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

PPG-634 Policy Brief and Background Paper

Vishwanath Sah — Fri, 31 May 2024 06:38:21 +0000

This policy brief by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) and the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) advocates for the promotion of biopesticides in Asia to enhance trade and environmental safety. Biopesticides, derived from natural sources and exempt from Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) restrictions, present a sustainable alternative to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides. The brief highlights the need for stronger regulatory frameworks, increased government support, improved national production systems, and heightened farmer and consumer education to foster the development and adoption of biopesticides.

APAARI Successfully Organized a Webinar on Effective Risk Communication Strategies for Agricultural Trade and Food Safety

Vishwanath Sah — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 07:41:25 +0000

Under the Pesticide Residue Mitigation Project funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF PG 634), the Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), organized a highly informative webinar on August 18, 2023.

Active Participation and Valuable Insights:

The workshop attracted a diverse audience of forty-five participants, including representatives from academia and government. Dr Ravi Khetarpal, Executive Secretary, APAARI provided the opening remarks and set the stage by giving a background on project and the highlighting the importance of the risk communication webinar. Dr. David Stone, Associate Dean from Oregon State University actively participated as a key resource person in the below sessions.

Effective Risk Communication Strategies: Dr. Stone’s 35-minute presentation covered key topics related to risk communication, including distinguishing risk from hazard, understanding drivers of risk perception, a risk communication framework, best practices in risk communication, and specialized strategies for pesticide-related risk communication.

Panel Discussion: A panel discussion moderated by Ms Martina Spisiakova from APAARI touched on different stakeholders’ perspective on risk communication related to pesticide management. The panel explored the significant role of risk communication in enhancing agricultural trade and food safety. The panel included the experts listed below:

KS Varaprasad (Risk Mitigation Coordinator, APAARI)
Jeevani Prasadika Marasinghe (Principal Agriculture Scientist (Toxicology), Office of the Registrar of Pesticides, Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka)
Elrita Venter (Founder of Alternafruit SA Nursery Ltd and AgriEdge non-profit company)
David Stone (Associate Dean of International Programs at the Oregon State University, USA)

Developing Key Messages: In a concise 20-minute presentation, Dr. Stone shared insights on crafting effective key messages for diverse target audiences. This session covered best practices for science writing, displaying online information, addressing myths, and countering the rise of disinformation.

Positive Outcomes:

Following the presentations, a real-time survey captured the impressions of the participants. They were asked to describe the workshop in a single word, and the responses were overwhelmingly positive. Words such as “informative,” “very informative,” “excellent,” and “relevant” were among the top descriptors. A glimpse of the feedback from the participant collected through the survey is added in the below picture.

Feedback received from webinar participants

Robust Conversation:

The webinar stimulated a robust conversation among the participants. They emphasized the need for further development of risk communication strategies and stressed the importance of discussing pesticide residue and related issues with a wide range of stakeholders, from the general public to policy-makers. The webinar was attended by Dr Dennis Ndolo, Coordinator, Harmonizing regulations and mitigating pesticide residues in the SADC region and Dr Adriana Castaneda, Coordinator, Mitigating Chemical Residues in Latin America through the Promotion of Biopesticides. These three projects complement the activities conducted in Asia and help in sharing knowledge and experience across the region promoting south-south cooperation.

This webinar was a significant step toward advancing effective risk communication in the context of agricultural trade and food safety. It not only provided valuable insights but also highlighted the collective commitment to addressing critical challenges in the field.

For more updates and resources related to risk communication, agricultural trade, and food safety, stay connected with us.

Contact: Dr Sasireka Rajendran, Project Manager, APAARI, s.rajendran@apaari.org

Cultivating Safe Agriculture: Enhancing Trade and Food Safety through Pesticide Risk Communication

Vishwanath Sah — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 07:14:30 +0000

Date: 18th August 2023
Time: 6:30 PM Bangkok Time

Agriculture plays a vital role in ensuring food security and supporting global trade. However, it is crucial to maintain safe agricultural practices to protect consumers and the environment. We are excited to invite all agricultural enthusiasts to join our upcoming webinar on “Enhancing Agricultural Trade and Food Safety: Risk Communication on the Use of Pesticides.”

About the Webinar

In today’s interconnected world, safe agricultural practices are vital for trade and food security. Join us as we delve into the critical topic of risk communication on pesticide use. We will explore how effective communication can ensure the responsible and safe application of pesticides, promoting food safety and enhancing agricultural trade. This webinar will explore the importance of risk communication in promoting food safety and enhancing agricultural trade. Our expert speakers will shed light on best practices for responsible pesticide use, navigating challenges, and misconceptions in pesticide application, and strategies to promote sustainable agricultural trade.

Meet Our Expert Speakers

Dr. David Stone, Associate Dean of International Programs, Oregon State University, USA.
Ms. Martina Spisiakova, Strategy and Innovation Coordinator, APAARI, Thailand.

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is open to farmers, agricultural entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers, and anyone interested in fostering safe agricultural practices and ensuring food safety in the market. Whether you are directly involved in the agricultural sector or simply passionate about sustainable farming, this webinar will provide valuable insights.

