Knowledge in the palm of a farmer’s hand203.64.245.61/web_docs/media/newsletter/2015/005... ·...

Knowledge in the palm of a farmer’s hand

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5 June 2015 avrdc.org

Vegetable

germplasm

training course

Pages 7-9

Knowledge is power, and vegetable growers in the

Arusha region of Tanzania just got a little stronger with the launch of VegOneX, an SMS/radio vegetable price

information service developed by AVRDC – The World

Vegetable Center.

Competitive market systems require sellers and buyers

to be well informed about supply, demand and prices. Price collusion and other exploitative practices can

occur when markets lack transparency and one party

has more or better information than the others.

Roundtable on pest

and disease issues

in Tanzania for USAID’s Feed the

Future IPM

Innovation Lab

Pages 16-17

(above) Members of the VegOneX team bring much-needed market information to Arusha farmers. (left) Without up-to-date details about prices and other market information, farmers may not get a fair price for their produce.

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In sub-Saharan Africa, farmers

often experience difficulty

obtaining accurate information from traders and wholesalers.

Without up-to-date details about

market fluctuations, farmers may end up selling their produce at

lower prices.

Prices are determined by vegetable supply and demand; they fluctuate

because the crops are perishable.

Vegetable farmers are vulnerable due to the volatility of fresh

produce prices.

VegOneX aims to help rectify that

situation by ensuring vegetable

farmers have the necessary

information to make good crop management decisions and to

obtain fair prices for their crops.

“We collect information on

standard transaction costs, such as

market entry fees, transport,

labeling, loading and off-loading, as well as daily vegetable prices from

Arusha’s vegetable retail and

wholesale markets,” said Agricultural Economist

Srinivasulu Rajendran, who

created VegOneX with

Socioeconomist Victor Afari-Sefa and IT Manager Bharath

Krishnan, supported by funding

from the Center’s Innovation Fund.

Research Associate Eliaza Mkuna

compiles the raw data on alternate

days, after which it is condensed, aggregated, statistically tested, and

disseminated to farmers via SMS.

The SMS service is prepared every week by Farm Radio International

(FRI). Local radio station Radio 5

broadcasts voice messages with the

price information to thousands of listeners.

Farmers in Arusha use their mobile phones to send an SMS text

message of a vegetable crop name

(in Swahili) to a local number (+255-789212140). The sender will

receive the latest weekly wholesale

and retail price for that particular

crop. For instance, by texting Nyanya, farmers will receive price

information about tomato from

wholesalers and retailers at Arusha’s Kilombero Market. More

than 100 farmers are now using the

service.

“Although our Field Investigators

Zablon Ernest and Fides Nsingi

collect daily price data, we present it on a weekly basis,” said

Srinivasulu. The data is collected

from 8 to 10 wholesale and retail traders who are willing to share

information; by aggregating the

data weekly, price information is

evened out so that farmers can make decisions with less risk.

Efficient market information has positive benefits for farmers,

traders and consumers. Policy

makers can also benefit by using the information for forecasting,

planning, and policy formulation.

Farmers will soon be able to receive voice messages at the same mobile

phone number to obtain additional

information about price trends and figures on marketing and

transaction costs. Farmers will also

be able to contact traders that

might be interested in buying what they have to sell. Consumers can

use the service as well, to learn

about differences in wholesale and retail prices for vegetables, and to

get a better idea of approximate

vegetable retail prices.

A double “A” meeting

3 CORNUCOPIA

Members of two associations in

which AVRDC holds membership met on 12 May 2015 in Bangkok,

Thailand to explore issues of

mutual interest.

The Asia-Pacific Association of

Agricultural Research

Institutions (APAARI) facilitates regional networking and innovative

partnerships among national

research systems and others to

foster sustainable and productive agriculture through research for

development. The Association of

International Research Centres for Agriculture

(AIRCA) focuses on increasing the

efficiency of smallholder

agriculture through healthy landscapes that improve livelihoods

and food security.

AVRDC Director General and

current AIRCA Chair Dyno

Keatinge and AVRDC East and

Southeast Asia Regional Director

Fen Beed participated in the APAARI Executive Committee

meeting at the Rama Gardens Hotel

in Bangkok. Among the key

decisions was approval of a proposal for an additional seat to

represent AIRCA and universities

(Higher Education Sector) on the APAARI Executive Committee.

Ragunath Ghodake, APAARI

Executive Secretary, expressed his

appreciation to have AIRCA present on the Executive Committee, and

said he looks forward to active

engagement with the association to realize the vision of enhancing food

and nutrition security, economic

and social well-being, and the

integrity of the environment.

AIRCA relations were further

strengthened during a partnership meeting hosted by AIRCA member

organization CABI on 21 May 2015

at the Grand Mercure Bangkok

Fortune Hotel, Bangkok. CABI regional directors and senior staff

led by CABI Executive Director for

International Development,

Dennis Rangi, met with strategic partners, including AVRDC’s Fen

Beed.

