University of New England

The aim of this three and half year (2007-2010) project in Cambodia is to increase the range of crops grown under rainfed lowland conditions by promoting non-rice crop technologies that provide efficient water use and high financial return to the growers. This aim can be achieved by adding a non-rice crop after the main wet season rice crop (i.e. rice/non-rice double cropping) and the key research issue is water - how to select the appropriate soil and water environment in the wet season for the following non-rice crop and how to ensure adequate water for it. The project will measure the available water and examine a range of management options for growing non-rice crops such as peanut, soybean, and mungbean.

The objectives of the project are:

(i) To develop profitable double cropping options for a rice/ non-rice (mungbean, soybean and peanut ) system for the rainfed lowlands in three provinces.

(ii) To define the water requirements for non-rice crops, determine the best use of small amounts of stored water, incorporate water use into available lowland models and predict the level of risk under mainly rainfed conditions of the diversified cropping systems.

The intended target group of the project is for small scale lowland rice farmers with favourable water availability on-farm. Limited amount of water may be available from underground or on-farm pond as supplementary irrigation to non-rice crops.

The project has almost identical activities in three major lowland rice growing provinces of Kampong Thom, Kampong Cham and Takeo. A few Districts were selected for each Province and farmers and collaborators from Provincial and District offices participated for activities to achieve Objectives 1-2. The project examines potential non-rice technologies in rice-based lowlands, and aims to develop agronomic packages for non-rice crops in lowlands. Assessment of cropping risks and economic evaluation of new technologies are two key aspects of the project.

The project commenced several months after the official commencement date of 1 April 2007. An UQ agronomist has been stationed at the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Phnom Penh.

For the 2007/2008 period, one of the major activities for Objective 1 (Development of profitable double cropping systems) was testing of a number of soil types that are potentially suitable for legume crop production across three Provinces. Eleven experiments were conducted to test 4 different soil types and the three legume crops, each crop with two varieties. The soil types were Prateah Lang, Prey Khmer, Bakan and Toul Samrong, which are all common lowland soils in the Provinces. This series of experiments was successfully completed with several key observations. They are; importance of sowing at optimum time, requirements of furrow and bed planting for some soils, potentially large impacts of insect pests and diseases, and importance of providing sufficient amount of irrigation water to maintain optimum crop growth. Some, if not all, of these issues are strongly connected to labour availability and costs of appropriate field maintenance. As this series is the first attempt for the project to grow legumes after rice in lowlands in Cambodia, the findings and experience achieved here will assist development of project's future experimental and economic programs.

In addition, two model farms have been developed with farmer owners; one in Kampong Thom and the other Takeo. The main attribute considered here is the use of pond water to irrigate non-rice crops in lowland after rice harvesting. It is clear from the development and operation of the model farms that a major challenge facing these farmers is to secure an adequate quantity of water required for crop production with a minimum cost.

Another major activity for the Objective 1 was to assemble varieties of mungbean and soybean that were available in the country. This was achieved in 2007, and 28 varieties/advanced lines of mungbean and 29 varieties/advanced lines of soybean together with two peanuts varieties were tested for their performance at CARDI in 2007/08 dry season. Peanuts showed better adaptation to the poorly structured Prateah Lang soil at the field site, as was also observed in the soil type experiments mentioned earlier.

Objective 2 (Water requirements of non-rice crops and prediction of cropping risks) was achieved in conjunction with activities for Objective 1. It appears that the amount of water applied to the legume crops in some experiments was not adequate for achievement of maximum yields. This may be possibly due to the participating farmers and District Agriculture Office collaborators not being aware of the amount of water required for maximum yield, but also the cost of irrigation was high resulting in reduced irrigation frequency and amount.

The aim of this three and half year (2007-2010) project in Cambodia is to increase the range of crops grown under rainfed lowland conditions by promoting non-rice crop technologies that provide efficient water use and high financial return to the growers. This aim can be achieved by adding a non-rice crop after the main wet season rice crop (i.e. rice/non-rice double cropping) and the key research issue is water - how to select the appropriate soil and water environment in the wet season for the following non-rice crop, particularly peanut, soybean, and mungbean and how to ensure adequate water for it. The intended target group of the project is for small scale lowland rice farmers with favourable water availability on-farm. Limited amount of water may be available from underground or on-farm pond as supplementary irrigation to non-rice crops. Assessment of cropping risks and economic evaluation of new technologies are two key aspects of the project.
The project has almost identical activities in three major lowland rice growing provinces of Kampong Thom, Kampong Cham and Takeo. A few Districts were selected for each Province and farmers and collaborators from Provincial and District offices participated for activities to achieve project objectives. An UQ agronomist was stationed at the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Phnom Penh for the whole reporting period.
One of the major activities for Objective 1 (Development of profitable double cropping systems) was testing of a number of soil types and legume species that were potentially suitable for legume crop production after rice in lowland across three Provinces. Eleven experiments were conducted in 2007/08 dry season to test 4 different soil types and the three legume crops, each crop with two varieties. The soil types were Prateah Lang, Prey Khmer, Bakan and Toul Samrong, which are all common lowland soils in the Provinces. This series of experiments was successfully completed in May 2008 and several conclusions were drawn; Prey Khmer soil is most suitable for legume crops after rice in lowlands (eg, 1075- 1244 kg/ha for peanuts). Crop yield varied greatly in Prateah Lang soil (eg, 47-1160 kg/ha for mungbean), which is the most common soil type in lowlands of Cambodia. Peanuts is most suitable in terms of crop vigour and yield among the three crops examined followed by mungbean. Crop yield was generally low but there were also several key observations that would help increase yield. They were; importance of sowing at optimum time, adverse effect of low soil fertility, requirements of furrow and bed planting for some soils, potentially large impacts of insect pests and diseases, and importance of providing sufficient amount of irrigation water to maintain optimum crop growth. Some of these issues are strongly connected to labour availability and costs of appropriate field maintenance. These observations were utilized in developing a series of experiments that were conducted in the 2008/09 dry season. Preliminary results of the second year experiments indicate yield was generally higher than the first year, and some treatments, such as mulching, helped increase yield, but data need to be analysed fully before firm conclusions can be drawn.
In addition to the experimental series, two activities of significance were conducted in the reporting period. One is continuous development of the two model farms that had been developed in the first year with farmer owners; one in Kampong Thom and the other Takeo. The third one is being developed in Kampong Cham. A major achievement so far is the demonstration of feasibility of double cropping (rice-legume in Kampong Thom) and triple cropping (rice-rice-legume in Takeo) using only supplementary irrigation water, and mostly by hand watering. Most of cropping areas of the farms were used to demonstrate the feasibility, although the legume crops (mungbean and peanuts) suffered some water stress and yield could be reduced to some extent. When the dry season legume yields become available, on-farm input and output analysis will be conducted.
The other major non-experimental activity during the period was conducting survey and workshops for farmers in the target area in Kampong Thom. The results of survey and workshops suggest the following points for the project; it would be useful to grow legumes in paddies adjacent to village or housing areas because they tend to be more accessible for supplementary irrigation and inputs of organic materials and also the crops can be protected from free grazing cattle and perhaps thief. Cultivating method specially land preparation should be selected to maintain soil moisture, and no tillage and mulching technique based on existing rice stubble may be useful. Farm or non-farm job opportunity and hence availability of family labour should be considered for successful adoption of the legume crops in lowlands.

