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

Section 5 • Integrated Disease Management
learning objectives
• To create awareness and appreciation among participants of different disease transport
mechanisms in organic vegetable fields; and
• To improve farmers’ decision-making skills through better understanding of these different
disease transport mechanisms.
materials
• Organic vegetable fields with standing crops that are infected with diseases;
• Flour, rice bran, lime or any non-toxic white powder substance that is cheap and locally
available; and
• Barren field (e.g., probably dry and not so weedy).
methodology
• Field walks, simulation exercise, and brainstorming
steps
1. Start exercise by conducting field walks and observations in organic vegetable fields with
standing crops that are infected with diseases. List down all observations related to spread of
diseases among plants within a field and between vegetable fields.
2. Ask participants to go to a barren field and request for one volunteer to broadcast any available
powder material evenly on soil surface of a barren field. Ask other participants to observe
how powder material is distributed in a barren field. Let all participants walk over an area and
observe what happened to applied powder material as they walk around.
3. Parallel simulation exercise with disease transport mechanisms in organic vegetable field
observed with standing crops that are infected with diseases, such as:
5 Bacteria get around by water;
5 Fungi get around by wind;
5 Viruses get around by insects; and
5 Nematodes get around by dirt.
4. Process activity by brainstorming and participatory sharing of experiences among participants
and facilitators.
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