Integrated Pest Management in Indonesia

Background Integrated Pest Management Notes from the Field - Seema's Journal Further information about IPM Background  In the late 1970s Indonesia was the largest importer of rice but increasing debt led the Indonesian government to invest in food production, especially rice. It expanded areas under cultivation and irrigation systems, gave subsidies of up to 85% for fertilizers and a number of insecticides, and organized quality-seed production. By 1984 Indonesia was self-sufficient in rice and hoping to export rice but in 1986 massive infestations of the brown plant hopper dramatically reduced crops. It was recognised that chemical pesticides were killing off predators while not affecting the brown plant hopper. Many of the chemicals were also recognised as threatening farmers' health and contaminating food and water supplies. The government took two major steps to reduce the use of chemical pesticides: they banned many chemical pesticides from use and set up Farmers Field Schools (FFS) to teach rice growers new ways to manage pests. At the field schools farmers learnt to combine several ways to control pests. This combined method is called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). By 1998 more than a million farmers throughout Indonesia had attended these schools and it was being promoted in more than 40 countries worldwide. Integrated Pest Management Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is based on understanding the ecology of the rice field. The farmers go into the rice fields where they are encouraged to: learn how plants, pests, predators and pesticides interact with each other; observe and monitor their own fields during the rice growing season; use their past knowledge and experience to decide on actions. In the field school approach the field is the "book" and the farmers learn the language of the field to help them understand the text. The rice field becomes their own science "laboratory" where they observe what is happening and test different ideas. Working in an open and sharing environment, the farmers meet for four or five hours every week for the twelve weeks of the growing season where they: examine the farm environment; record water conditions, plant growth stage and insect; population as large drawings/diagrams; discuss these results with the rest of the group; decide on a crop management decision for the following week. Every change in the field, no matter how small, is recorded, and by the end of the season each farmer has a living record of the crop - from the time the seeds are planted to the crop's harvest. The new knowledge, skills and experience farmers learn often give them confidence to speak out about and take action to improve their lives. After sixteen years of Farmers Field Schools (FFS), the following benefits for people, the economy and the environment can be seen: farmers now use 80 - 100% less chemicals; savings on costs of imported chemicals; reduced health risks to farmers and their families; improved community knowledge about pesticide; crops are stable and in some cases yield more rice; less pollution of soil, food and water; increase in the diversity of plants and animals. Notes from the Field - Seema's Journal Seema Sanghi is a technical writer for IPM - Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Jakarta. The following notes from her journal describe how Farmers' Field Schools (FFS) in Sukabumi on Java work. Gathering insects to study On my first day in Sukabumi we took part in a FFS. This was the fourth week of the rice growing season and we joined farmers in the fields. Farmers observed the condition of the field, gathered live specimens from the IPM plots and made notes about the numbers of different species and the health of the crop. We then discussed the differences between two fields and about how the fields should be managed. The five women farmers contributed as much as the men to this discussion. After this activity we discussed the life cycle of different insects. By learning what the insects like to eat at certain stages of their development the farmers can work out when the insect may become a pest. The farmers broke into small groups and chose one insect to study. They made diagrams of the different stages in the life cycle and then each group presented their information to the others. It was interesting to see the actual insects in their own environment. Then it was time for some fun. We were tied up to partners and had to somehow untangle ourselves. There was much laughter. This led to talk about communication and problem solving, leadership and team building. People had a lot to say about how others do not listen, how they knew what to do or how they were following what those beside them were doing etc. This brought the group closer together and prepared them for a planning and review session. Our lunch that day consisted of home-grown vegetables, rice and fish, very simple but delicious. The next day I attended a FFS follow up session. This involved farmers who had already completed the program and were now planning for their second growing season. They worked with the field leader to prioritise their problems and suggest strategies for improving the situation. Then they drew pictures of what they saw as their ideal situation and planning followed. They were asked to identify how to reach goals, who could help, what resources were needed and most importantly, who would carry out the different tasks needed to reach their goal. Observing local insects It was good that farmers and government officials could meet and share in such a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The next day we visited a different village. We had to walk through a wet and muddy rice field to get to the meeting house that the farmers had built especially for IPM. This group of about 25 farmers were interested in natural (plant based) pesticides instead of chemicals. They were testing different methods in their rice paddies; some used mint to deter the pests, others were trying ginger or garlic. An insect zoo had also been set up to see the effects of different plants on different species and to better understand the interaction between insects and plants. These plant based methods which they were testing may well have been the traditional ways to rid pests but had been forgotten since the arrival of chemical pesticides. I was disappointed that there were no women in this group and when I asked I was told that they were cooking, cleaning or looking after children. Although there are many women's programs and success stories which involve the work of women it is not common to see equal numbers of women attending these types of meetings. There are reasons for this, for example, religion can prevent women and men sitting together or women can feel shy in the presence of men. A colourful wooden puppet After the meeting one of the farmers invited us to his home for tea. He showed us some colourfully painted wooden hand puppets which he uses to teach people about IPM. One of the puppets, the brown plant hopper, looked quite evil. The other puppet, an IPM farmer, was very colourful with a big red smile. His friends help him to make the puppets and he takes any opportunity, big meetings, weddings, and other ceremonies, to educate people about IPM. After this meeting I began to see that IPM is not just about pests or rice but about a whole new way of thinking - a way of making the connections between people, plants and animals and how we do things. Later, when visiting Bali, I saw that farmers had woven IPM into their water sharing systems. These groups had made a strong connection to IPM because it contains the three foundations of happiness. In Bali people believe that happiness comes from the harmony between a person's relationships with god, with other people and with the natural world. The farmers believe that through IPM they can make and maintain a healthy farm ecosystem and in turn this means that their other relationships are also in order.   Further information about IPM From hundreds of sites relating to Integrated Pest Management, the following three provide a good starting point: Integrated Pest Management http://www.science.org.au/nova/041/041sit.htm An easy-to-read overview of Integrated Pest Management from Nova Topics with some Australian examples. Some Rice with That? http://abc.net.au/science/slab/rice/story.htm Australian journalist, Lynne Malcolm tells a story about attending a "rice school" in the Philippines. Using the overview page it is possible to click directly on the relevant parts of the story such as Farming without Chemicals and Managing Pests. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpp/IPM/ An overview of Integrated Pest Management, its spread globally and the programs operated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.