AIRCA

www.airca.org

APAARI

www.apaari.org

CABI

www.cabi.org

34th International Vegetable Training Course

4 CORNUCOPIA

The tradition continues! AVRDC –

The World Vegetable Center’s 34th International Vegetable

Training Course, 14

September – 4 December

2015, aims to strengthen participants’ technical, scientific

and managerial skills to contribute

to the sustainable development of their countries through the

increased production and

consumption of health-promoting

vegetables. The training emphasizes advanced and sustainable vegetable

production and postharvest

technologies, farmer education, marketing, and human health and

nutrition. In addition, the training

enhances awareness and

understanding of emerging global development issues and

technologies.

The three one-month modules held

at AVRDC East and Southeast Asia

Research and Training Station,

Kamphaeng Saen, Thailand can be taken singly or as a whole:

Module I: From Seed to

Harvest (14 September – 9 October 2015)

Module II: From Harvest to

Table (12 October – 6 November 2015)

Module III: Sustainable Development (9 November – 4

December 2015)

Don’t delay—register today!

http://avrdc.org/34th-international-

vegetable-training-course/

Course brochure

http://avrdc.org/download/

ivtc/34th%20IVTC%20-%

20Brochure_28May14_mm_rev.pdf

Application form

http://avrdc.org/download/

ivtc/34th_IVTC_Application_Form.d

oc

2014 Annual Report

2014: A year to reflect, adjust and act. The Center’s 8th External Program and

Management Review (EPMR) involved all offices and many staff, who shared their candid observations and ideas for future activities with the EPMR Panel. AVRDC researchers

published nearly 80 articles, more than half of those in journals with impact factors; many

are available from the AVRDC Library Online (http://avrdclibrary.org/page?pid=70).

The Center carried out 171 training activities in 14 countries, reaching more than 12,000 beneficiaries (61% women), including Jind Doraiburu, a women farmer in Jharkhand,

India who learned how to grow cucumbers on a trellis to improve her harvest and income.

Open Day 2014 in December closed the year, bringing thousands of visitors to AVRDC’s headquarters in Shanhua, Tainan for a closer look at the Center’s crops and campus. Read

more in the 2014 Annual Report!

2014 Annual Report

http://avrdc.org/download/publications/annual-reports/Annual%20Report%202014.pdf

5 CORNUCOPIA

The Center in the news

AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center is

proud to be listed among the “15 Protectors of Bidoversity,” as noted by FoodTank, the

think tank about food.

http://foodtank.com/news/2015/05/international-day-of-biodiversity-idb2015

Postharvest Specialist Jun Acedo was quoted on the Mongabay website in an article

on the use of gum arabic as a food coating:

http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0513-parshley-gum-arabic-food-coating.html

“The World Vegetable Center is in Tainan”—a

fact that won’t be lost on members of the Taiwan American Chamber of Commerce, who

read about the Center’s activities in the May

issue of Taiwan Business Topics:

http://www.amcham.com.tw/topics/2015/05/the-world-vegetable-center-is-in-tainan/

The 10th Steering

Committee Meeting of the ASEAN-AVRDC

Regional Network for

Vegetable Research and

Development (AARNET) held on 24-25 March 2015

was covered in the Vientiane

Times, an English-language daily newspaper in Lao PDR.

She may have spent 37 years working in the AVRDC

headquarters greenhouses, but Wu Su-jean is no hothouse flower. As an aide in the Biotechnology/Molecular

Breeding group, Su-jean worked tirelessly to ensure plants

for numerous experiments were well tended to produce

accurate results. Su-jean maintained greenhouses and screenhouses, made crosses between plants to produce

populations, ensured plants were appropriately labeled,

took plant samples, harvested and labeled seed, and supervised laborers involved in various tasks. Su-jean

retired on 26 May 2015. We thank her for her valuable

contributions to the Center over past three decades and

more, and wish her all the best!

Farewell

Wu Su-jean, with supervisor Roland Schafleitner (4th from right), Head of Molecular Genetics, and co-workers after a farewell party hosted by the Center.

6 CORNUCOPIA

ePhyto: Online phytosanitary certificates for international trade

From Rural 21, 20 April 2015

The creation of a new global

electronic certification system

that will help curb the spread of

plant pests and diseases

through international trade in a

more secure and cost-effective

way has been approved by

representatives from 181

countries.

The Commission on

Phytosanitary Measures (CPM),

the governing body of the

International Plant Protection

Convention (IPPC), agreed in

March 2015 to develop a global

system of electronic

phytosanitary certificates,

known as ePhyto.

The complex, bureaucratic

process whereby millions of

paper phytosanitary certificates

are created, printed, and

exchanged between countries

each year will eventually be

replaced by this online system.

