DANIDA

Strengthening Farmers’ IPM in Pesticide-Intensive Areas

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16March 2004

 

 

 

Training of Trainers for IPM Farmer Field Schools in vegetables 

In collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DOA), Department of Agricultural Extension (DOAE), Department of Non-Formal Education (DNFE) and Thai Education Foundation (TEF) the IPM DANIDA project has started a season-long Training of Trainers course in vegetable IPM.

The training takes place at the pest management center of DOAE in Suphanburi and will run from 15 March to 7 May 2004. The 34 participants in the training are staff of DOA (OARD-5), volunteer teachers of DNFE, and a number of farmers who are interested to become farmer trainers.

The training will be run by experienced facilitators of DNFE, TEF and the IPM DANIDA project, with technical support by specialists of DOA and DOAE. 

 

Opening of the TOT on 16 March 2004.

 


TOT participants during the opening ceremony.

 


Group photo of TOT participants and organizers.

 
During the TOT the participants will grow their own vegetable crop. In this case that will be Chinese Kale. Farmers in Thailand who grow Chinese Kale usually spray cocktails of different pesticides at frequent intervals, especially to control flea beetles and diamond-back moth. In their own fields at the TOT the participants will make regular field observations and set small experiments to learn more about the ecology of the crop. They will learn to use Agro-EcoSystem Analysis (AESA) to make decisions on integrated pest and crop management.

While the training will give a lot of emphasis on learning crop ecology and integrated pest management methods, the participants will also learn knew skills to organize farmers training in so called Farmer Field Schools (FFS). 

The following photographs give an impression of the first week of the training.

 

TOT participants during a training session on facilitator skills

 


Team building by playing games

 

Preparing the field

 


Rice straw used as mulch

 

Weeding by participants

 


Seedlings of Chinese Kale starting to grow

 


Preparing a cropping calendar

 

A session to learn about nutrients needed by the crop

 


Playing games in a group dynamics activity

 


Learning skills to ask the right question.