefits, and will enable Vietnamese citrus growers to be at the forefront of production in the Asia-Pacific region. Production of export quarantine-compliant citrus fruit with pesticide levels below international minimum residue levels (MRLs) as the result of this project will open new market opportunities in the competitive export markets and will enhance food safety for domestic consumption. The project is based on an interactive learning and action research paradigm, and uses the farmer field school (FFS) model. Leading research institutions from Southern and Northern Vietnam, together with extension officers from PPD and farmer organisations including VACVINA and Farmers Union are working together to produce a GAP procedures tailored to suit Vietnamese conditions. They are also work closely with the farmers on validation of the GAP manual and providing training of trainers and farmers in IPM and GAP through FFS. Project activities are conducted in 5 provinces in the Mekong delta and 8 provinces of Central and Northern Vietnam. The IPM component is based on practices developed in project 036/04 VIE which have been adjusted in consultation with key personnel from Northern Vietnam, to account for local conditions. 4 The management of the project performed very effectively resulting in on time implementation of all activities. 3. Introduction & Background Citrus fruit is one of the major fruit crops in Vietnam (MARD 2004) and citrus production is an important source of income for many Vietnamese farmers. However, productivity and production of citrus in Vietnam is considerably lower than in Australia and major citrus producing countries of the world such as Brazil and the USA. It has been stated by MARD that “in general, citrus cultivation has not been significantly developed over the past few years, largely because of the serious damage of pests and diseases, especially greening disease (officially known as huanglongbing) and therefore studies on their control methods, in combination with managing citrus plantations and using advanced and intensive technology is a vital necessity” (MARD 2004). The objectives of this project are to develop GAP production procedures for the Vietnamese citrus industry that will be published as a handbook and to introduce GAP practices using the FFS model. Through the FFS training program a national cadre of citrus IPM/GAP master trainers and provincial level FFS facilitator teams will be established. The key methodologies adopted are participatory based learning and action based research. The objective of both techniques is to fully engage participants and allow them to direct the learning and research to best meet their needs. A key component of this project is Training of Trainers and Master Trainers in citrus GAP including IPM. Trainers will conduct FFSs in their provinces and together with the trained farmers will become leaders in citrus production aligned to GAP. Multiple outputs from FFS training have been demonstrated in previous CARD projects in citrus. These include: farmer empowerment through increased knowledge of the agro- ecosystem; the conservation of biodiversity and protection of the environment through reduced pesticide application as a result of improved knowledge of pests and diseases and more effective control measures; increased food security through enhanced production; and protection of the health of farming communities and consumers of fruit through reduced pesticide use in fruit production. In addition to these outputs it is expected that this project will establish a locally relevant GAP framework and begin the process of implementation of these practices in citrus production. Implementation of GAP will open new market opportunities in both the domestic and export markets. 4. Progress to Date 4.1 Implementation Highlights The activities undertaken in the second six months in the second year of the project have resulted in all objectives being achieved and delivering outputs on time. The activities undertaken in this period are detailed below. 4.1.1. Completion of FFFs Successful implementation of the program for 2007 and beginning of 2008 has resulted in 98 trainers being effectively trained in citrus IPM and GAP. These trainers conducting FFS at 57 locations in 5 provinces in the Mekong Delta and 8 provinces in the northern part of Viet Nam (Table 1). 5 Table 1: Location of FFSs number of participants and gender ratio in 2008 Province Number of FFS Number of farmers trained ( CARD FFS only) Proportion of female participants (%) MEKONG DELTA Tien Giang 7 210 14 Dong Thap 2 60 3 Vinh Long 6 180 3 Can Tho 6 180 12 Ben Tre 4 120 16 Sub-Total 25 750 9.6 NORTHERN VIETNAM Ha Tinh 4 120 36 Nghe An 4 120 35 Hoa Binh 4+1* 120 28 Ha Tay 4 120 25 Phu Tho 4 120 39 Yen Bai 4 120 29 Tuyen Quang 4 120 21 Ha Giang 4 120 17 Sub-Total 32+1* 960 28.75 TOTAL 57+1 1710 19.17 * Funded by local government A total of 1710 farmers have been trained in 2008 of which 19.17% were female (Table 1). Participation of women was significantly higher in the Northern Vietnam where female participation was 29% with Phu Tho province recording 39% female participation. In Mekong delta female participation was only 9.6% with Ben Tre recording highest female participation of 16%. Curriculum framework was similar to the curriculum in 2007 and it contained a total of 21 sessions that were held during the growing season covering topics presented in Annex 1 of Progress report 3. Management team consisting of Dr Duc from PPD Hanoi, Mr Loc from Regional Centre 4 in Vinh and Oleg Nicetic from UWS have visited all FFS in June and November of 2008 and Dr Duc and Mr Loc made an additional visit in September 2008. FFSs curriculum even though followed 2007 framework was much more focused on addressing specific problems indentified in Rapid appraisal conducted in June 2008 (see Progress report 3). 