The current paper certificates

serve to reassure importers that

plant products, including food,

have been inspected and found

to be free of pests that could

devastate local economies by

harming agriculture or the

environment.

ePhyto is expected to simplify

and reduce the cost of global

trade, increase the ability of

countries to identify items that

pose a high risk, and reduce the

potential for fraud. The CPM

endorsed a request to the

Standards and Trade

Development Facility of the

World Trade Organization

(WTO) to provide funds for the

initial establishment of ePhyto.

The IPPC is also planning a pilot

project to build capacity in

developing countries to enable

them to join ePhyto on a

gradual basis. Several countries

are already using some form of

electronic certification,

including Australia, Canada,

Kenya, the Republic of Korea,

the Netherlands, New Zealand

and the United States.

ePhyto:

http://ephyto.ippc.int/

7 CORNUCOPIA

Quick response produces results

After an expert consultation on

“Climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies for vegetables

in Southeast Asia”, held 26 March

2015 in Pakse, Lao PDR, the

ASEAN-AVRDC Regional Network on Vegetable

Research and Development

(AARNET) Steering Committee prioritized as an immediate need

capacity building on germplasm

collection, characterization, and conservation, along with standard

protocols for use by ASEAN

countries.

AVRDC responded quickly by

organizing a two-week vegetable

germplasm training course from 18-29 May 2015 at AVRDC

headquarters for 11 participants

from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines,

Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and

Taiwan.

The course covered adaptation of

germplasm to climate change;

collecting and handling seed in the field; seed regeneration and quality

(Clockwise from left): Participants practice grafting skills; screening for resistance to fungal disease; evaluating tomato plants in the field; screening tomato for resistance to bacterial diseases.



5

4

3 2

1

6

preservation; seed extraction;

germination testing; morphological characterization of

vegetable crops; and more. In

hands-on sessions, the

participants learned how to graft seedlings, and employ various

methods to screen rootstocks and

seedlings for resistance to pests, viruses, and fungal and bacterial

diseases, as well as screen for

tolerance to salinity and heat.

Field trips to Taiwan’s Endemic Species Research Institute in

Nantou County, the Fengshan

Tropical Horticultural Experiment Branch in Kaohsiung,

and the Dr. Cecilia Koo Botanic

Conservation and Environmental

Protection Foundation in Pingtung County gave students a

closer look at other institutions

involved in conservation and management of agricultural

diversity.

More than 20 AVRDC staff members served as resource

persons for the training course.

AVRDC Genebank manager Andreas Ebert thanked his

colleagues for sharing their

knowledge and screening

protocols with the participants, and also acknowledged the

excellent administrative support

from Letty Lin, Genebank Secretary. “She did a fantastic job

with all the organizational aspects

of the training, including the

personal needs and wishes of the trainees,” Andreas said. “Without

her skills and dedication we

would not have been able to run this training course so smoothly

and efficiently.”

8 CORNUCOPIA

Photo 1:

Lab screening for resistance to fungal disease.

Photos 2-5:

Legume, eggplant, capsicum and tomato characterization.

Photo 6:

Field trip to Fengshan Tropical Horticultural Experiment Branch in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.



On Vannak On-Vannak General Directorate of Agriculture, MAFF Cambodia

Suwarni Tri Rahayu Indonesian Vegetables Research Institute Indonesia

Juanita Guevarra Calibo BPI-Los Baños National Crop Research Development & Production Support Center Philippines

Ya-Lan Chang Dr. Cecilia Koo Botanic Conservation Center and Environmental Protection Foundation, Taiwan

Chun Ming Chen Dr. Cecilia Koo Botanic Conservation Center and Environmental Protection Foundation, Taiwan

Hong Thi Tran Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute (FAVRI) Vietnam

Ann Nee Wong Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Malaysia

Tounglien Vilayphone National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute, Lao PDR

Nor Hazlina Mat Sa’at Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) Malaysia

Satja Prasongsap Department of Agriculture (DOA) Thailand

Cliff An Ting Tham Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore Singapore

Course participants

9 CORNUCOPIA

Some comments participants shared in

their course evaluation sheets:

The new technologies and knowledge of all that

I have gained from this training at AVRDC will

serve my country and will be transferred to

farmers and other technical staff or extension workers.

Excellent! I have gained a lot of knowledge, developed new linkages with AVRDC staff and

ASEAN countries.

The contents of the training course are interrelated with my job scope. This will be

very useful for me to manage project-related

activities in my home country.

This training gave me all the new technologies

and knowledge that I did not know before I attended this training course.

It was an eye-opener experience for me to have

a full image on how an agricultural research center operates under a systematic framework.

This training course involved all of the research

units at AVRDC, which has given a good image on how every unit is interrelated and

cooperates to improve a specific crop.