The aim of this three and half year (2007-2010) project in Cambodia is to increase the range of crops grown under rainfed lowland conditions by promoting non-rice crop technologies that provide efficient water use and high financial return to the growers. This aim can possibly be achieved by adding a non-rice crop after the main wet season rice crop (i.e. rice/non-rice double cropping) and the key research issue is water - how to select the appropriate soil and water environment in the wet season for the following non-rice crop, particularly peanut, soybean, and mungbean, and how to ensure adequate water for the crop? The intended target group of the project is for small scale lowland rice farmers with favourable water availability on-farm. Limited amounts of water may be available from underground or on-farm ponds, as supplementary irrigation to non-rice crops. Assessment of cropping risks and economic evaluation of new technologies are two key aspects of the project.
In the first 2 years, the project had almost identical activities in three major lowland rice growing provinces of Kampong Thom, Kampong Cham and Takeo, but we have dropped Kampong Cham to concentrate on the two most appropriate Provinces in the reporting period. A few Districts were selected for each Province and farmers and collaborators from Provincial and District offices participated in activities to achieve project objectives. An UQ agronomist was stationed at the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Phnom Penh for the whole reporting period.
In the first year (2007/08 dry season), we identified that Prey Khmer soil was most suitable for legume crops after rice in lowlands, followed by Prateah Lang soil, which is the most common soil type in lowlands of Cambodia. We also found that peanuts followed by mungbean were the most suitable in terms of crop vigour and yield among the three crops examined. We also noted a number of constraints for achieving high legume yield including: adverse effect of low soil fertility; requirements of furrow and bed planting for some soils; potentially large impacts of insect pests and diseases; and difficulty in providing sufficient amount of irrigation water to maintain optimum crop growth. Some of these issues are strongly connected to labour availability and also cost of appropriate field maintenance. These observations were utilized in developing a series of experiments that were conducted in the 2008/09 dry season to determine best options for legume growing in terms of irrigation water requirement, effect of mulch, time of planting and use of fertilizer and soil amendment. The main points to come from these experiments were the strong effect of straw mulch and the importance of adequate water supply without providing excess water to the crop. We also maintained two model farms that had been developed in the first year with farmer owners; one in Kampong Thom and the other Takeo. We have made economic analysis of model farm activities. Another area of economic analysis conducted is cost-benefit analysis of legume cropping after rice in lowlands. The analysis clearly indicated the adverse effect of labour cost on profitability of growing legume crops, particularly for watering by hand which is common in the area.
From the results of experiments and economic analyses, we developed the best bet technologies for growing mungbean and peanuts. The documents describing them were distributed and discussed with PDA officers in Takeo and Kampong Thom. In 2009/10 dry season, these PDA established 20 demonstration farms where mungbean, peanuts as well as tomatoes were grown as per our best bet technologies. While we have not received complete yield data set, some farmers appear to be producing very good crops of mungbean and peanuts. We also had a field day at Takeo where our model farm, experiments on irrigation frequency and mulch levels and demonstration of drill planted legumes were inspected by some 100 people (mostly farmers). Some commune chiefs were also invited from other areas and they showed strong interest in participating in the project in the future. Another field day was held in Kampong Thom.
In the 2009/10 dry season, we conducted experiments in 2 Provinces (Takeo and Kampong Thom) and at CARDI. The main aspects were to examine the effect of different quantities of straw mulch, plant density and bed configuration, and frequency and quantity of irrigation water application for both mungbean and peanuts.
We have also made selections among lines of mungbean, soybean and peanuts in 2008/09 dry season, and some selected lines of mungbean entered into replicated yield trials at CARDI in 2009/10 dry season.