4.1.2. Review workshops Within the reporting period review workshops were conducted in Ha Thin on 21/11/08, in Ha Tay on 25/11/08 and in Yen Bai on 27/11/08. A program and protocol for activities at the review workshops are presented in Annex 1and Annex 2. At the workshop it was decided to select 2 out of 4 FFSs conducted in 2008 and continue with activities and training in 2009 (Phu Tho province continued with all 4 FFSs and provided finance for 2 out of 4 FFSs). To meet farmers’ specific needs in this second season of FFSs trainers in cooperation with researchers from PPRI and PPD’s research centres developed curriculums for their own provinces (Annex 3). This represent significant step in capacity building of PPD staff in provinces and we expect it will enhance training of farmers. 6 Two season FFSs in the North as reported in previous progress reports are necessary to make any significant improvement in farmers’ practices since knowledge of farmers who participate in our program with exception of farmers in few FFSs in Hoa Binh and Yen Bai is significantly behind the knowledge of farmers in Mekong delta and our initial curriculum was mainly developed on Mekong delta experiences. 4.1.3. Implementation of GAP As reported in previous progress reports team from VACVINA headed by Dr Vo Mai has been working with group of 11 farmers from Long Hau village, Lai Vung district, Dong Thap province. The implementation of Viet GAP with high level of support from local government has been progressing very well. Funds for certification of the group were transferred to VACVINA and precertification auditing was performed. My Hoa cooperative in Vinh Long province was awarded GLOBALG.A.P. certification. Our project provided training of farmers and Metro provided funds for certification. 4.1.4. Pest and Diseases Field Guide for North of Viet Nam Pest and Diseases Field Guide for North of Viet Nam was printed and distributed to PPD staff, extension officers in provincial DARD and to farmers. Feedback received from extension officers and PPD staff is very positive and they find book very useful and practical reference material. However for farmers book is still too technical with too many information so it is not easy to use specially not as practical field guide. To overcome that problem simple, very practical 2 pages Guide for management of major pest and diseases was printed on waterproof paper and distributed to farmers. Acceptance of this simple brochure by farmer was very good. Sample of the brochure is shown in Annex 4. 4.1.5. On farm record keeping system On farm record keeping system continue to be widely use even after FFS completion. 4.2 Capacity Building The institutional capacity of the PPD to facilitate farmer participatory training is high and this project is further enhancing that capacity by addressing capability gaps in relation to specific knowledge about GAP. In the second year of the project trainers working with farmers on implementation of elements of GAP related to IPM, farmers and environmental safety, and record keeping. At the review workshop it became clear that trainers understanding of GAP improved but there is still lot of conceptual confusion in differentiation between IPM and GAP. At refresher TOTs the concept of GAP and potential impacts of GAP implementation were studied and discussed. At the end of the TOT the GAP implementation strategies were drafted. Forming linkages between all stakeholders involved in the project is a critical component of capacity building and all efforts are being made to build linkages between institutions in Northern and Southern Vietnam. This project has successfully facilitated sharing of expertise and knowledge related to GAP between stakeholders from Mekong delta, who have higher levels of GAP knowledge and experience, and stakeholders from the Northern provinces with less exposure to GAP. The very important linkage has been established between PPD staff and non-government organisation VACVINA that now driving implementation of GAP. 7 Development of specific curriculum for each of 8 provinces in the North is significant proof of increased capacity of PPD staff. 4.3 Training Programs Training is a major component of this project and during 2007 it has been conducted at two levels. At the trainers’ level 10 master trainers completed a 4 day workshop in Hanoi and a total of 98 extension officers, mainly from PPD but some from ARD and NGOs, received training in citrus IPM and GAP. These trainers then facilitated a total of 24 FFSs in their local regions funded by CARD and an additional 17 FFSs funded by provincial government. In 2008 trainers facilitated further 57 FFSs. At the farmers level training focussed on integrated crop management that included IPM, plant nutrition and pruning. In regards to GAP training, the focus has been on record keeping. At workshops in November 2007 and refresher TOTs in February-March 2008 it was concluded that in Northern Vietnam the focus should remain on Integrated Crop Management (ICM) and record keeping while in Mekong delta other elements of GAP may be included in FFS curriculum. Refresher TOTs were used for discussion about GAP principles and the ways GAP can be implemented in Vietnam. Discussion focused particularly on the role of cooperatives in implementation of GAP. Another important part of refresher TOTs was the identification of pests and diseases in the orchard and practical exercises to calibrate knapsack and calculate dose of pesticide applied. Participants also assessed spray coverage of citrus canopy. At the end of refresher TOTs practical exercises for FFS orchards were designed and they have been implemented over last 12 months. Trainers developed curriculum specific for each province which will be implemented in 2009. 