I really like the people and scientific

environment here. I had a great time in this

Center with kind trainers and the other trainees. The most important thing is about the

knowledge, which I gained at your Center—this

is very exciting and useful.

10NEWS FROM THE REGIONS

Heavy rains prove the value of grafting in the Solomon Islands

Grafting continues to gain traction

among farmers in the Solomon Islands who are learning to use the

method to produce tomato in the

rainy season. Local AVRDC staff

grafted ‘Rose’s Choice’ tomato scions onto rootstocks of one of

AVRDC’s flood-tolerant eggplant

lines, EG 195. A total of 238 grafted seedlings were distributed in March

2015 to interested farmers and two

Rural Training Centers (RTCs) east

of Honiara. Those who received these materials had attended a

grafting training session conducted

by AVRDC staff in November 2014.

The Islanders Grassroot

Farmers Association of Burns

Creek on the outskirts of Honiara received 106 grafted seedlings and

grew them alongside non-grafted

plants in the field. In mid-May, heavy rain fell continuously for

more than three days, causing

flooding and waterlogging. Less than a week after the heavy rainfall,

the farmers observed that all their

non-grafted tomato plants at

fruiting stage had wilted, while the grafted plants survived. The women

and men farmers of the association

expressed satisfaction and excitement with this result, and are

looking forward to selling the fruit

produced by the grafted plants.

With tomatoes typically in short supply in Honiara’s central market

during the wet season, the farmers

expect to fetch good prices for their crop.

“All of us have been convinced that

grafting can enable us to grow and produce tomatoes for the market

during rainy season because we

have seen how grafted plants survived in our very own plots,”

said Michael Kalibiu, the

association’s lead farmer. Other farmers in the Burns Creek area

saw that the grafted plants

survived, and now they have

expressed interest in adopting the technology.

Only a few members of the association participated in the

November training, so Kalibu

requested AVRDC staff to conduct

another training session for association members, especially

women. He also seeks assistance

with sourcing grafting materials, especially the rubber tubing used to

join the graft, which is not available

locally. The AVRDC team in the

Solomons is delighted by the high level of enthusiasm demonstrated

by members of the association, and

will continue to promote grafting to interested farmers.

(left): Farmers Michael (front and inset) and Dani (behind) show their trial plot of grafted tomato plants. The grafted plants survived heavy rains and waterlogged soils to produce good quality fruit. (right): Two students from the Suva Rural Training Centre east of Honiara in their school plot with vigorously growing grafted plants after continuous rainfall.

11 NEWS FROM THE REGIONS

Chili on the value chain in Karnataka

For the chili farmers of Giriyapura

village in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka, selling their produce in

the local market was an uphill task.

Faced with restrictive local market

practices and intense competition, their profits slumped year after

year.

“First, the buyers complained of the

excessive use of pesticides and then

the middlemen removed nearly 4%

of the produce because of what they called ‘wastage,’” said 40-year-old

local farmer Mr. Halappa. “The

scales were not electronic, which meant the weighing was not

accurate.” Market middlemen

offered low prices of not more than

Rs 80/kg for the produce.

The value chain approach to

vegetable marketing promoted by AVRDC – The World Vegetable

Center has made all the difference

to Giriyapura’s chili producers. With support from the Karnataka

government, AVRDC’s

interventions in the village under

the Bhoochetana Plus project set out to address farmers’ concerns.

Center staff began working with 25 farmers cultivating three varieties

of chilies, Devanoor, Byadgi and

Kadi, getting three harvests a year

from 60 acres of land. Chilies were sold as dry spices for use in local

food, and could also be sold to

processors for the extraction of high value oleoresin from the pods.

After refinement, the oleoresin is

exported to the USA, Japan and

Europe, but increasing contamination from pesticides has

restricted the ability of local

processors to meet the exacting standards of these markets.

In January 2014, the AVRDC team

conducted two training sessions in the village on integrated pest

management (IPM) for chili. As

farmers started adopting the IPM

practices, their yields increased, along with product quality.

“We managed to get at least 500 kg of dry chili per acre, “said Mr.

Hiranyamurthy, a veteran farmer

from the village. “In some fields the yield was almost 900 kg. Things

were looking up for us.” Random

samples of locally produced chili

were then analyzed for pesticide residue by the Spices Board Lab.

Negative results were obtained.

AVRDC linked the farmers’ group with a private oleoresin buyer,

Paprika Oleos (India) Ltd. from

Tamil Nadu, which was seeking

produce with assured low levels of pesticide residue. The value-chain

intervention helped farmers

maximize profits as Paprika Oleos decided to purchase chili at a price

of Rs 110-120 per kg, which was

higher than the local market price.

“We began to experience significant

gains,” said Mr. Halappa. “The

quality of the crop is better when compared to that of other farmers

in nearby villages. Weighing is

more accurate as the buyer uses

digital scales and we lose no

produce to wastage. We are saving on transportation and handling

charges and the buyer pays us in

cash. With each harvest, I am able

to secure a profit of Rs. 15,000 per acre.”