Management of animal and animal product movement continues to be essential for the control of transboundary animal diseases (TAD). The focal TAD for this project: highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), classical swine fever (CSF) and foot and mouth disease (FMD) remain strategically important for Indonesia and Australia. While HPAI, like CSF, is now endemic in regions of Indonesia and knowledge of risks to humans and poultry through this and other projects are better understood - it is clear that prevention of further HPAI spread and eradication from specific provinces (such as Bali) is reliant on identifying high risk poultry movements and formulating policy to restrict, manage and/or monitor these movements.
The recent appearance of rabies in Bali presents the reality of TAD disease spread through animal movement that will occur when risk mitigation strategies are not in place. Rabies as another zoonotic disease further demonstrates that implementation of risk assessment in a collaborative policy development process ensures protection of human as well as animal health.
This project is influencing policy on TAD control by:
Identifying animal movements that pose most risk for TAD transmission
Enabling application of risk management to decisions about reduction of risk associated with these movements.
In Indonesia the project is hosted by the DGLS from the Disease Investigation Centre (DIC) Denpasar and project activities in Bali/Lombok are conducted in collaboration with Udayana University and University of Mataram. Expert guidance on market and social research is provided by University of New England and Charles Sturt University, on HPAI by Murdoch University, and on policy development by NSW DPI.
For Year 1 project activities were focused in Bali and Lombok.
Investigation of the poultry market chain identified principle chains that involve different types of players and levels of biosecurity practice:
1. Movement of broilers and spent layers from contract and non-contract commercial farms through company collectors, slaughterhouses and poultry shops to vendors and customers
2. Movement of kampong chicken and duck from backyard farms to customers through individual collectors and vendors operating in villages and traditional markets.
Further investigation of poultry movement at 9 markets in Bali and 8 markets in Lombok showed low levels of biosecurity practiced by collectors and vendors and increased volumes of chickens and ducks traded during religious celebrations and festivals. Use of social network analysis has confirmed that markets in Bali vary in terms of disease spread risk.
At a Stakeholder Meeting in August 2008, government and industry representatives applied a risk management framework to HPAI control and rated risk for HPAI spread via poultry/poultry product movement as high to extreme but amenable to risk mitigation.
During Year 2 data collection commences for:
Nusa Tengarra Timor component lead by NTT Department of Livestock in collaboration with non-government agencies to conduct interviews on pig movement in West Timor, Flores and Sumba.
Australian component conducted by University of Sydney and NSW DPI - case studies of non-commercial pig producer practices in New South Wales.
An activity added to the project seeks to obtain data on the HPAI status of chickens and ducks at higher risk sections of the poultry market chain in Bali and Lombok through spatiotemporal analysis of outbreak and surveillance data, and testing of poultry and environmental samples at higher risk points along the poultry market chain.
Whilst project activities are largely on schedule, the quality of some activities may be impacted by insufficient time of lead team members to dedicate to the project and by limited access to HPAI outbreak and surveillance data.
Government agencies responsible for animal disease control and quarantine and industry stakeholders in Eastern Indonesia are committed to improved control of HPAI and CSF. Disease control programs that incorporate targeted movement, surveillance and vaccination activities that lead to lower HPAI and CSF occurrence will benefit all community sectors by increasing the availability of poultry and pork products, securing income for smallholder families and in Bali/Lombok reducing perceived risk from HPAI for the tourist industry. Linkages with AH/2006/169 will consolidate support for action on HPAI in Bali/Lombok and with AH/2004/020 and SMAR/2007/175 will strengthen contributions to guide decisions on CSF control in NTT.
For Australia, given the dire consequence of CSF or FMD for the Australian livestock industries, assessment of risk related to non-commercial pig movements will inform government and industry approach to exotic disease preparedness and response. Linkage with Australian Biosecurity CRC projects to host a national workshop on Enhancing Biosecurity for the Australian Pig Industry in 2010 will increase Australian exposure to project outputs.

Transboundary animal diseases (TAD) are spread through the movement of animals and animal products. The management of risk for TAD spread via these movement is therefore essential for goals of disease reduction and eradication to be achieved.
This project seeks to identify high-risk movements and associated factors for TADs - highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), classical swine fever (CSF) and foot and mouth disease (FMD) - that are strategically important for Indonesia and Australia.
Further we are working with government and industry to progress thinking on policy that will lower the risk for disease transmission, particularly in Indonesia for settings where, due to economic and cultural imperatives, prohibition will not cease movement. Learning about this risk management approach to animal health policy development can be applied to other TADs. For example there is some evidence of application to the current rabies control program in Bali. The recent introduction to Bali of this fatal zoonotic disease is vivid proof of ongoing TAD spread via animal movement and of the need to implement risk assessment in a collaborative policy development process to protect human as well as animal health.
This project is influencing policy on TAD control by:
Identifying animal movements that pose most risk for TAD transmission
Enabling application of risk management to decisions about reduction of risk associated with these movements.
In Indonesia the project is hosted by the Directorate General Livestock Services from the Disease Investigation Centre (DIC) Denpasar. In Bali/Lombok project activities are conducted in collaboration with Udayana University and University of Mataram. In Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) project activities are implemented by the Provincial Department of Livestock in collaboration with University of Mataram, Nusa Cendana University and local non-government agencies. Expert guidance on market and social research is provided by University of New England and Charles Sturt University, on HPAI and CSF by Murdoch University and University of Sydney, and on policy development by NSW Industry & Innovation.
Project activities continued in Year 2 in Bali and Lombok and commenced in NTT and Australia.
Investigation of informal poultry movement provided indicative information on types and numbers of poultry illegally entering Bali, the entry points and the economic and cultural drivers for this trade. Sequencings of five avian influenza viruses isolated from birds swabbed at live bird markets in Bali is expected to explain the source of the viruses. Evidence of a structured system for illegal poultry movement into Lombok was not found. Village-to-village movement of poultry within island was documented for both Bali and Lombok, and these movements for kampong chickens and ducks were predominately within subdistrict.
Investigation of the pig market chain in NTT defined an emerging commercial chain in West Timor and a non-commercial chain throughout NTT, identified peak demand periods and the principle routes for inter-island movement of pigs.
The Stakeholder Meeting for NTT component in August 2009 saw government and industry representatives apply a risk management framework to CSF control. Pig movement and pig marketing practices were determined to be key risks for CSF spread throughout NTT. Swill feeding was also identified as a common practice and highlighted the need for movement and use of pork to be considered in this project.
In Australia, investigation by University of Sydney and NSW I&I documented practices of non-commercial pig producers selling informally in New South Wales that included a lack of on-farm biosecurity and health records, and limited on-farm but regular off-farm pig movements.
The Australian component will conclude in October 2010 with a National Workshop held in collaboration with an Australian Biosecurity CRC project that will facilitate refinement of government and industry activities in light of risk assessment and extension findings.
The scale of field activities has led to some delays however the project remains on track for completion end of 2011. Over-commitment of lead team members is an ongoing risk to quality of project achievements.
Government and industry commitment to the control of CSF in NTT is steadfast. CSF control in this province incorporating targeted movement, surveillance and vaccination activities that leads to lower CSF occurrence will benefit all community sectors by increasing pork availability and securing income for smallholder families.
Whilst HPAI control remains a priority for government and industry in Bali/Lombok, the well established market system that provides for substantial market demand poses considerable challenges to standard quarantine practices. Furthermore rabies is now the dominate concern. Enhancement of HPAI and rabies control through application of risk management would benefit Bali/Lombok by reducing perceived risk for the tourist industry and actual losses of poultry and human life for local communities. Linkages with AH/2006/169 and AH/2006/166 are seeking to strengthen capability in these provinces.
For Australia, given the dire consequence of CSF or FMD for the Australian livestock industries, the risk assessment of non-commercial pig movements will inform government and industry approach to exotic disease preparedness and response.