4.4 Publicity A finding of the pre-intervention survey was that the best way to disseminate information to farmers through the media is by television, as more than 90% of all farmers have a television set in their own home. Every province in Vietnam has a local television station and as 70% of the population live in rural areas, the level of content relating to agricultural matters is high. In Mekong delta television reporters have been invited to all major project events such as meetings and the opening and closing of FFS. Vietnamese project team regulary participate in program “Farmer’s bridge” on several local TV stations in Mekong delta. Unfortunatly there is no similar media coverage in the North. Oleg Nicetic presented paper “Learning by doing: Designing and conducting impact assessment studies for citrus Farmer Field Schools in Vietnam” at AgSAP conference in Egmond an Zee in the Netherlands. Paper was well received and it resulted in fruitful discussion. 4.4 Project Management After adjustments made to management structure within the first year of the project and reported in 2 nd Six-monthly report project management worked efficiently in current reporting period. 8 . 5. Report on Cross-Cutting Issues 5.1 Environment The focus of FFS is to increase the farmers understanding of the ecosystem and the impact of human influences on it. This approach has the potential to reduce the detrimental impacts of human activities on the environment. The IPM strategies farmers learn and implementation of GAP should result in improved ecosystem health. At this stage of the project it is too early to detect any evidence of environmental improvement. 5.2 Gender and Social Issues In the training of master trainers and trainers about 30% of the total number of trainers was females. This proportion of males and females is reflective of the overall PPD trainer gender balance. In the Mekong delta only 9% of trained farmers were woman and in Northern Vietnam woman participation was 29%. This reflects the differences in traditional roles of women between the regions. All project activities are strongly supported by local government and farmer organisations including the Farmers Union and The Women’s Union. Participants in FFS are encouraged to actively engage with their local community and share knowledge acquired in FFS. From previous CARD projects we have evidence that the FFS participants became the founders and core members of farmer’s clubs and cooperatives and it can be anticipated that FFS participants will become actively involved in dissemination of their newly acquired information in this project as well. 6. Implementation Issues 6.1 Issues and Constraints There were no major issues in this reporting period. 6.2 Options 7. Next Critical Steps In the next 6 months 18 FFSs will be completed in 8 provinces in the North of Vietnam. Implementation of VietGAP in Dong Thap province will be completed and certification sought. . 8. Conclusion 9 All project objectives were accomplished according to schedule (with exception of progress report submission) and activities on all remaining objectives progressing well. Capacity of trainers to critically assess training needs of farmers and develop curriculum to meet those needs improved significantly over the course of the project. Implementation of province specific curriculums has been progressing well over last 3 months of the reporting period. GLOBALG.A.P. certification was granted to My Hoa cooperative and implementation of Viet GAP in Dong Thap reached pre-certification auditing stage. Book and brochure printed within reporting period were distributed to farmers and extension officers. 9. Sign-Off Prepared by Oleg Nicetic, Ngo Tien Dung and Ho Van Chien Authorised by: Countersigned by: [Vietnamese Team Leader] Date: 16 November 2007 10 Project Progress Against Proposed Objectives, Outputs, Activities And Inputs Project Title: Introduction of the principles of GAP for citrus trough implementation of citrus IPM using Farm Field School Vietnamese Implementing Institution: Plant Protection Department PROPOSAL PROGRESS REPORT Narrative Information Required Performance Measures Assumptions/Risks Information Required OBJECTIVES 1 2 3 To develop GAP manual for citrus that includes IPM guidelines that are compliant with GAP standards To establish a national cadre of citrus IPM/GAP master trainers and province level FFS facilitator teams. Enhanced capacity of farmers to implement citrus IPM compliant with GAP standards GAP manual and IPM guidelines compliant with GAP standards and suitable for local conditions exist. Training of master trainers at national level conducted and reported. Training of trainers at regional level conducted and reported. Cadre of competent national master trainers and provincial FFS