04 August 2024, Namibia: CABI and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), are teaming up to take 10 plant clinics to Namibia as part of a project to help improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers as well as local and national food security.
This initiative aims to support the introduction of community-based plant clinics to selected regions of Namibia to strengthen plant health advisory services in tackling crop pests and diseases, and, thereby, increase farmers productivity and income.
The FAO is a key technical partner and financier of the initiative in the initial stages. CABI will provide capacity-building training, technical support and guidance, training and reference resources, including those from the PlantwisePlus Toolkit.
Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) is the national responsible organization and local implementing agency for the initiative.
Identifying and managing potentially devastating plant pests and diseases
The genesis of this collaboration stems from the FAO’s and MoAWLR’s recognition of CABI’s efforts across Africa and globally in supporting farmers and nations in effectively identifying and managing potentially devastating plant pests and diseases.
Inspired by CABI’s PlantwisePlus programme, the FAO sought to harness this expertise and extend it to the agricultural landscape of Namibia, in collaboration MAWLR.
“The FAO is aware of the impactful work undertaken by CABI in various parts of Africa and around the world, particularly in supporting farmers and countries to effectively identify and manage plant pests through a network of village plant clinics promoted under the PlantwisePlus programme,” said Dr Negussie Efa, CABI’s representative in Ethiopia.
Central to the success of this project, Dr Negussie said, is the exchange of knowledge and expertise between CABI and local stakeholders. This includes, as outlined in the training of plant doctors who help diagnose the farmers’ plant health issues, the use of digital resources from the PlantwisePlus Toolkit, including the Factsheet Library.
This also includes the CABI BioProtection Portal which helps farmers find and correctly use locally registered biocontrol and biopesticide products to treat crop pests.
Successful introduction and operation of plant clinics in Namibia
“We are ready to effectively support in capacity building and launching and implementation of plant clinics in Namibia. Our team is ready to share invaluable lessons and experiences from our engagements across the continent, ensuring the successful introduction and operation of plant clinics in Namibia,” he added.
Dr Noah Phiri, CABI’s Regional Representative, Southern Africa, emphasized agriculture’s pivotal role in Namibia’s economy, with much of the population depending directly or indirectly on it for livelihoods.
However, like many African nations, the sector faces significant challenges, including emerging pests and worsening trends of existing ones, posing a serious threat to productivity, he said.
Dr Phiri added that small-scale farmers often do not have access to adequate and timely advice on how to handle existing or emerging plant health problems.
Timely pest management advisory services to farmers
Dr Phiri said, “Farmers often rely on agro-dealers to obtain chemical inputs and advice to deal with such problems, a practice that usually leads to excessive or misuse of agrochemicals with severe economic, environmental and health problems.
“This calls for alternative and complementary mechanisms to provide effective, accessible, and timely pest management advisory services to farmers.”
To address this, alternative approaches like village/community-based plant clinics are crucial, he said. These clinics are strategically located in easily accessible areas such as marketplaces, village centers, and Farmer Training Centers. Farmers bring samples of affected plants for diagnosis and receive immediate advice on management strategies.
In cases where immediate diagnosis is not feasible, plant doctors consult senior experts or refer complex cases to diagnostic laboratories or research centers, including CABI’s Diagnostic Services.
CABI has successfully increased plant health knowledge and helped farmers across the world grow healthier crops using more environmentally friendly and safer to use biopesticides and biological control agents to tackle crop pests.
It has also helped to reduce the use of chemical pesticides as part of farmers’ integrated pest management (IPM) plans and is also teaching them a range of agricultural best practices.
Need to collaborate with CABI beyond the remit of plant clinics
As part of a training of 28 agricultural extension officers as plant doctors, there was a demonstration of the CABI’s training resources from the CABI Academy including the Crop Pest Diagnosis Course, Crop Pest Management Course and the Pest Diagnostic Simulator.
Ferdinand Mwapopi, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) Assistant Country Representative, gave opening remarks at the training workshop. He expressed his excitement that the plant clinics have become a reality and there is a need to collaborate with CABI on a wide range of issues beyond the remit of the plant clinics.
Mr Mwapopi went on to acknowledge CABI’s vast experience in promoting plant clinics and other plant health initiatives and urged the participants to make sure that they benefit from the experiences of the senior and experienced CABI trainers.
Mr Mwapopi further noted that the launch of plant clinics symbolizes our commitment to protecting our agricultural resources from the devastating impact of plant pests and diseases. We are proud to be part of this important initiative along with our partner, CABI, particularly its global Plantwiseplus programme.
In Namibia, crops have been ravaged by uncontrolled pests and diseases. Such events jeopardize food security and livelihoods across the country. The establishment of plant clinics is a vital initiative aimed at providing farmers with access to expert advice and practical solutions for managing plant health issues.
The plant clinics will serve as a frontline place to offer the much-needed support and sharing of knowledge plant diseases diagnosis and integrated pest management to improve crop management. The significance of these plant clinics extends beyond immediate pest control.
Mitigate the risks posed by plant pests and diseases
The plant clinics will help mitigate the risks posed by plant pests and diseases, thereby reducing crop losses, and enhancing the resilience of our agricultural sector. Mr Mwapopi indicated that FAO will ensure the presence of sufficient plant clinics in the country.
Mr Vihoroka Kaapehi, Deputy Director, North East Division, on his part warmly welcomed the participants and trainers to his region and expressed his delight to witness the launch of the first plant clinics.
He noted that it is a blessing to see the launch of plant clinics in Namibia like those facilities for human and animal health. He encouraged the participants to attentively pursue the courses and gain adequate knowledge and skills from the sessions and trainers.
Ms Violet Simataa, Acting Deputy Director, Plant Health, MAWLR, in her official statement at the launch of plant clinics noted that crop pest/disease is a critical issue in Namibia and having such a service will go a long way in assisting Namibian farmers effectively fight these pests.
Ms Simataa highlighted that plant doctors have been exposed to hands-on trainings and are keen to embark on their work as plant doctors. She said, “This facility will help our extension staff to give timely and practical solutions to our farmers. Protecting our people and our environment should be our main tasks.
“In this regard, this approach will help extension workers to provide safer pest management solutions in line with an integrated pest management approach. More importantly, with the establishment of village-based plant clinics, our plant health services, which used to operate centrally, will be decentralized.”
She urged trainee plant doctors and experts to pay serious attention and commitment to this noble initiative. Ms Simataa also encouraged farmers to make proper use of plant clinic service.
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