This project seeks to identify high-risk movements and associated factors for the transboundary animal diseases (TADs) - highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), classical swine fever (CSF) and foot and mouth disease (FMD). Each of these TADs is a national priority disease for Indonesia and Australia, and each is able to be spread via the movement of animals and animal products.
We are working with government and industry to progress thinking on policy that reduces the risk of disease transmission, by using risk assessment to identify biosecurity practices that in combination will lower risk particularly in Indonesian contexts where animal movement will not cease due to economic and cultural imperatives. The benefit of a risk management approach to animal health policy is being realised and applied to other TADs such as preparedness for rabies entry to Lombok island from now infected neighbouring Bali island.
This project is influencing policy on TAD control by:
Identifying animal movements that pose most risk for TAD transmission
Enabling application of risk management to decisions about reduction of risk associated with these movements.
In Indonesia the project is hosted by the Directorate General Livestock Services from the Disease Investigation Centre (DIC) Denpasar. In Bali/Lombok project activities are conducted in collaboration with Udayana University and University of Mataram. In Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) project activities are implemented by the Provincial Department of Livestock in collaboration with University of Mataram and local non-government agencies. Expert guidance on market and social research is provided by University of New England and Charles Sturt University, on HPAI and CSF by Murdoch University and University of Sydney, and on policy development by NSW Industry & Innovation.
For Year 3 project activities continued in Bali and Lombok and in NTT, and were completed in Australia.
At the Stakeholder Workshop 22-23 July 2010 in Denpasar, Bali - the project findings on poor biosecurity practices along the poultry market chain involving live bird markets (LBM) in Bali and Lombok, including the systematic illegal entry to Bali, were stated by government and industry participants to agree with their knowledge of the market chain. Participants identified risk mitigation options for high risk practices and bird movements and requested further evaluation of social and economic impacts of alterations to LBM biosecurity. A proposed pilot trial at one LBM in Bali did not progress. Instead a pilot trial has recently commenced at one LBM in Lombok.
Investigation of pig management practices and CSF knowledge of pig sellers and buyers at markets and of pig farmers in villages across NTT found limited biosecurity practices and knowledge of CSF. Village to market transactions tend to involve across district movement of pigs with inter and intra island connections. Majority of village-to-village movements, without market involvement, occur within district.
The Australian component concluded with a National Workshop on 24-25 November 2010 held in collaboration with the Australian Biosecurity CRC 3.086R project. Government and industry stakeholders were informed of our findings that small-scale pig producers trading informally had an extremely low probability of exposure to FMD or CSF and low probability of spread off-farm. However, informal movement of pigs could jeopardize animal traceability in the event of a disease outbreak. A workshop recommendation applicable across the various livestock industries represented was: communication of the shared risk and shared responsibility for biosecurity - shared by the small and the commercial sectors of each industry.
During Year 4 data collection and analysis continues for:
Bali/Lombok component with evaluation of the impact of risk mitigation options on biosecurity practices and economic return via implementation of a pilot trial at a LBM.
NTT component on informal pig movement and on evaluation of social and economic impacts of CSF eradication. Reporting on risk assessment and evaluation of risk mitigation options impact on HPAI will be followed by implementation of a pilot trial.
The scale of field activities has led to some delays however the project remains on track for completion by early 2012. Over-commitment of lead team members is an ongoing risk to quality of project achievements.
Government and industry commitment to the control of CSF in NTT appears to be increasing and there is interest to develop a pig production and health initiative based on the findings of AH/2004/020 and this project in relation to CSF control and biosecurity practices. The resulting reduction in CSF occurrence will benefit all community sectors by increasing pork availability and securing income for smallholder families.
The realisation of shared risk and shared responsibility across industry sectors definitively places biosecurity extension and quality assurance for smallholders and commercial producers in Australia in the sphere of national exotic disease preparedness and response.

The continued lack of biosecurity in the Non-Industrial Commercial Poultry Sector (NICPS) ensures that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cannot be effectively controlled in Indonesia. Lack of biosecurity past the farm gate, limited trace-back, multiple production cycles, low level of understanding of biosecurity, and minimal price differentiation between healthy and sick birds lead to poor implementation of farm biosecurity systems. This project has begun to develop cost effective biosecurity measures with a demonstrated benefit to NICPS farmers. When developed, adoption of these will improve the productivity and reduce the zoonotic threat of HPAI to the poultry industry.
Project partners within the industry (Forum Masyarakat Perunggasan Indonesia - FMPI), universities (Institut Pertanian Bogor - IPB and Udayana University - UNUD) and relevant government departments at national and provincial levels (Bali and West Java) have continued to have a significant role in the development and implementation of the project. The highlights of the first year of the project include the training activities undertaken, the significant development of support institutions and the undertaking of a baseline survey and risk analysis.
A unique feature of this project is its embedding within the Indonesian poultry industry. This has been a major achievement and has led to some of the institutions established being utilised by other donors and government agencies. At the national level the Biosecurity Consultative Group (BCG) has been established by the project to link project activities with national-level industry objectives. It is headed by Pk Don Utoyo who is also head of the FMPI and has members from private multinationals (Charoen Pokphan - CP) and Japfa Comfeed), farmer associations (Gabungan Organisasi Peternak Ayam Nasional - GOPAN and Indonesian Poultry Farmer Association and Information Centre - PINSAR) and government (Directorate General Livestock Services - DGLS). The success of the BCG has led to requests from other donors to use it as a more general forum for donor, government and industry discussion and cooperation. Through the BCG the project is playing an important role in the development of a new industry led 'road-map'; the National Poultry Industry Program (NPIP) that will develop a long term strategy to improve the structure of the industry. The project has begun developing links with the Poultry Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) based at UNE to provide advice as to what this industry structure might look like. The opening workshop for the project was held at the Crowne Plaza in Jakarta (October 20-21) and was not only a project launch but also an opportunity for all stakeholders to begin discussion on a unified approach to biosecurity in the NICPS.
At the provincial level, Project Steering Committees (PSC) have been established. These mirror the BCG and are providing input and support to project activities. The BCG and PSCs meet every quarter to review performance and plan future activities. Provincial Project Coordinators (PPC) in Bali and East Java have been appointed and trained and are managing project activities in these areas. The Pusat Biosekuriti Unggas Indonesia (PBUI) has been established with the intention of it becoming a self-sufficient training and biosecurity policy development institute. The two manager positions created in the project, one for industry liaison and the other for training, have begun to develop industry links and training programs respectively. A 5-day advisor training workshop was run in February 2009 (20 participants) with future farmer (June 2009), auditor and other stakeholder training planned. Industry stakeholders have requested to be involved in future training. FAO have signalled their intention to use the PBUI for training activities in South Sulawesi. The major Indonesian poultry industry magazines; Trobos and Poultry Indonesia featured articles concerning the advisor training in East Java.
Initial surveys of 120 farmers in each of the 2 provinces have been completed. Results from this survey will be used in conjunction with a formal risk assessment that has been undertaken of poultry farming systems in Bali and South Sulawesi. Information from these will form the basis of understanding farmer attitudes to biosecurity and the capacity to implement biosecurity measures on farm and in the marketing chain. They will also identify particular areas where practical economic and technical research will be required.
Research has been commissioned from UNUD and the Indonesian Centre for Agro-socioeconomic and Policy Studies (ICASEPS) to complete an analysis of farmer characteristics that are linked with differing levels of adoption of on-farm biosecurity. A Masters student (at IPB) will also use survey data to develop a model of cost-effective biosecurity in the NICPS.
The major change in project activities revolves around the postponement of activities in South Sulawesi (Sulsel). This was due to exchange rate issues, and a lack of appropriate partner. Solutions to these issues are presently being negotiated with ACIAR and AusAID and it is expected that activities will commence in July 2009.