facilitators exist to champion GAP principles and IPM aligned to GAP in their region. Citrus IPM/GAP FFS conducted. Trained farmers knowledge on citrus IPM and GAP increased. Trained farmer implement IPM aligned to GAP (commenced in Low risk because of MARD need to comply with APPPC requirements. Study is also aligned with VACVINA/VinaFruit strategic goals to develop export oriented citrus industry hence proponents will have high level of institutional support. Low risk because high self motivation of master trainers, high level of institutional support and for reasons stated in 2.1. Low risk. See 2.1 and high level of community and institutional support to achieve the objective. All objectives remain highly relevant and satisfactory progress was made in the first six months of teh second year towards their achievement. [...]... safety and protection of health of farming communities and consumer of fruits 4 Develop procedures/formats for compliance with EUREPGAP/ASIAGAP in areas other then IPM but related to IPM including onfarm recording system formats and responsible/safe use, handling and storage of pesticide and post-harvest handling Increased capacity of citrus industry to implement GAP and be prepared for new market conditions... was performed in all 13 provinces Data were analysed and reported Report was accepted by PMU 11 2) 3) 4) 5) GAP and the integration of IPM into GAP Knowledge and skills on GAP/ IPM of 15 Master Trainers, 90 Trainers and a representative sample of 2880 participating farmers Current GAP/ IPM practices of representative sample of participating farmers including production levels and financial analysis of costs... North of Vietnam) competent in citrus IPM aligned to GAP Trainers successfully facilitate at least one FFS within the course of project Competency will be assessed by critical self-evaluation and by master trainers 3.1 2880 farmers with improved capacity to implement IPM aligned to GAP Farmers successfully graduate from FFS Implementation of IPM program aligned to GAP commenced during the course of FFS... trainers using draft IPM programs (developed in 1.2.1) Programs will be verified during the first year of FFSs and refined at the review workshop at the end of the first year of the project Refined programs will be verified during the second year of the project IPM strategies verified by farmers, extension officers and scientists Written feedback will be required from trainers Report on IPM strategies peer... information on knowledge, skills attitudes and practices of PDD, SRPCC, NIPP, CU, SOFRI, VACVINA, VinaFruit and SPC on GAP and the integration of IMP into GAP b) Knowledge and skills on GAP/ IPM of 15 Master Trainers, 90 Trainers and a representative sample of 2880 participating farmers c) changed GAP/ IPM practices of representative sample of participating farmers including production levels and Evaluation... year of project Diversity of Vietnamese citrus industry: How to accommodate specific needs of farmers from different provinces in the third year of the project Coffee break and Group photo Topic 1: Evaluation of FFSs in 2008 using rich picture, diagrams and mapping– achievements, difficulties, skills farmers adopted and skills that farmers need more training for to be able to use Topic 2: Mapping farmers... Drafting of curriculum for 2009 Using the tables developed in the first activities where needs for improvement were indentified, the participants will draft curriculum for next year specific for their provinces FFS will have twelve sessions spread over the season Sessions should be conducted in each of the indentified phases 25 Annex 3: Curriculum developed specificali for each province 3.1 Curriculum for. .. for further intervention to achieve objectives and outcomes This table will be specific for each province Example table showing the kind of information expected to be collected Objective/expected Achievements in 2008 FFS Needs to be address in 2009 FFS outcome 1 Increase farmers knowledge of citrus orchard agro-ecosystem i Farmer Farmers become aware of Farmers knowledge how to importance of the balance... farmers, extension officers and wholesalers in each of 13 provinces in regard to GAP principles and current practices Also conduct interviews with exporters and researchers in the Northern and Southern parts of Vietnam Interviews conducted, results recorded Completed 1.1.3 Conduct survey of current practices in relation to all 14 principles of GAP Survey analysed Results reported ACTIVITIES 1.1.1 using. .. trainers Implementation of IPM program aligned to GAP verified through farmer record keeping First year of training successfully completed by all 90 trainers Trainers completed first year of FFS and commenced the second year All (57) FFS planed for 2008 completed on time All FFS enrolled 30 participants what means that 1710 farmers was trained Dr Nguyen Van Hoa and his team from SOFRI completed GAP manual . project Project Name Introduction of the principles of GAP for citrus through implementation of citrus IPM using Farmer Field Schools Vietnamese Institution Ministry of Agriculture and Rural. the principles of GAP for citrus through implementation of citrus IPM using Farmer Field Schools MS7 : 4 th Six-monthly Report (October 2008 to March 2009) 2 Key information about. Outputs, Activities And Inputs Project Title: Introduction of the principles of GAP for citrus trough implementation of citrus IPM using Farm Field School Vietnamese Implementing Institution: