APFED Booklet on Good Practices and Innovative Activities 2005 ...

Award
Bangladesh
etc.
2008
*etc.=Agricultural Chemicals
Improving Rural Livelihoods: Promoting Sustainable and
Safer Vegetable Production
2009
2006 2007 2008
Project Site Location Bangladesh and India
Background - Problems Addressed and Policy Responses
Eggplant is an important vegetable in South Asia. In its
cultivation, pesticides are increasingly used due to increased
damage by arthropod pests such as the eggplant fruit and
shoot borer (EFSB). However, many of the pesticides are
classified by WHO as extremely hazardous and banned or
severely restricted due to their accumulative negative impacts
on human health and ecosystems.
Pheromone trap used as integrated pest
management
Project Outline - Objectives and Activities
Under the project for promoting integrated pest management (IPM) in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh
Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has undertaken measures to eliminate the use of pesticides and
to promote alternative pest control methods, such as insect pheromone traps. The measures included
prompt cutting and removal of pest-damaged shoots, development of EFSB-resistant eggplant cultivars,
biological control with locally-available natural enemies, and sex pheromone traps using female pest
pheromones to attract male pests and kill them in water-filled containers.
Impacts and Achievements
Demonstrations and training were conducted on IPM technology for rural farmers and the EFSB IPM
technology was adopted by 9,984 eggplant growers in Bangladesh and India over the past six years. This
reduced pesticide use by up to 75%, the cost of production by 30% and eggplant infection by up to 40%,
and increased the net income of the IPM adopters by 60%. A documentary film was produced in English
and then dubbed into Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Khasi and Oriya and telecast multiple times, and three multilingual
follow-up brochures were produced. Reduced health hazards and resource degradation were also
observed.
Future Challenges
It is important to increase the number of IPM-practicing farmers by demonstrating the multiple merits
of reduced infection rates, reduced health and ecosystem hazards and increased profits. It is also
vital to inform consumers of the production process of eggplant, particularly pesticide use and IPM
implementation, and develop markets and partnerships for promoting IPM-cultivated eggplant. Further, law
enforcement and compliance need to be strengthened on pesticides, taking into account the Rotterdam
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
General Information
Name of the Implementing Organisation:
AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center
Type of Organisation: NGO/CBO, Governmental Research Institute
Contact: Srinivasan Ramasamy
P.O.Box 42, Shanhua, Tainan 74199, Taiwan
Tel: +886 6 5837801 ext 130 Fax: +886 6 5830009 E-mail: srini.ramasamy@worldveg.org
Website: http://www.kokonutpacific.com.au
Project Reviewer (NetRes / Collaborators) that monitors the project:
Masanori Kobayashi, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
E-mail: m-kobayashi@iges.or.jp
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