Identifying and implementing cost-effective biosecurity for NICPS farms in Indonesia continues to be priority for the poultry industry. The project has continued to work at the national level with the poultry industry through our partnership with Pk Don Utoyo (FMPI), and the DGLS and at the provincial level (Bali, West Java and South Sulawesi) with the poultry farmer associations and Provincial and Kabupaten Dinas. Project staff continue to meet quarterly with its project partners at Biosecurity Consultative Group (BCG) meetings and Provincial Steering Committee (PSC) meetings. The major activities and developments for the year were:
1. Extension into South Sulawesi.
AusAID has provided $300,000 to be used to extend project activities into South Sulawesi during the remaining 2.5 years of the project. Project activities began with an opening workshop on November 16th, 2009. Staff were employed in February and have been allocated office space in the SADI office and in the Dinas office. Advisor, 'how to train' and farmer training workshops have already been undertaken and a survey of broiler and layer farmers completed. The project is working very closely with FAO in this province and has established links with Hasanuddin University (UNHAS). The PSC has been formed and has met twice. The Head of the PSC is drh. Wahyu Suhadji, a farmer and head of the poultry farmer association. The clean market chain working group has also been formed.
2. Survey of Broiler and Layer Smallholders.
The survey of NICPS layer and broiler farmers in Bali and West Java has been completed. 228 smallholders have been interviewed 3 times (4 monthly intervals). Data has been cleaned and initial results will be presented at the project-sponsored workshop titled 'Towards the adoption of cost-effective biosecurity in NICPS farms' in June 2010. A farm biosecurity status scoring system has been developed and will be used as a basis for further analysis to identify cost-effective biosecurity for NICPS farms. Nine papers will be presented at this workshop by project partners and two will be further developed and presented at the AARES conference in Melbourne in February 2011.
The survey form has also been used by Indonesian-Dutch Partnership (IDP) program. It may also be used by the USDA for their data collection. Using the same data form will allow a larger dataset to be compiled and better information available to policy makers.
Consumer surveys have also been completed by researchers at UNUD (Bali) and ICASEPS (West Java) to determine the consumers' willingness to pay for product from biosecure farms. The results of this research will be presented at the biosecurity workshop in June.
3. Biosecurity training.
This project has developed 3 workshop formats suited to the needs of advisors and farmers. In the past 12 months the project has run 7 training workshops 4 fully funded by ACIAR, 1 by USDA, 1 by FAO and 1 jointly funded by ACIAR and FAO. This funding of ACIAR training programs by other donors is an important step in ensuring a consistent, sustainable and coordinated approach to biosecurity training in Indonesia. It is acknowledgement of the standard of the programs developed by the ACIAR project. Further workshops for farm auditors and other stakeholders (e.g. bankers, government decision makers) are being developed. In the past year 43 advisors have attended ACIAR 5-day training programs, 49 advisors have attended a 1-day 'How to run a training course' workshop and 37 farmers have attended 2-day farmer training programs. 70 Dinas staff also received training in biosecurity at a Dinas funded training workshop for staff in Kalimantan.
A brochure has been produced to advise provide potential training organisations of the capability of the ACIAR/PBUI to implement biosecurity training programs.
Sarini Pande (PPC, Bali) has completed the requirements to become an ACIAR accredited Biosecurity Master Trainer.
4. Clean Market Chain.
Initial focus groups in Bali and West Java identified an interest in developing a niche market for product from biosecure farms. The Project Steering Committees (PSCs) in the 3 provinces have become 'Clean Market Chain Working Groups' with the aim of developing a clean market chain for meat and eggs from certified biosecure farms to be sold at premium prices in supermarkets. These groups have met in Bali and West Java. Stakeholders include; Dinas, farmers, slaughterhouse, supermarkets, collectors and contracting companies.
The project is working with the Dinas and industry to develop, implement and audit farm certification schemes.
Provincial Project Coordinators (PPCs) in Bali and West Java have completed farm biosecurity plans for 4 farms. Each farm which becomes part of the clean market chain will have implemented an approved farm biosecurity plan.

