Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for - Aseanipm ...

Section 4 • Integrated Insect and Rodent Pests Management
• Thirty minutes to one hour brainstorming session to design rodent management strategies;
• Ten to fifteen minutes follow-up activities every week to refine rodent management strategies
designed earlier; and
• Another hour to assess effectiveness of developed rodent management strategies towards end
of season and developing a community-based integrated rodent management approach based
on a season-long experience.
learning objectives
• To create awareness and understanding among participants on the value of a community-based
rodent management undertaking for profitable organic vegetable farming;
• To learn how to identify presence of rats and to prepare, construct, and install rat traps and
baiting stations; and
• To learn how to design, refine, and assess innovative community-based management approaches
for organic vegetable farming.
materials
• Office supplies (e.g., Manila papers, notebooks, ball pens, marking pens, and crayons);
• Other supplies (e.g., bamboo, bolo, handsaw, plastic pail, spade, sacks, bait materials); and
• Organically-grown vegetable crops in learning and adjoining field showing early signs of rat
infestation.
methodology
• Field walks, hands-on, and brainstorming
steps
1. Divide participants in small groups and ask them to conduct field walks and observe as many
organic vegetable crops with early infestation signs of rats in learning and adjoining fields.
Take note of signs of gnawing, nibbling, cut seedlings, and damaged plant parts (e.g., flowers,
pods, fruits, roots, tubers, etc.) and presence of runways and burrows in field. Interview other
farmers, if necessary. List down all observations related to the following:
5 Crops grown and crop stand;
5 Signs of rat damages on plants and plant parts;
5 Presence of runways, burrows, footprints, and feces; and
5 Management strategies employed by farmers, if any.
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