Collaboration – Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI)

Asian biopesticide and pesticide regulation officers meet in Bangkok to strengthen their capacity in streamlining regulatory processes in their countries

Vishwanath Sah — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 08:25:00 +0000

A Regional Regulatory Workshop on Biopesticide and Pesticide Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) brought together twenty regulatory officers from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. The event that takes place from 3-5 April 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand, aims to build their expertise and skills in the development and harmonization of biopesticide and pesticide regulations, which will address international agricultural trade issues in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries and South Asia.

The workshop is organized in the context of the project on Asia Pesticide Residue Mitigation through the Promotion of Biopesticides and Enhancement of Trade Opportunities funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), and implemented by the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), Bangkok, Thailand, in partnership with Ag Aligned Global, and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The project is addressing the issues related to limited harmonization of requirements for the registration of biopesticides in Asia. The differences in regulatory landscapes across the region have made it challenging for companies to seek registration. In some cases, there is lack of harmonization and in others, biopesticides are not given a separate regulatory track and follow a more complex systems utilized for conventional chemistry.

The use of biopesticides, particularly for late-season pests, has the potential to minimise pesticide residue levels in harvested produce, thereby mitigating residue violations in export markets, and promoting trade.

“Efforts need to be made to increase the rate of regulatory approval and commercialisation of this relatively nascent pest-control technology,” Jason Sandahl, Ag Aligned Global.

The development of effective regulatory guidelines can facilitate increased biopesticide approval by regulators, and hence promote greater registration and commercial adoption of these products. Developing harmonized regulatory standards between Asian countries will enable them to benefit from reciprocal acceptance of generated registration data, or registrations concluded elsewhere. Furthermore, this would enhance biopesticide product registration and use, while mitigating chemical pesticide residues and promoting trade.

“Expanding the use of safer and effective pest-control tools helps farmers protect their valuable crops, minimizes occupational risks, increases yields and quality, promotes international trade, and ensures a nutritious food supply,” Luis Suguiyama, International Consultant, USDA/Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS).

By blending technical and functional (soft) capacity development of biopesticide and pesticide regulators, the workshop is also promoting innovation and collaboration in biopesticides commercialization and agricultural trade enhancement in the region. Development of public-private partnerships and South-South Cooperation of the country partners are particularly crucial for addressing how participating countries establish and adopt pesticide MRLs and implement national pesticide residue monitoring programmes. APAARI is committed to carry this forward for the benefit of its members even beyond the project period.

“An effective registration process is a prerequisite to attract the private sector in biopesticide development,” Ravi Khetarpal, Executive Secretary, APAARI.

The workshop is building on previous ASEAN regulatory initiatives, as well as ASEAN Guidelines on the Regulation, Use, and Trade of Biological Control Agents (BCA), STDF’s Good Regulatory Practices (GRP), and the Regional BCA Expert Working Groups on Application and Regulation.

“We need to ensure that SPS measures are developed and implemented under good regulatory practices (GRPs) to increase transparency and keep transaction costs as low as possible,” Marlynne Hopper, Deputy Head, STDF.

The status of biopesticide regulatory development in the participating countries has been assessed and presented in the workshop in line with the East Asia Biopesticide Guidelines. The participants also shared some of the most important regulatory needs of their countries, seeking further support in this area from donors. Regulatory discussions were linked with their national Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes to ensure alignment and synergies.

“USDA/FAS will continue its efforts to mitigate residues by coordinating MRL and SPS-related activities and strengthening institutional capacities of Asian countries and their governments,” Jessica Mudjitaba-Fernandez, Global Programs USDA/FAS. “These initiatives promote climate-resilient agricultural systems that address climate change adoption and mitigation”.

As a way forward, the experts urged the participants to follow the common regional regulatory standards that can increase approval rate of biopesticides, support farmers, and enhance trade.

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Why does farmer remain hungry? Women in Gujarat, India, lead discussions on forgotten crops and food

Vishwanath Sah — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 05:50:09 +0000

On 24-25 January 2023, the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) brought together women farmers from nine districts of Gujarat and agro-climatic zones, researchers, academia, and market actors from Gujarat State of India, to deliberate on the ways to address hunger and food security in the context of climate risks, by bringing back the ‘forgotten food’

Since 1995, SEWA has been running an agricultural campaign to address the question of “Why does the farmer remain hungry?” The key factors that are contributing to this challenge include a shift of farming to cash crops, combined with climate and market risks.

Women farmers unanimously recognise forgotten foods as their own, local, traditional, nutritious, easy and climate resilient to grow, hence able to address this challenge. Women said that they can grow them in a wide range of soil and moisture conditions and bear frequent extreme weather conditions, which are occurring due to climate change.

To deliberate on the ways to address hunger and food security in the context of climate risks, SEWA organized a meeting of about ninety people to enable small farmers (the majority were women), researchers, academia, government and market actors to exchange their views, and develop pathways for collective research. This is envisioned to strengthen the supply chain for forgotten crops, in order to bring back them to the mainstream.

The workshop on ‘Forgotten food crops and Food: Voices of family farmers under the leadership of women farmers’ took place from 24-25 January 2023 in Modasa, Gujarat. It was organized in the context of the co-design stage of the Collective Action on Forgotten Food supported by the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR).

The workshop was an opportunity to share the status of research and development (R&D) in the area of forgotten crops by scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) and agricultural universities. Government representatives from Gujrat also shared related policies and schemes. Furthermore, women farmer representatives shared their experiences, concerns, and aspirations for forgotten foods.

The participating farmers from nine districts of Gujarat engaged in four types of participatory group activities. They identified the types of forgotten crops by districts, and mapped forgotten foods, as well as the areas of nutrition, health and cultural connections attached to these crops.

They also shared recipes with the own stories, and explored current cultural and cultivation practices to better understand the challenges related to the production of forgotten foods. Furthermore, the farmers also mapped the procurement of seed and market for the crops they want to bring back.

Some women decided to start growing them through intercropping. In response, SEWA has provided the seeds, as well as biscuits prepared from forgotten crops.

Stakeholders Consultation initiated to advance India’s Collective Action on Forgotten Food

Vishwanath Sah — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 07:03:00 +0000

The stakeholders consultation kicked off on January 18 at the Biju Patnaik Tribal Agrobiodiversity Centre in Odisha, discussing the co-design of the Collective Action on Forgotten Food in India, with the active participation of farmers from Koraput, Malkangiri, and Rayagada, as well as key local and national partners. M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, India, hosted the two-day stakeholder consultation in partnership with the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR), Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), North East Slow Food & Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS), Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN), and other national and international organizations/agencies. The aim of the consultation was to engage key stakeholders in the development of a roadmap for collective action under the Common Agenda for Forgotten Foods in India.

The Collective Action on Forgotten Food puts farmers at the center to better support food system transformation & climate change adaptation. It enables diverse actors, including farmers, to design and implement a comprehensive program as guided by the Global Manifesto on Forgotten Food developed in 2021.
The Collective Action on Forgotten Food’s ongoing co-design brings together participants from farmer organisations in Odisha, India, as well as agricultural research and extension institutions and NGOs, to develop a shared understanding of the Collective Action framework and refine the draft of full programme design in India. The Stakeholder Consultation (18-19 January 2023) also lays the groundwork for the development of a national platform and network of the aforementioned organisations, taking into account the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) multi-stakeholder platform known as National Committees of Family Farming (NCFFs).