Improving biosecurity of smallholder poultry farms remains a priority when controlling poultry diseases in Indonesia. In 2010/2011 there has been a focus on facilitating market access and obtaining a premium price for products sold from approved biosecure farms. It is expected that this will be suitable for wider adoption throughout Indonesia.
Major achievements of the past year include:
Training.
Technical courses were held for farmers, advisors and auditors, and awareness workshops for stakeholders such as poultry input suppliers, lending institutions and poultry associations. The objective has been to train and make aware sufficient numbers of people and organisations to pilot the development of a 'clean market chain' in the three project locations.
PPCs Bugie Kurnianto and Midha Karim have met the assessment requirements to become Indonesian Master Trainers bringing the total to four. The Indonesian members of the training team developed a high quality training package for auditors and used it to deliver a series of courses for auditors. The independence, initiative and Indonesian ownership is an important achievement of the project.
Bugie Kurnianto (PPC, West Java) and Hasmida Karim (PPC, South Sulawesi) are presently undertaking Masters Programs at IPB and Hasanuddin University respectively. Putri Komaladara (UNUD) has obtained an AusAID scholarship and will begin a Masters of economics program at UNE in June 2011. Her thesis topic will be the economics of poultry biosecurity.
Market chain development.
A framework for a market chain has been developed to market meat and eggs from the project's biosecure farms in readiness for a product launch in supermarkets which was completed at the three project locations in June 2011. A total of 63 farms (21 in Bali, 31 in West Java and 11 in South Sulawesi) have implemented agreed farm biosecurity plans and had their farms audited. They are now approved to supply their products to 6 supermarkets in the Project area. These farms have biosecurity plans developed with assistance of trained advisors, and been audited by trained personnel.
Surveys in West Java, South Sulawesi and Bali have identified consumers' willingness to pay for products from biosecure farms. In South Sulawesi it was estimated that the respondents were willing to pay an extra Rp.2,140/kg for chicken meat and Rp.1,160kg for eggs from biosecure farms. In West Java it was an additional Rp.2,987/kg and Rp.2,235/kg for chicken meat and eggs respectively. In Bali it was found that chicken meat consumers would be prepared to pay up to Rp.5,000 more per chicken and Rp.10,000/kg extra for eggs.
The project has also funded a study to estimate the market chain costs. This was headed by Ir Suryawan who is also the head of the CMC Working Group in Bali.
PPCs have worked with participating abattoirs to develop protocols for segregation, hygiene and traceability of product.
An Indonesian advertising company (Concepthings) assisted with production of labels for egg cartons and broiler packaging, signage for farm gates, offices and sheds, and promotional t-shirts. Logos were chosen from a competition run by the project. Products have been launched in West Java, Bali and South Sulawesi supermarkets in May and June. It is anticipated that these events will be featured the at the forthcoming Crawford Fund Conference "The Supermarket Revolution in Food".
Research dissemination.
A two-day conference Adoption of Cost-Effective Biosecurity for Non-Industrial Commercial Poultry Sector Farms in Indonesia in Bogor in June was organised by the project. Fifty seven delegates represented donors, industry, academia and central and provincial governments. The 17 presentations included research papers from the abovementioned surveys. Three project team members presented papers at the AARES Conference in Melbourne in February.
Stakeholder relationships.
The Clean Market Chain Working Groups in West Java, South Sulawesi and Bali, and the national-level Biosecurity Consultative Group (BCG) continue to meet regularly. They comprise representatives of government, poultry industry and university with responsibilities for guiding the project.
Regular meetings of project team members with senior officials of the Directorate General of Livestock and Animal Health Services (DGLAHS) occurred to report on project progress. Systems of accreditation and minimum biosecurity standards have been high on the agenda.
The Indonesian Poultry Biosecurity Centre (Pusat Biosekuriti Unggas Indonesia (PBUI)) established by the project is now recognised as an established training institution. Preliminary talks have occurred with DGLS and Indonesian Poultry Industry Forum (FMPI) concerning its integration into the National Poultry Strategic Plan (Komite Unggas Nasional).

During the first year (April 2008 - March 2009), the project contributed to:
1) the international debate on reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD);
2) build capacity for the implementation of REDD in Indonesia.
Contribution to the international debate
The contribution to the international debate on the form that an REDD mechanism should take included a paper published in Ecological Economics on "compensated reductions of emissions vs compensated efforts to avoid deforestation". The paper argues that incentive to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation should be provided on the basis of evidence that those emissions have actually been achieved (output based approach) rather than on the basis policies implemented to reduce emissions (input based approach). This output was not planned, but it became evident during the initial phases of the research that the international to national architecture of REDD will also influence the national and sub-national level implementation, which is the focus of this project.
The research on fiscal decentralization carried out by the project is contributing to an increased scientific understanding of the mechanisms that could be developed at the sub-national level to implement REDD, and it was presented at the IARU International Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in March 2009. This research builds on experiences of fiscal decentralization for biodiversity conservation in Brazil, and proposals in countries such as Germany, to define how these models could be adapted to REDD in countries that have a decentralized forest management system such as Indonesia.
Building capacity in Indonesia
A paper on fiscal decentralization prepared by the project has been distributed to project partners and also informally presented to the team within the Ministry of Finance that works on fiscal issues and REDD. The issues discussed in the paper were of particular interest to the Ministry of Finance, and the project will continue liaising with them.
Project staff presented a lecture at the Bogor Agricultural University, thus contributing to a better understanding of REDD within the scientific community in Indonesia. The powerpoint presentation was also presented by project staff of the Forest Research and Development Agency (FORDA) of the Ministry of Forestry at a forum in South Sumatra province discussing REDD issues.
Thirdly, the Australian Team leader has contributed knowledge to a number of REDD activities taking place in relation to Indonesia, including:
a. Provided input/comments to the development of AusAID activities, including the REDD management facility and the design of the Kalimantan REDD pilot proejct;
b. Provided input the review of climate change policy in Indonesia being prepared for the Ministry of Finance with funding from Australia.

The project has also been engaged in mapping deforestation in the two project districts in Riau province and, in partnership with another project implemented by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), in three districts in Papua province. This mapping will contribute to a better understanding of the current drivers of deforestation in those provinces and how the implementation of REDD could address the problem.