Registration

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to gain valuable insights into enhancing agricultural trade and food safety. Secure your spot now by registering for the webinar using the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpcumhrjIqE9Ephf1yijXz1dBwejAU92yw

The Agenda is available for download here

For further information or inquiries, please contact:

Sasireka Rajendran
Project Manager, APAARI
Email: s.rajendran@apaari.org

Press release: Managing food and feed contamination in Asia through a holistic approach to protect human, plant, and animal health

Vishwanath Sah — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 14:57:04 +0000

Bangkok: 01 June 2023: ‘Managing aflatoxin contamination in Asia using One Health’ funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) is a new project being designed by the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), in collaboration with International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) and University of Minnesota.

For the first time, the concept of One Health is integrated in aflatoxin management in Asia. Based on a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary approach, the project will aim to achieve optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

Dr. Sasireka Rajendran, Project Manager, APAARI, stated, “The project aims to raise awareness about the importance of One Health in addressing the issue of aflatoxin contamination. APAARI will play a crucial role in facilitating collaboration between different ministries and departments to collectively address the aflatoxin issue using a One Health approach. We will be having multistakeholder consultations with the countries to prioritize potential crops that is affected by aflatoxin and develop key activities based on country and regional needs.”

Aflatoxins are various poisonous carcinogens and mutagens that are produced by certain molds, particularly by two species of Aspergillus – a fungus found especially in hot and humid climates. However, climate change may impact their presence in other non-tropical parts of the world. Aflatoxins can occur in human and animal foods, as a result of fungal contamination before and after harvest. Human and animal exposure to these molds through food should therefore be as low as possible.

Dr. Titilayo Falade, Associate Scientist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), commented on the One Health approach from a gender lens and said, “In the context of the One Health approach, women play a vital role, often overlooked, in managing food and feed contamination. Women are actively involved along the value chain and are subjected to higher possibilities of transmitting aflatoxin to fetus. Therefore, creating awareness on safe production and handling practices among women becomes crucial.”

Aflatoxin mitigation has become a critical subject of the Codex Alimentarius Commission led by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Commission guides countries’ domestic and international trade on Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) of food and feed contaminants, such as aflatoxins, and additives in traded plant material and food products. Efforts made to reduce aflatoxins in food and feed around the globe have been mostly sectorial.

The project design will start on 1 June 2023 through a virtual workshop to galvanize commitment of partners and key stakeholders to the action. APAARI will lead the development of technical linkages with country partners and experts, creation of synergies with similar projects in the region, conducting country assessment and preparing a briefing paper.

Aflatoxin interactions between plant, animal and human health

Mitigating aflatoxin exposure in a comprehensive way requires the One Health approach to protect human, plant, and animal health, combined with multi-pronged and economically feasible approaches supported by private and public sectors.

Dr. Johanna Lindahl, Veterinary Epidemiologist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), emphasized that “Animals are highly susceptible to mycotoxins, including aflatoxin, which poses both an animal welfare issue and hampers productivity. The presence of mycotoxins causes significant suffering among animals and leads to reduced productivity in livestock. By feeding aflatoxin-contaminated feed to animals, farmers are unable to maximize their production potential.”

Low- and middle-income countries often lack the expertise and infrastructure to effectively prevent and mitigate aflatoxin contamination in food and feed. The preparatory phase will focus on analytical work to assess the approaches used in Asia to control aflatoxin contamination, identify good practices for safe food consumption in Asia, and create synergies with existing initiatives.

Involving multi-stakeholders, the new project will raise awareness and build capacities on One Health approach to mitigate aflatoxin, and thereby enhance safe trade while ensuring alignment with national development priorities.

APAARI is a membership-based, apolitical, multi-stakeholder, and intergovernmental regional organization that catalyzes collective action to improve agri-food research and innovation systems towards a more sustainable Asia-Pacific region.

STDF is a global partnership to facilitate safe trade, contributing to sustainable economic growth, poverty reduction and food security. It promotes improved food safety, animal and plant health capacity in developing countries.

Building Sustainable Solutions: Hands-On Training on Microbial Biopesticide Production in Vietnam

Vishwanath Sah — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 07:10:07 +0000

One-week intensive hands-on training on Microbial Biopesticide Production was provided under the STDF funded project entitled “Asia Pesticide Residue Mitigation through the Promotion of Biopesticides and Enhancement of Trade Opportunities” from 24-31 October 2022. The training was conducted at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Southern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam facilitated by Dr. Stefan Jaronski, Adjunct Professor, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, USA. Ms. Martina Spisiakova, KM Coordinator and Dr Sasireka Rajendran, Project Manager facilitated the development of business model for microbial biopesticide production.

The training was attended by 19 participants from different institutions including Department of Agro Industry MAFF (Cambodia), Plant Protection Wing, Department of Agricultural Extension, (Bangladesh), National Agricultural and Foresty Research Institute (Laos), Ministry of Agriculture and Foresty (Laos), Horticultural crops research and development institute (Sri Lanka), Indonesian Agricultural Environmental Research Institute (Indonesia), Institute of Agricultural Sciences for Southern Vietnam (Vietnam), Southern Pesticide Control and Testing Center (Vietnam), Nong Lam University (Vietnam), Yergat Food Company Limited (Vietnam), Center for Business Incubation of Agricultural High Technology (Vietnam).

