Chinese Taipei is located in subtropical zone and has a mildclimate with average temperature over 22°C. More than 70% area is covered with mountains and hills. The rainfall concentrates in summer months (May-September) and plum rain, cloudburst, flood, and typhoon are also experienced frequently. The climate tends to be warm and humid in summer when most of the warm season vegetables are grown and the cool season vegetables are grown during October-April. The major vegetable crops grown in the country are leafy vegetables, head lettuce, cabbage, tomato, cauliflower, and garlic bulbs. Head lettuce is a cool-season crop and consequently is usually grown in mountainous regions in Chinese Taipei during winter season with fewer pests around. Lettuce is largely grown in the northern and central counties of Taipei, Changhua, Yunlin, and Chiayi in Chinese Taipei. The Chinese Taipei places great importance on the quality, hygiene and safety of exported head lettuces. Good agricultural and manufacturing practices for the head lettuce supply chain for export are strictly imposed. The Council of Agriculture (COA) is well-aware of the need for stricter standards in order to export the farm produce and ensures that the product for export must meet the requirement of rigorous pesticide residue detection tests.

Only those head lettuces that pass the inspection are harvested and exported. This has enhanced the export of head lettuce significantly during the last few years. Japan used to get its lettuce primarily from the Shangtung region of China but they have increasingly switched to lettuce from Yunlin, Chinese Taipei for their winter supply as they can be assured that it will meet their standards for agrichemical use. Japan is the most important market for export of head lettuce from Chinese Taipei. Other important markets for export include USA, Hong Kong, China, and Vietnam. The publication entitled “Linking Farmers to Market: A Success Story of Lettuce Export from Chinese Taipei” comprises six sections: (i) background information, (ii) vegetable production, marketing, and post-harvest handling, (iii) head lettuce industry and postharvest handling for export, (iv) major achievements, (v) future prospects and (vi) conclusion. This status report is a selective case study on linking farmers to markets undertaken in lettuce growing area in Yunlin County in Chinese Taipei which has demonstrated the establishment of successful head lettuce industry through the small farmers organizing themselves in to groups and undertaking lettuce production and marketing.

The energy requirement has been a major concern currently across the globe. The ever increasing population, fast depleting fossil fuels, global warming and climate change are the major causes of this concern. The energy crisis in future is being felt in the tropical world with large number of developing countries. The situation is no different in developed countries too as they account for high per capita consumption of energy in the world. Hence, alternative and eco-friendly energy resources such as biofuels, (biodiesel, bioethanol) have lately become important and have successfully been tried and used across the world. Several plant species have been used as source of biofuel. Southeast Asia and Pacific nations like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore concentrate on large plantations of palm oil as a source for biodiesel, while Thailand and Philippines concentrate on coconut oil and Myanmar on Jatropha. Studies in the Indian sub-continent on various biofuel programs are underway with main focus on Jatropha, especially for production of biodiesel. However, the traditionally available feed stock resources like Pongamia and host of other local non-edible oil yielding species are well known.

In India, use of biofuel feed stocks for production of eco-friendly fuel has drawn attention of both producers and users. The policy makers are keen as these fuel species bring multiple benefits to farming communities and to the industry.  India has more than 300 plant species that are suitable for biofuel production and can thus be exploited. The important common species, which can provide feed stock for biofuel production, include neem (Azadiracta indica), honge (Pongamia pinnata), hippe (Bassia latifolia), turuka haralu (Jatropa curcas) and paradise tree (Simarouba glauca).

This publication entitled “Biofuel Growers Market Network- A Success Story” by Dr. K. Narayana Gowda is rather timely and describes the potential and usefulness of a successful model which can be replicated under similar situations across the states/countries with modifications to suit to the local needs. The publication embodies six important sections, i) introduction giving status and scope alongwith marketing systems, ii) initiatives taken at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, iii) launching of biofuel growers association, iv) benefits to farmers, v) success of the model and vi) future prospects.

The Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural research Institutions (APAARI) has been publishing success stories on various aspects of agricultural research and development that have large scale impact and have brought tangible benefits to both farmers and consumers alike. So far, more than 40 success stories on diverse topics have been published by APAARI, the details of which are available on APAARI website (www.apaari.org).

We are thankful to Dr. K. Narayana Gowda for synthesizing this valuable information relating to the efforts made at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore. It is our expectation that APAARI members and stakeholders will find this publication both informative and of real practical value.

Dissemination of agricultural innovations and technologies plays a crucial role in taking the research results to resource poor smallholder farmers.   The demand of farmers regarding knowledge on innovations and technologies has been growing in order to face the challenges posed by climate change, depleting natural resources, food security and safety, market opportunities and value addition etc.   The Information and Communication Technologies/Information and Communication Management (ICT/ICM) can offer immense opportunities to the farming communities in the rural areas to update their knowledge and bridge the gap between farmers and the researchers.

ICT/ICM encompasses the broad fields of data/information processing and communication by means of computers, telecommunications, radio, television, internet, satellite, mobile phones etc.  It covers all emerging aspects including innovative practices to efficiently manage the digital resources.  There are good examples of use and application of ICT/ICM for AR4D in the Asia-Pacific region which will provide better insights into different aspects such as innovative application of new ICTs in rural areas, institutional partnerships; management of digital information resources, socio-economic impact of ICT/ICM, and the role of public and private sector agencies in fostering ICT/ICM for agricultural development.

APAARI has been instrumental in disseminating agricultural innovations and technologies through success stories on important themes with the aim to enable  all  ARD stakeholders to adopt innovations and technologies for the benefit of  resource poor smallholder farmers.   Besides popularizing the success stories in agricultural development, APAARI has undertaken documentation of success stories on ICT/ICM for AR4D in the Asia-Pacific region that provides better insights on the use and application of ICT/ICM for empowering the farming community.  This publication includes success stories on ICT/ICM in agriculture from five countries, viz., Bangladesh, India, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

These success stories focus on a variety of ICT/ICM initiatives in agriculture that included innovative television program Moti-O-Manush in Bangladesh, ICT-enabled information  services to farmers through aAQUA initiative in India, improving adoption of  technologies  and marketing in vegetables with the help of Krishi Community Radio in Nepal, appropriate use of ICT tools and methods through Farmers Information and  Technology Services (FITS) in the Philippines, and Cyber Extension in support of  agricultural extension system in Sri Lanka.  These success stories highlight the role of ICT/ICM in strengthening the present agricultural extension system in the respective countries for efficient transfer of technologies to the farmers.   It provides useful lessons on the use of new information and communication technologies, public-private partnerships in ICT initiatives, impact of ICT/ICM in agriculture, orientation and participation of farmers and mechanisms for better implementation of ICT/ICM initiatives for AR4D.