The project commenced work in June 2008 on the two objectives of a) Increasing adoption of forage fodder banks, reducing the time associated with feeding cattle and, b) increasing small-holder farmer income from cattle production by improving feed quality and availability; . Preliminary results were reviewed at the inception workshop held in Phnom Penh in February 2009. The preliminary results were used to inform planning for the remaining project period.
The project is building on the successful introduction of forages through the earlier Livestock and Livelihoods Systems Project implemented by CIAT between 2003 and 2005.. Therefore, one of the first activities of the current project was to evaluate the impact that the introduction of these forages had on small-holder farming families. The impact study identified that:
The introduction of forages reduced the time associated with feeding cattle by 2 hours per day.
Children are used for feeding cattle and therefore are beneficiaries of this labour saving
We do not understand the factors driving adoption or non-adoption of forages for feeding cattle.
Key findings reported at the meeting included a description of the farming families and operations in the pilot sites established in Kampong Cham province. This was developed through a series of surveys of farm income (district averages ranging from US$1900 to $3300), farm size (1 to 3 ha), number of family household members (5 to 6), dependence on off-farm income (district averages ranged from 10 to 20%), contribution of cattle to income (approximately 20%), the number of cattle per household (averages of 4 to 5, maximum of 15), the uses of these cattle (50% breeding, 30% draught, 20% sale) and the some measures of cattle productivity (inter-calving interval of 18 months).
To increase adoption of forages, a program of training courses, field visits and community activities have been undertaken. These activities have resulted in adoption of forages by farmers in 6 provinces, beyond the geographical scope of this project. This has largely been achieved through engaging and training over 200 farmers, NGO, university and government staff in the establishment, management and feeding of forages for cattle production.
To ensure that a long-term, sustainable source of forage planting material is available within Cambodia, a private industry supply system has been established. This has been very successful with farmers who report an income of US$250 from the sale of forage cutting material, and efforts will be continued to assist with the expansion of this supply system.. Availability of planting material currently represents the greatest constraint to adoption of forages.
To develop feeding recommendations for farmers in Cambodia, research programs have commenced in the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) in Cambodia and the University of New England (UNE) in Australia. The first two studies (one at each of RUA and UNE) were completed and 3 scientific papers have been submitted for publication. To increase research capacity at RUA laboratory, equipment has been purchased and the animal house facility improved and expanded A Masters student from RUA spent 3 months based at UNE to gain skills in laboratory analyses and animal experimentation. This student has now returned to Cambodia and commenced her first experiment.
To maintain engagement with our project partners and improve the potential impact of the project, the Cambodian Cattle Learning Alliance was formed. This initiative has now held two meetings in Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham and brought together over 60 people, representing projects related to cattle production, including; 5 NGO's (CARE, Heifer International, AVSF, CRWRC, Celagrid) , 2 international aid programs (France - FSP and EU - EULP), 1 Cambodian university (Maharishi Vedic University), two schools of Agriculture (Preak Leap and Kampong Cham National Schools of Agriculture) and 2 other ACIAR projects (AH/2005/086 and CARDI).,. The project facilitates this initiative, and it is expected that meetings will be hosted in different locations and by different projects on each occasion. The project does not pay participants for their attendance at the meetings or any of their costs. We have only engaged partners that have the resources to deliver impact through their respective programs and projects.
We have worked closely with ACIAR project, 'Best practice health and husbandry of cattle, Cambodia' (AH/2003/086) on a number of initiatives related to cattle nutrition and the introduction of forages. More recently, closer collaboration with ACIAR project, 'Understanding livestock movement and the risk of spread of transboundary animal diseases' (AH/2006/025), has been established and this will become an important linkage as the project progresses. The information collected from AH/2006/025 will be potentially important information assisting our understanding of the Cambodian beef markets.

With one year of the project remaining, preliminary evidence suggests that most objectives and outputs will be achieved. Defining and reporting the project impacts, securing the long-term sustainability of the project outcomes and developing a bank of information relevant for future cattle-related initiatives in the Cambodia and the region, have become the primary focus of activities for the remainder of the project.

The project objectives are, a) increasing adoption of forage fodder banks, reducing the time associated with feeding cattle and, b) increasing small-holder farmer income from cattle production by improving feed quality and availability.

The adoption of forages for feeding to cattle has exceeded expectations. Forages have been adopted in 7 provinces beyond the initial focus of the project (Kampot, Battambong, Pursat, Kampong Speu, Takeo, Kampong Thom and Svay Rieng). The most common reason cited by farmers for choosing to adopt forages is "time saving". Evidence generated from this project indicates that the average time saving is 2 hours/day and up to 8 hours/day. This has potentially profound social and community impacts as cattle feeding is undertaken by fathers and children. This time saving therefore presents opportunity for increasing off-farm income and improving educational outcomes for school children (increased time spent studying rather than feeding cattle). These potential impacts will be investigated during the remaining 14 months of the project.

Data generated from on-farm validation of recommended feeding practices indicate that the feeding interventions double the value of cattle (from US $200/head to US $400/head) following a 4-month forage feeding period. In addition, the demand for these cattle, as a consequence of improved body condition (from 1.5 to 3, using a 5-point scale), is significantly greater than those cattle not subjected to the recommended feeding practices. The increased rate of turn-over of cattle also provides opportunity for farmers to increase stock numbers. All cattle that have been subjected to the recommended feeding interventions have been sold to traders that have transported the cattle directly to Vietnam (live cattle trade). A market survey undertaken by the project indicates that most of these cattle are destined for slaughter and consumption in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.

Re-engagement of the project partners, CARE and Heifer International occurred in early 2010. This was required due to changes in key personnel in these organisations. Pleasingly, both organisations have identified the introduction of forages for feeding to cattle as priority activities and have recommenced activities with our project. Cooperation with other ACIAR-funded projects (AH/2006/086, ASEM/2003/007, ASEM/2006/130) has been critical to the success of this project and in particular for driving the adoption of forages to provinces beyond the initial scope of this project.

Five scientific papers have been published and one technical bulletin (in the Khmer language) for in-country extension personnel and farmers has been produced and distributed. Further papers and industry booklets are in development. The proposed research program for UNE, Australia has been completed and half of the proposed research program for RUA, Cambodia has been completed. RUA has expanded the original cattle research facility, built a new cattle research facility and equipped an on-campus, dedicated animal nutrition laboratory. A number of undergraduate (4 x honours) and post-graduate (3 x Masters, 1 x PhD) students have been/are engaged in the research activities of this project.