The training all the essential steps in production of the fungal biopesticides including isolation of the fungus, identification of the morphology, screening, spore production, inoculation, fermentation process, drying and harvesting of the spore, and quality control of the spores. Case studies on the application of Beauveria and Metarhizium spp. were also discussed.

The workshop also included a visit to the Hi-Tech Agricultural Park at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam that contained different equipment needed for the production of fungal biopesticide. On the last day of the workshop, participants were introduced to concepts in business model for biopesticide development. Participants were engaged in group discussions to conduct the SWOT analysis of the biopesticide production. Participants presented the analysis and reports from each country. Followed by the last session, participants were acknowledged with certificates from APAARI for successful completion of the training program.

APAARI bags new Project Preparation Grant on One-Health

Vishwanath Sah — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 08:58:38 +0000

APAARI Secretariat is happy to announce that it has bagged a new project preparation grant (PPG) from Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) of WTO on “Managing aflatoxin contamination in Asia using One Health”. The PPG would be implemented from January 2023 in collaboration with the key implementing partners IITA, ILRI, CABI, and the University of Minnesota. The PPG is first of its kind to integrate the concept of One-Health on aflatoxin management in Asia. APAARI will be taking the lead in consultations and reporting to STDF by establishing technical linkages with country partners and experts, conducting country assessment and preparing briefing papers. Synergies with other aflatoxin mitigation projects implemented in the region will be explored during the PPG implementation.

Aflatoxin mitigation has become a critical subject of Codex Alimentarius Commission (World Trade Organization’s standard setting organization) which provides guidance for Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) of food and feed contaminants (e.g., aflatoxins) and additives in traded plant material/food products for compliance by countries in domestic and international trade. Much work has been done by experts globally but in a sectorial way only.

Illustration of aflatoxin interactions between plant, animal and human health

Mitigating aflatoxin exposure in a comprehensive way requires employing a One Health approach to protect human, plant, and animal health. Prevention and mitigation of aflatoxin contamination of food and feed is critical, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that often lack the expertise and infrastructure to effectively prevent and interdict aflatoxin contamination. It is crucial to achieve positive health, trade, and income outcomes. Aflatoxin mitigation in LMICs requires multi-pronged, economically feasible, integrated approaches supported by both the private and public sectors.

The purpose of this PPG is to develop a project proposal for consideration by STDF with the core-idea of raising awareness on One Health approach to mitigate aflatoxin along the value chain in Asia and take appropriate measures by engaging diverse stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. The final output of this PPG would be the development of a project proposal/document for STDF, including detailed mitigation action approaches for aflatoxin management considering environmental, plant, animal and human health aspects.

First Biopesticide Regulatory Workshop, 16 March 2022

Vishwanath Sah — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 06:17:46 +0000

The first Biopesticide Regulatory Harmonization workshop involving all regulatory points of contacts of the participating countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam was conducted online on 18 March 2022. The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Luis Suguiyama, Biopesticide Regulatory Expert, Ag Aligned Global, USA. Prior to this workshop, a survey was sent to all regulatory points of contact to determine the status of biopesticide regulatory development in line with the East Asia Biopesticide Guidelines in the participating countries. A secondary objective was to confirm the commercial availability of biopesticide products selected for the efficacy trials as residue mitigation tools. Based on the workshop, the project can ascertain that the participating countries have biopesticide regulations in place and in alignment with the 2013 ASEAN Guidelines on the Regulation, Use and Trade of Biological Control Agents.

Followed by the interactions from Mr. Suguiyama, the interactive session on the development of functional capacities was facilitated by Ms. Martina Spisiakova, KM Coordinator, APAARI. This interactions explored the type and importance of functional skills for regulators to enable them to successfully regulate the biopesticide development in their countries and promote further innovation in this field. The participants brainstormed on what is innovative in this project, and the development and application of biopesticides was only identified as one element of innovation. They considered other types of innovation more related to processes, which require a set of functional capacities, as understanding and regulating safety aspects of biopesticide development, explaining to diverse stakeholders what biopesticide is, how and why it is important to use it, more effective awareness and advocacy with farmers, while promoting what farmers already know (indigenous knowledge), broadening awareness to communities and consumers, and improving the legal framework, which is missing in some countries. The participants also explored what is meant by functional capacities and why it is important in the context of their regulatory work – through the key concepts of the Common Framework on Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems.

As a next step in building these functional capacities, the participants discussed the planned workshop on risk communication to also include regulators, from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, together with scientists. They also validated the proposed agenda to include the following key learning elements:

understanding the importance of risk communication as a crucial functional capacity to enhance agricultural trade and ensure food safety
analyzing diverse stakeholders’ perceptions of pest-related risks in the region
understanding of the types and effectiveness of pest and pesticide-related communication strategies to different audiences
skills to formulate more effective messages addressing the perceptions of diverse stakeholders
skills to use different channels to raise awareness of diverse stakeholders about pest and pesticide risks and benefits of biopesticides