The farmers dry the chilies on rooftops and open spaces. Details of

planting material, nutrient and pest

management inputs, harvesting,

drying, sampling for quality, and sales are recorded for each crop,

providing assurance for the

processor and international buyers.

Mr. Hiranyamurthy organized the

farmers to meet once a month to discuss issues and share tips. “We

aim to form a cooperative society to

support and encourage other chili

farmers in the nearby villages,” he said. “There are growing concerns

of excessive use of pesticides in

vegetable farming all across the Chikmagalur district. Our approach

and practices are surely the

solution to this issue. We hope to

spread this message as widely as possible.”


Certified onion seed and bulbs revive hopes of growers in Pakistan

The Malakand Division in the

remote corner of Pakistan traditionally has been an onion seed

producing area. Yet over the past

three years, mounting impediments

to seed production dimmed the prospect of successful seed harvests

for members of the Shuga Seed

Growers Association in Bunir district.

Seed output decreased in the

district as it became increasingly difficult for farmers to obtain onion

mother bulbs from certified and

authentic sources. The prevalence of diseases—purple blotch in

particular—severely damaged crops

in the region last year. In 2014,

farmers managed to produce only 400-500 kg of onion seed,

compared to the usual quantity of

2500-3000 kg. Many farmers considered discontinuing seed

production altogether.

AVRDC - The World Vegetable

Center, under the Agricultural

Innovation Program (AIP) for

Pakistan, eased the situation by supplying certified seed and onion

mother bulbs to farmers through

the Agriculture Research Institute (North), Mingora, Swat. Certified

seed is grown and processed under

(left to right): Cutting onion mother bulbs; An AVRDC Vegetable Seed Specialist points out purple blotch symptoms to farmers; training for onion seed crop management at the Shuga Seed Growers Association in Bunir district.

stringent production requirements;

the quality management ensures varietal purity, so that farmers will

get the varieties they want.

Training helped to ensure that good practices will be followed by seed

farmers. Four farmers were trained

on onion seed production and crop management. Twenty-two growers

attended sessions on pest

management and disease control,

with an emphasis on controlling thrips and purple blotch. Farmers

were advised to diversify their onion

monocrops with other crops such as okra and peas.

Most of the people living in in mountain-locked Malakand depend

on agriculture for their livelihoods.

Numerous vegetable crops,

including onion, are grown for

subsistence and commercial

purposes. Linking seed-producing farmers with seed dealers in the

main markets of Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa could help the

farmers increase their incomes.

The onion crop in Malakand

contributed 92% (145,068 tons) of the total provincial production and

89% (7,872 hectares) to the total

area planted in 2011-12.

The activities were undertaken as

part of AIP for Pakistan funded by

the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

and supported by the International

Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Pakistan

Agricultural Research Council

(PARC).

(left to right): Planting mother bulbs in the onion seed field at the Shuga Seed Growers Association.


Empowering Pakistan’s women to improve farm productivity

AVRDC South Asia is making a

continuous effort to maximize the contribution of women to

agricultural development in

Pakistan by implementing specific

solutions to the social and technological challenges they face.

When frost damaged vegetable nurseries in the Malam Jabba

valley of Swat, AVRDC and the

Agricultural Research Institute

(ARI), Mingora organized a one-day training program focused on

nursery management, including

sowing under plastic covers, for 21 women farmers on 4 March 2015 at

Kakot. The course covered healthy

vegetable seedling production, site

selection, soil media, soil bed preparation, seed choice, seed

sowing, and seed germination.

Many of the participants were not

aware of the raised bed planting

method, nor were they familiar with using plastic covers to protect

tender seedlings from frost

damage.

Ms. Alia, a research officer at ARI,

briefed the farmers on the

characteristics of quality seed, and

offered tips and techniques to enhance seed germination.

Consultant Shakeela Naz

demonstrated the advantages of

line sowing over broadcasting, irrigation management practices,

disease and insect management,

and weeding. AVRDC Research Associate Iqbal Hussain

facilitated the training. Each

participant received a seed kit and

planting tray.

At a training session in Chevanda-

Faisalabad (Punjab) in April, 20 women agriculture workers mostly

involved in the handling and

picking of vegetables in the field

raised important questions about pesticide use: How harmful are

pesticides to humans and the soil?

What precautionary measures should workers take when working

in fields sprayed with pesticides?

How can workers avoid contact

with pesticides? AVRDC Research Associate Anam Fatima and

Naima Khan of the

Entomological Research Institute, Ayub Agricultural Research

Institute (AARI), moderated the

discussions and provided guidance, raising the participants’ awareness

of health and safety issues.

The training activities were undertaken as part of the

Agricultural Innovation Program

(AIP) for Pakistan funded by the United States Agency for

International Development

(USAID) and supported by the

International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

and the Pakistan Agricultural

Research Council (PARC).

