DANIDA

Strengthening Farmers’ IPM in Pesticide-Intensive Areas

Newsletter about activities and progress of 

Click here for others newsletters

Project extended until September 2006

The DANIDA funded project “Strengthening Farmers’ IPM in Pesticide-Intensive Areas” (IPM DANIDA) started 1 July 2001 and is concluding its original duration of three years on 30 June 2004. The project’s objectives and outputs all relate to reducing the health hazards and the environmental damage caused by pesticides that are used in agriculture in Thailand.

During the past three years, the project has been particularly strong in core IPM activities. Season-long Training of Trainers (TOT) courses in IPM have produce skilled facilitators who can conduct farmer IPM training with participatory and practical methods, the so-called Farmer Field School (FFS) model. Participatory training methods have also been very effective in the training of farmers to conduct surveys on the health effects of pesticides. Another strong point of the project is the effective use of media to raise consumer awareness on pesticide hazards.

It was concluded that outputs of these activities are supportive to the Thai Government’s policy to reduce pesticide problems in the coming years. The year 2004 is the “year of food safety” in Thailand. The project has therefore been extended, with left-over funding, until 30-9-2006.

The project organizes its activities in collaboration with a number of partner institutions including the Dept. of Agriculture (DOA), Dept. of Agricultural Extension (DOAE), Royal Project Foundation (RPF), Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), Dept. of Non-formal Education (DNFE), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Thai Education Foundation (TEF).

During its extension period the project will intensify activities on IPM training of trainers, IPM training of farmers, training on health effects of pesticides, and activities to raise consumer awareness on pesticide hazards.

In April the IPM DANIDA project organized a visit for media people to meet IPM trained Mango and Pomelo growers in Phitsanulok and Pichit.