“Key Informant Survey” of Production, Value, Losses and ... - DfID

area such as a village or locality, which should greatly increase the level of protection over
that obtained when individual farmers act alone. IMFFI studies are comparing the level of
pest control obtained by BAT and MAT used at farm and village level, by a series of largearea
experiments at different sites throughout India. These studies have confirmed that, as
expected, village-level area-wide coordinated control, over an area of one square
kilometre, increases the level of protection by single-farm-level use, roughly doubling the
level of protection obtained. This principle may be used for the protection of very large
areas, and IMFFI scientists propose to test its extension to areas of ten square kilometres
in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh in 2005.
IMFFI and the Establishment of the South Asia Fruit Fly Network (SAFFN)
On January 10-11, 2005, the Final Review Meeting of the IMFFI Project was carried out,
at Pusa, New Delhi, hosted by CAB International, under the overall chairmanship of Dr
Gautam Kalloo, Deputy Director General (Horticulture and Crop Science), ICAR, and Drs
SN Pandey, the Assistant Director General (Horticulture), ICAR, Abraham Verghese of the
Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore, the Project Coordinator, and
John Stonehouse of Imperial College London, the Project Manager.
The meeting developed a research strategy for the IMFFI research team for the field
season of 2005, before the Project comes to an end on October 31 st 2005. It also included
a consultation with specialists from the agricultural research and extension community,
including cooperatives and the private sector, to discuss requirements for the development
of “extension-ready” fruit fly management technologies. It closed with the launch of the
South Asia Fruit Fly Network (www.SouthAsiaFruitFly.net) which will serve as a forum
for fruit fly workers, farmers and the interested public to communicate with each other, to
seek, air, share and discuss information and opinions. The Network’s website will
disseminate the research results and control recommendations arising from IMFFI
research, and encourage the discussion of all aspects of fruit flies and their management
in South Asia, through the on-line SAFFN Newsletter, the Fruit Fly Forum bulletin board,
a list of Connections and Contact to allow fruit fly workers to contact each other, and a
page of announcements of upcoming events. The Network is hosted by Anand Agricultural
University, Gujarat, and the site was officially opened by Dr Kalloo on January 11 th , 2005.
Putting the customer
first. IMFFI researchers
discuss village-level fruit
fly control with gourd
farmers outside
Bhubaneswar, India
(photo: HS Singh).