(left): Shakeela Naz explains how to produce healthy vegetable seedlings to farmers in Swat, Pakistan.

(right): A worker receives a certificate from Anam Fatima (right) upon the successful completion of the training program at Chevanda-Faisalabad, Pakistan.

Hands-on training for women farmers at Swat. Ms. Alia demonstrates how to use plug trays to produce healthy seedlings.


PARTNERING WITH PARC: AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center has a long history of collaboration with the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC). The two institutions collaborated in the South Asian Vegetable Research Network (SAVERNET) from 1990 to 2000. AVRDC is pleased to be a part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded four-year Agricultural Innovation Program (AIP) for Pakistan, led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), which started in March 2013. AVRDC has opened an office in Islamabad to execute vegetable related activities more effectively and liaise with other national and international partners. AVRDC is now leading a three-year project called "Beans with Benefits", funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH from April 2015 to March 2018. The project aims to improve farmer incomes and increase the sustainability of dryland production systems in Pakistan and Uzbekistan through the adoption of improved mungbean varieties.

To strengthen vegetable research and development collaborations between two organizations in the coming years, Annelie Öberg, AVRDC Grants and Partnership Development Manager, visited AVRDC Pakistan from 25-29 April 2015. She met PARC Chairman Iftikhar Ahmad and M. Shahid Masood of PARC’s Plant Sciences division. On behalf of AVRDC’s Deputy Director General‐Research, she also participated in a signing ceremony for the "Beans with Benefits" subcontract with Director General M. Azeem Khan, National Agricultural Research Center (NARC), Islamabad.

M. Azeem Khan, Director General, NARC, signing subcontract on "Beans with Benefits" in the presence of M Zubair, Senior Director (Crop Sciences Institute), NARC, Annelie Öberg, and Mansab Ali, Team Leader, AVRDC-Pakistan.

From cleaning rooms to cleaning seed

When she’s done cleaning rooms at

the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD)

in Ekona, Cameroon, Bessem

Ayuk Florence sets aside her

broom and mop to multiply seed of traditional African vegetables.

Bessem Ayuk Florence and Ojong

Agbor, a research assistant at IRAD, attended a seed

multiplication training workshop

organized by AVRDC in March

2015, where they learned how to produce and market quality seed of

traditional African vegetables. “Our

way of producing seed is completely

different from the traditional ways, because we nurse and cultivate

seeds using the best practices we

learned,” she said. “We also test our seed to measure the germination

rate before we pack it plastic bags.”

After showing samples of their

packed seed to some farmers, the overwhelming positive response left

the women wondering if they will

be able to meet the demand.

Undaunted by the challenge, the women are preparing to expand

their seed production business.

(above) High quality seed properly cleaned, tested and packed will find ready buyers. (left) Bessem Ayuk Florence (right) and Ojong Agbor weighing and packaging seed of traditional African vegetables.

Helping Tanzania smallholders make smart farming choices


Becoming an agricultural extension

officer was her childhood dream, her

aspiration. And now Elda Mmary is

living that dream—working as an

extension officer with the Africa

RISING project in Babati District,

Tanzania.

Despite being a single mother to a three

-year-old daughter, Mmary has found

the perfect balance between

her responsibilities as a parent and her

duties as an agricultural extension

officer.

‘When I was young, I admired the

agricultural extension officers working

in my village,” Mmary said. “I actually

prayed to be one because they seemed

so knowledgeable. They always had

answers to the questions people had

about agriculture.”

Mmary has been associated with Africa

RISING project activities in Babati

since 2012. Her involvement started

with initial project activities on

adaptation of promising crop

management technologies to land and

production environments, and

improved postharvest technologies for

improving household nutrition and

income. These activities were led by the

International Center for Tropical

Agriculture (CIAT) and the

International Institute of Tropical

Agriculture (IITA), respectively.

Currently she is working with farmers

on activities led by AVRDC – The

World Vegetable Center to integrate

vegetables into the maize-based

farming systems of Babati District.

After nearly five years on the project,

Mmary has gathered interesting

experiences and lessons on the role

played by extension officers in helping

farmers to adopt new and improved

agricultural technologies and practices.

“Farmer training through

demonstrations and trials works,” she

declared. “The training provided by the

project has contributed immensely to

creating change among farmers to

adopt better farming practices.” A good

example of change in Babati is the

steady elimination of the misconception

among farmers that fertilizer use “kills”

the soil. “Through education and

training we have proved to them that

this is just a myth,” Mmary said.

Farmer education is a critical

component to ensure sustainability of

new interventions introduced through

projects such as Africa RISING. “New

knowledge isn’t only beneficial to

farmers, but also to the extension

agents like me, who take the new

knowledge beyond the project villages,”

she observed.

