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TaroPest: A computer based information and diagnostics package for taro pests of the South Pacific
Project ID
CP/2004/001
Commissioned Organisation
Queensland University of Technology, School of Natural Resource Sciences, Australia
Project Leader
Dr Anthony Clarke
a.clarke@qut.edu.au
Phone:
07 3138 5023
Fax:
07 3138 2330
Project Budget
$368,533.00
Start Date
01/07/2004
Finish Date
31/12/2006
Extension Start Date
01/01/2007
Extension Finish Date
30/06/2007
ACIAR Research Program Manager
Dr T K Lim
Overview Objectives
The project objectives were to produce a diagnostic and information package for taro pests and diseases of the South Pacific, to enhance regional capacity in the ability to build and use Lucid-based (software) information and diagnostic packages, and to test and incorporate user feed-back and dissemination of TaroPest to end-users.
Project Background and Objectives
Taro is culturally and economically important in the South Pacific. Culturally it is a staple food, important to food security and as a 'prestige' crop with a role in gift giving and ceremonial activities. Economically it generates substantial returns (in Fiji FJD$1.85 billion) and creates flow-on benefits such as employment and income in rural areas. Taro is also important as an export industry in some Pacific Island countries. Where exporting occurs facilities for packing and shipping can provide jobs, a valuable avenue out of poverty. The main barriers to productivity are pests and diseases. More than 130 pests and diseases have been recorded in the SPC Plant Protection Service database. Many of these cause minor crop losses, but a few can devastate crops, such as leaf blight in Samoa in 1993 which virtually eliminated taro. The majority of pests and diseases are present in only a few countries. This makes the introduction of these to other countries, as in the case of Samoa, all the more devastating.
The exporting and trade of taro increases the risks of diseases and pests spreading. Quarantine agencies in the region have an important role to play in ensuring this spread is stopped. This project was developed because diagnostic expertise for quarantine officers, extension workers, farmers and some scientists in Pacific Island countries was lacking. A comprehensive package was needed to help the range of people involved in taro farming, trade and research to better manage pest and disease diagnosis.
Progress Reports (Year 1, 2, 3 etc)
Year 1:
Officially commencing on July 1, 2004, the Taropest project received funding in October. Following funding, SPC successfully recruited for a project technical officer, Mr Sarlesh Kumar, who commenced on Jan 1 2005. The first full project meeting was held in Suva in January 2005, with representatives from NAQIA (PNG), QUT (Aust) and SPC (Fiji). The outcomes of the project, which included Lucid training, were the development of a target list, prioritisation of species within that list, an agreed modified data sheet to ensure uniformity of data collated, a matrix-scoring datasheet, and formalisation of project time-lines. Because of the delay in the flow of funding, project milestones are six months behind those listed in the project document.
Since the first project meeting, and in line with the project document, work has concentrated on collating information for the target pests, development of the first beta-version of the key, development of species fact sheets, image gathering, and training. With respect to the specific project objectives, the following has been achieved.
Objective 1: This objective is the core of the project and all activities are focused on it. Major achievements have been: the development and prioritisation of the target list; collation of information for more than 20 species on that list; development of a web-site (non-public at the moment) to allow live building and viewing of the key and species pages by team members.
Objective 2: Through a general workshop in Suva, specialist training for two technical officers in Brisbane, and a progress visit to Suva, training in Lucid has been provided at a variety of levels. Specifically, advanced training in all facets of the development of web-based Lucid keys and information packages have been given to one officer each of SPC and NAQIA. Relevant soft-ware and hard-ware has been supplied, along with training, to allow in-country development of Lucid based packages. This is the primary application of Objective 2.
Objective 3: Although few dissemination activities were planned for the first 12 months of the project, informal communication of the project aims has already occurred through a number of regional mediums, including Pacific Pest Info and IPMnet News.
Year 2:
The project is progressing well towards the listed goals and outcomes. A beta version of the website is currently online and publicly accessible (http://taropest.sci.qut.edu.au). Image collection and completion of the remaining fact sheets is continuing.
Objective 1: The TaroPest website has been publicly accessible since April 2006. Significant effort (announcements on list-servers, articles in international IPM groups, personal emails, hard-copy letters and meeting presentations) has gone into publicizing TaroPest and inviting testing and feedback. Hardcopy extension material is currently being developed to provide a print on demand resource. The key and associated fact-sheets and other supporting documentation, the primary objective of this project, are well advanced
Objective 2: Training has been continuing on a virtual basis with regular email contact. No formal training has been carried out in the reporting period.
Objective 3: Since early-April 2006, TaroPest has been publicly accessible. We have invited end users to test and provide feedback on the website and are actively modifying TaroPest in response to feedback on an ongoing basis.
TaroPest is able to be located by Google, which has significantly increased visitors to the site. TaroPest is advertised on the Lucidcentral.org website, and has been the focus of articles in the Taro Growers Association of Australia newsletters, SPC Land Resources Division newsletters, and the Papgren (Plant Genetic Resources News from the Pacific) Forum.
Project Outcomes
The project team produced a diagnostic and information package for the taro pests and diseases of the South Pacific. This included the TaroPest website (http://taropest.sci.qut.edu.au) that came on-line in April 2006. Significant effort (announcements on list-servers, articles in international IPM groups, personal emails, hard-copy letters and meeting and conference presentations) was dedicated to publicising TaroPest and inviting testing and feedback. TaroPest can now be located by Google which, combined with promotion by project staff has significantly increased visitors to the site. TaroPest has been the focus of articles in the Pacific Gardener newsletters, Taro Growers Association of Australia newsletters, SPC Land Resources Division newsletters, and the Papgren (Plant Genetic Resources News from the Pacific) Forum. TaroPest has also been the subject of several discussions on PestNet, and many participants provided regional advice on particular pest issues: these responses were incorporated into TaroPest.
Continuous feedback from potential end-users in the region highlighted the necessity for a hard copy weather-proof guide, to enable 'in-field' identifications. A photograph-rich field guide was developed to fulfil this need. Five-hundred copies of the field guide, including a self running CD-rom version of the website, were printed and disseminated throughout the region. These have been very well received and there have been numerous requests for further copies. Other extension material has been formatted to provide a print-on-demand resource. The TaroPest name is now quickly recognised around the Pacific as a reliable and helpful resource, and the visitation rate to the website has increased dramatically.
Training in the development and use of the Lucid software has been provided at a variety of levels - through a general workshop in Suva, specialist training for two technical officers in Brisbane, and progress visits to Suva. Relevant software and hardware was supplied, along with training, to allow in-country development of Lucid-based packages. Although the Lucid component of this project was eventually abandoned due to difficulties with end-user accessibility and programming, the staff members trained throughout the project are competent in the use of all aspects of the Lucid software. Training was also provided in the use of software packages 'Dreamweaver' and 'Photoshop' at a specialist training workshop in Brisbane. These programs have been utilised extensively throughout the project and training continued on a virtual basis with regular email contact.
Two TaroPest workshops were conducted in Samoa. Attendees of these workshops included farmers, extension officers and researchers. In collaboration with ACIAR project 'HORT/2001/023: Horticulture industry development for market-remote communities' a poster was developed of Taro Pests and Diseases in Samoa. A TaroPest workshop was also conducted at a Taro Growers Association of Australia field day in South Johnston, north Queensland. Twenty-five local taro growers attended, provided feedback on TaroPest and offered insight into local pest and disease issues.
Location
There are no project locations defined for this project.