The project ASEM/2006/130 "Enhancing production and marketing of maize and soybean in north-western Cambodia and production of summer crops in north-eastern Australia" commenced in May 2008. The overarching aim of the project is to improve the functioning of the production - marketing system for maize and soybean in north-western Cambodia as a key to increasing cash income, sustainable growth and poverty reduction for smallholder farmers. The project will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and information at all stages of the value chain from farmer to end-user. This will deliver practical benefits including improved food security, increased income, and reduced vulnerability to disruptions for rural poor farmers. In north-western NSW, the aim is to address lack of adoption of conservation farming practices, increase summer crop diversity and to develop strategies for adaptation of farming systems to climate change.
Eight village clusters were established, four in the district of Samlaut and four in the municipality of Pailin. A total of nineteen trials of improved varieties, rhizobium inoculation of legumes and nitrogen nutrition of maize were successfully completed. The yields of maize, soybean, peanut and mungbean in experimental plots exceeded the predicted maximum yields for Cambodia and were more than double the average farmer yields. The project has identified 6 production technologies to help farmers increase crop yields. The technologies under study are improved varieties, rhizobium inoculation, nitrogen nutrition of maize, crop rotation, reduced tillage and integrated pest management.
Farmer workshops investigated key socio-economic issues related to adoption of the improved crop technologies. Village workshops were completed in December for 2 villages in each of the Pailin and Samlaut districts. The gross margin budgets from these workshops were presented to the project meeting in Battambang in February 2009. Gross margin budgets were completed for experiments in Samlaut and Pailin. Return on investment calculations were completed for inoculation and nitrogen fertiliser application to maize.
Based on case studies and interviews of farmers and middlemen, a value chain map was developed for maize in Pailin. Key on-ground issues were identified for each value chain participant (farmer, middleman, silo manager), followed by establishing a suitable case study for the project. A case study was set up in Pailin region based on CARE farmer clusters, supply chains to silo and Thai markets. By far the largest task in the first year was gathering information to map out the supply chains. It has involved extensive farmer and middlemen surveys and interviews as well as visits to observe the different supply chain activities.
A review of marketing arrangements in the Pailin area revealed that there is essentially a single buyer for upland crops in northwest Cambodia (i.e. CP Foods based in Thailand). The Northwest Agricultural Marketing Association (NAMA) was established as a marketing organization of upland crops and already its members account for about 20% of the crop in that region. NAMA will seek to develop alternative export markets as well as farmer hubs for inputs, outputs and communications. We developed a background paper on NAMA and held two participatory workshops with NAMA members to explore their issues and potential actions. In addition to this work with NAMA we are exploring the possibility to develop a strategic plan for developing farmer associations/cooperatives in the second year of the project. We are also continuing to work with the Ministry of Commerce to carry out research to support the development of the operations of NAMA and its initiative on export market development.
A SMS communication system (EMCS), developed by Dr Rob Fitzgerald, adopted the open source application Frontline SMS. Worked with the newly formed NAMA to develop the SMS Field Communication System to install a server in Pailin with particular focus on the provision of information (rated top priority by members) and the exchange and sharing of silo association price and market information. A server has also been installed with MJP in Battambang with particular emphasis on basic market information and health alerts.
Field crop manuals for maize and soybean have been compiled and are currently being translated into Khmer language. Weed and insect field guides have also been compiled and are being translated to Khmer language. These publications will be made available to PDA extension staff and other information providers. The GDA Directorate of Agricultural Extension will also use the publications as resources for production of farmer extension materials. We also plan to liaise with the Royal University of Agriculture and Agricultural Colleges to update curricula on upland crop production and marketing information.

ASEM/2006/130 commenced in May 2008. The overarching aim of the project is to improve the functioning of the production - marketing system for maize and soybean in north-western Cambodia as a key to increasing cash income, sustainable growth and poverty reduction for smallholder farmers. In north-western NSW, the aim is to develop strategies for adaptation of farming systems to climate variability and climate change.
Down-scaled future climate scenarios were completed for sorghum in NW NSW and APSIM simulation runs were completed for farming systems options for sorghum. Economic analysis of farmer preferences were completed and submitted for presentation/publication in the Australian Summer Grains Conference June 2010. Linear programming will be used in conjunction with @Risk to analyse the outcomes of farming systems options for adaptation to climate change.
In Cambodia, the trial and demonstration program in 2009 included improved varieties, rhizobium inoculation of legumes and nitrogen nutrition of maize. In 2009, feedback from farmers highlighted the need for trials on herbicides for weed control in maize and soybean because the cost of labour had become too great to allow for hand-weeding. The production technologies being evaluated now include: improved varieties, rhizobium inoculation, nitrogen nutrition of maize, crop rotation, reduced tillage, integrated pest management and weed management.
Farmer workshops investigated key socio-economic issues related to adoption of the improved crop technologies - the major issue in 2009 has been the increasing cost of farm labour. In June 2009 the village workshops developed partial budgets for return on investment for the application of nitrogen fertilizer to maize and inoculation of legume seeds with rhizobium. In October 2009 further partial budgets were developed for weeding of crops - hand weeding versus chemical sprays.
A review of marketing arrangements in northwest Cambodia revealed there is essentially a single buyer for upland crops in the region (CP Foods, Thailand). Thus, Professor Spriggs provided assistance to establish the Northwest Agricultural Marketing Association (NAMA) to improve the marketing arrangements in the region. NAMA is anchored by three major silos (Pailin, Kamrieng and Malai) which are important potential crop marketing hubs for inputs, outputs and communications in the region. An action plan was developed with NAMA with two components: (1) to help NAMA with export market development and (2) to help NAMA develop its vision for the future.
A SMS service was developed based on a simple, robust framework for contact dissemination which includes the potential for peer-submitted and peer-reviewed content. A prototype system was completed in January 2010, using a more modular architecture and popular open-source software solutions. Field research in February 2010 resulted in a revised focus for the system towards mapping and disseminating information about market players relevant to users. The FrontlineSMS server is being hosted at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP).
Value chain mapping has been completed including a grain trader survey in 2009.These data will add significantly to the knowledge about the farmer/grain trader relationships. A social network analysis (SNA ) was carried out to identify the key actors in the farmer/grain trader network. The main immediate opportunities to address constraints in the value chain include the creation of a farmer's association, a grain trader association and the investigation of grain storage facilities at the farmer and trader level. A farmer association has been established by the CARE Pailin team in cooperation with the local Provincial Department of Agriculture (PDA). Preliminary work has also been done to establish a grain trader (middleman) association. Planning has been in cooperation with the Pailin Department of Commerce (DoC).
The Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, North-East Thailand was identified as a source of liquid rhizobium and supplies were obtained to provide farmers with inoculants to try out in their own fields in EWS 2010. A TOT activity was developed to assist with the roll out of the technology.
An illustrated children's book "Jorani and the Green Vegetable Bugs" was published in Khmer language to teach children about integrated pest management (IPM) in upland crops. A pilot activity involved introducing the concept to school directors and teachers; development of a teacher guide; implementation in schools; celebration and public launch. The pilot was a success and further units are being considered for the Life Skills program. The concept will be presented to the MoEYS for endorsement and roll-out to primary schools in Cambodia. Negotiations are now underway to publish a Lao version of the book in collaboration with the Lao/Japanese NGO "Action with Lao Children."