However, every success has its

challenges. For Mmary, the attitude of

some of the farmers is a significant

barrier. “Some farmers expect cash

compensation whenever they are

involved in a research project like

Africa RISING,” she said. “Others are

also sometimes selfish with project

equipment entrusted to them and

refuse to share with fellow farmers.”

The long distances she has to

travel when moving from one village to

the next can be a hindrance; she

sometimes spends more time on the

road than in the field working with

farmers.

Asked about other farmer needs that

the project should address, Mmary

said that access to markets should be a

future priority. Once farm productivity

goes up, farmers start looking for and

need markets to sell their produce.

This story was contributed by Gloriana Ndibalema and Jonathan Odhong, who work on Africa RISING projects in West and East/Southern Africa.

Africa RISING

http://africa-rising.net/2015/05/21/

smallholders-choices/

Elda Mmary (left) with vegetable farmer in Babati, Tanzania.


On 11-12 May 2015, AVRDC Eastern

and Southern Africa hosted John Bowman, Bhrane Gebrekidan

and Muni Muniappan as part of

the trio’s tour to learn about pest and

disease issues for the horticultural sector in Tanzania. Muni Muniappan

is the Director for the Virginia Tech-

managed Feed the Future IPM Innovation Lab, John is the Senior

Agriculture Advisor and Program

Area Leader for Nutritious and Safe

Foods at the United States Agency for

International Development (USAID) Bureau for Food Security, while

Bhrane is currently the Africa

Program Manager for the IPM

Innovation Lab.

On the first day, AVRDC Regional

Director Thomas Dubois chaired a roundtable discussion

on IPM issues. Key stakeholders

were brought together to get an

assessment of the pests and

Roundtable on pest and disease issues in Tanzania for USAID’s Feed the Future IPM Innovation Lab


(front row, l to r): John Bowman (Senior Agricultural Advisor, United States Agency for International Development), Chidege Maneno (Head Postharvest/Entomology, Tropical Pesticides Research Institute), Brigitte Nyambo (IPM Consultant, Tanzania Horticultural Association), Jacqueline Mkindi (Executive Director, Tanzania Horticultural Association).

(second row, l to r): Thomas Dubois (Regional Director, AVRDC Eastern and Southern Africa), Bhrane Gebrekidan (Director for Africa, IPM Innovation Lab), Muni Muniappan (Director, IPM Innovation Lab), Kitururu Mbwambo (Manager, Tanzania Horticultural Association), Omary Mbwanbo (Farm Manager, AVRDC Eastern and Southern Africa), Cornel Massawe (Officer-in-Charge, HORTI-Tengeru).

(third row, l to r): Richard Pluke (Deputy Chief of Party, Fintrac), Larry Jacobs (Director, Great African Food Company), Mateete Bekunda (Africa Rising Manager East Africa, IITA), Jason Smith (Entomologist, AVRDC), Festo Ngulu (Research Associate, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture).

The team interacts with Kimnyaki Jackson, a farmer whose field was devastated by maize lethal necrosis virus.



(clockwise from let-top): A visit to Tanzania’s first horticultural training center at HORTI-Tengeru, where the team interacted with trainees and staff from TAHA and TAPP.

Jason Smith and Muni Muniappan in Ben’s pepper screenhouse.

Thomas Dubois, John Bowman, Muni Muniappan and Bhrane Gebrekidan inspecting spider plant in AVRDC’s Demonstration Garden.

Muni Muniappan displaying his insect-catching skills at HORTI-Tengeru’s horticultural training center.

diseases different groups are working on, which pests

and diseases are of highest national priority, and how an IPM research project should be set up to have the

best chance for success. AVRDC scientists, high-level

representatives of the Tanzania Horticultural

Association (TAHA), Fintrac, the Great African Food Company, the Tropical Pesticides Research Institute

(TPRI), HORTI-Tengeru, and the International

Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) participated in the discussion. Later in the day, the participants

took a tour of the fields and labs on the AVRDC

campus.

On the second day, the team went to several farmers’

fields to get a closer look at pest and disease

problems, accompanied by staff from TAHA and AVRDC. First stop was HORTI-Tengeru’s brand new

horticultural training center, created by TAHA, the

USAID-Tanzania Agriculture Productivity (TAPP)

program, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives (MAFC). After negotiating

some difficult roads, the group arrived at maize fields

that had been severely affected by maize lethal necrosis virus. The visitors also walked the pepper

and tomato fields of Ben Mwanyika, previously an

accountant but now a young entrepreneur that has

taken up vegetable farming as a profitable business. “Initially I thought I was going to make quick money,

but I quickly realized that veggies require careful

nurturing,” Ben said. With technical feedback from TAHA, Ben was quick to access superior seed, adapt

seedling technology and even build a large

screenhouse, and plans to earn back his investment

after his first season of production.


