development
projects
locations Laos, Myanmar and Southwest China date January 2011 – January 2016 project team Dirk Babendreier Sivapragasam Annamalai Feng Zhang Urs Wittenwiler (CABI Associate)
increasing rice production around the Mekong
Rice is the most important crop in the Greater Mekong Sub-region of Southwestern China, Laos, and Myanmar; not only is it the most important source of food but it also provides work and income for 80% of the population.
so what’s the problem? Despite significant improvement of rice production in the region over the past 15 years, rice productivity is still low, in part due to the impact of pests, diseases and weeds. Intensive use of broad spectrum pesticides has led to problems like insecticide resistance and outbreaks of secondary pests (such as plant hoppers). Knowledge on more advanced rice production technologies and Integrated Crop Management (ICM) to overcome these problems and boost productivity is limited.
what is this project doing? This project, which is being managed by the CABI and Chinese Ministry of Agriculture Joint Laboratory (hosted by the Institute of Plant Protection of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences), aims to increase rice production sustainably through research; capacity building; and the implementation of biologically-based pest management suited to current and predicted climatic conditions.
KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE
The project is particularly looking at improving rice yields by providing smallholder farmers with access to effective, locally available alternatives to pesticides – biological control agents. The project will therefore undertake: • biological control research to find agent for controlling rice pests • climate change study to ensure agents appropriate for future climatic conditions • design and roll out of low-technology, energy-saving production system for rural areas • development and dissemination of wider Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy to all stakeholders • strategy to promote take-up by farmers A research network of scientists and rice experts is being established to seek the best way to fight the main lepidopteran (moths and butterflies) rice pests using their natural enemies. The team will conduct experiments to find a suitable biological control agent and explore ways of embedding this agent into a wider ICM strategy. Facilities for the mass production of a biological control agent will be designed and adapted to the conditions in the three countries. Special focus will be given to ensuring the profitability of the mass rearing facilities in order to ensure on-going production after the project ends. Production personnel, extension services, and farmers will be trained on how to best produce and release the biological control agent so that they can fight the pest before it causes serious damage to the rice.
results By the end of the project we aim to have: • 12 locally-adapted biological control agent production facilities established with the potential to supply up to 24,000 smallholder farmers • 12 production facility managers and 36 support personnel trained • 12-15 trainers trained in Trichogramma production techniques for training of facility personnel • 24-30 trainers trained in IPM and Trichogramma application for training of farmers • 960 farmers trained in, and implementing, IPM
www.cabi.org/mekongrice partners Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) Dehong Plant Protection and Quarantine Station, Yunnan Province, China Plant Protection Centre, Department of Agriculture of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, PDR Laos Plant Protection Division, Myanmar Agriculture Service, Ministry of Agricultue and Irrigation, Myanmar Xing’an Plant Protection Station, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China sponsor EuropeAid
contact CABI, Rue des Grillons 1, CH-2800 Delemont, Switzerland T: +41 (0)32 421 4885 E: d.babendreier@cabi.org www.cabi.org
ID-MEKONG-08-12
Dirk Babendreier, Project Manager