African eggplant variety as valuable as diamonds?

A new jewel of the field has farmers

talking in the Ntem Valley division of southern Cameroon. African

eggplant variety Oforiwa—

nicknamed “white diamond” by

local growers for the high income it generates—was introduced in the

area by the Center for Assistance to

Sustainable Development (CASD) through the project “Enhancing

productivity, competitiveness and

marketing of traditional African

vegetables for improved income and nutrition in West and Central

Africa” funded by the West and

Central African Council for

Agricultural Research and

Development (CORAF/WECARD).

In February 2014, CASD organized

a training workshop in the Ntem

Valley to strengthen vegetable farmers’ skills in improved nursery

techniques and farm management.

After the training, the farmers received improved vegetable seeds

of African eggplant, amaranth,

African nightshade, jute mallow,

and okra from AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center.

Vegetable grower Patrick Ancho of Meyo-Nyaka was reluctant to

accept the African eggplant seed, as

he felt the variety he already was producing was the best. With some

persuasion from his wife, he finally

decided to try growing the new

variety.

After their first harvest of Oforiwa,

Mr. and Mrs. Ancho were so impressed by the performance of

the variety that they decided to

abandon the one they previously

cultivated. “Oforiwa is high yielding and produced fruits for a long

period,” said Mr. Ancho. “With

sufficient moisture, it can produce

many times a year, and it is disease resistant.” He especially

appreciated the attractive milk-

white color of the fruit, and the taste, which is good both raw and

cooked; these are strong selling

points for consumers. “The demand

is becoming high as well as the market value compared to other

varieties,” he said.

Mrs. Ancho calls Oforiwa the “white

diamond” because it has proven to

be incredibly valuable for her

family. During the rainy season, a 50 kg bag of Oforiwa fruit

generated 7,000 – 10,000 CFA

(about USD 11.00-17.00) for Mr. Ancho; in the dry season, his

income per bag was as high as

22,000 CFA (about USD 37.00).

“My family is very happy because we harvest 20 bags each week on an

area of 5000 m2—10 bags on

Tuesday and 10 bags on Thursday—and sell at the Kye ossi Market (a

market on the border between

Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea),”

he said. “African eggplant brings in at least 140,000 CFA (about USD

234.00) weekly.” His ambition is to

increase the area planted to the crop and ensure the production of

Oforiwa throughout the year. “I can

now hire labor to work on my farm

and pay them easily,” Mr. Ancho said. “Oforiwa has done it for me

and I wish to thank the project.”

The Ancho family of Meyo-Nyaka harvest their African eggplant variety Oforiwa—nicknamed “white diamond” in the Ntem Vally division of southern Cameroon.

Mrs. Ancho harvests Oforiwa. The productive African eggplant variety is a moneymaker for the family.

COLLABORATION WITH NMAIST BEARING “GREENS”: At the beginning of the year, AVRDC Director General Dyno Keatinge signed a memorandum of understanding with Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology (NMAIST) in Arusha, Tanzania, a state-of-the-art university focusing on graduate training. The aim is to foster healthy collaboration through co-supervision of several MSc and PhD students, which is now happening. Currently, Tsvetelina Stoilova, AVRDC’s genetic resources specialist, is supervising Munguatosha Ngomuo, a PhD candidate conducting research on jute mallow. Very little is known about this nutritious gem, and Munguatosha’s field characterization of AVRDC’s many accessions will be complemented with molecular studies at NMAIST under Pavithravani Venkataramana, molecular biologist. Munguatosha’s first trial of more than 100 lines is already in the field at AVRDC. Patrick Ndakidemi, the university’s deputy vice-chancellor, took the opportunity to visit the field. “The huge variety among the accessions of jute mallow is impressive,” he said. “From broad leaves to narrow ones, and deep green to light—it’s amazing this is just one species!” Munguatosha will help elucidate the diversity of this little-known crop.


(left to right): Patrick Ndakidemi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, NMAIST, Pavithravani Venkataramana, molecular biologist, Tsvetelina Stoilova, AVRDC’s genetic resources specialist, and Munguatosha Ngomuo, PhD candidate inspecting a jute mallow field.

Fresh, 5 June 2015

Fresh is published by :

AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center

P.O. Box 42, Shanhua, Tainan 74199

Taiwan

avrdc.org

Comments, ask a question, add a name to our mailing list: [email protected]

Editor: Maureen Mecozzi

Graphic design: Kathy Chen

Photographic guidance: Amy Chen and

Vanna Liu

Contributors: Sheeraz Ahmad, Mansab Ali, Sreeram Banda, Fen Beed, Sheila de Lima, Thomas Dubois, Ellen Iramu, Regine Kamga, Jonathan Odhong’ (Africa RISING), Justin Okolle (IRAD), Gloriana Ndibalema (Africa RISING), Srinivasulu Rajendran, Ashu Tambe

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