Tripartite Progress Report

8/3/2019 Tripartite Progress Report

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3rd

TripartiteReviewMeeting

Egypt,Cairo

1516June2009

GTFS/REM/070/ITA

RegionalIPMProgrammeintheNearEast

TrustFundforFoodSafetyandFoodSecurity

ItalianGovernmentContribution

P.O.Box10907,Damascus,SyriaTel.:+963(11)44679301Fax:+963(11)44679300Email:[email protected]


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FAO - GTFS/REM/070/ITA Regional Integrated Pest Management Programme in the Near East

II

Table of content

Key Project Data --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I

List of Abbreviations ---------------------------------------------------------------------- II

Summary in English ----------------------------------------------------------------------- V

Summary in Arabic ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VII

1. Background ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1

2. Introduction Project Overview ------------------------------------------------------ 1

3. Objectives and Project Results -------------------------------------------------------- 2

3A. Results for Objective 1: Consolidation and strengthening of the core

activities of the project: capacity building for IPM and FFS, farmer

education through FFS ------------------------------------------------------------ 23B. Results for Objective 2: Developing/strengthening policy support and

institutionalization for IPM and FFS in the member countries -------------- 8

3C. Results for Objective 3: Investigate opportunities for marketing and

commercialization of IPM products --------------------------------------------- 10

4. Project extension and geographical expansion -------------------------------------- 12

5. Project Budget --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13

6. Work Plan and Time Table ------------------------------------------------------------- 13

7. Administrative and management issues ---------------------------------------------- 13

8. Conclusions and Recommendations -------------------------------------------------- 14

List of Annexes

Annex A. List of training material

Annex B. List of recruited people by the project

Annex C. Work plan for the remaining Project period (to December 2009)

Annex D. List of collaborators/partners


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3rdTripartite Review Meeting - Cairo2009

III

Key Project Data

Project Symbol GTFS/REM/070/ITA

Title of Project Regional Integrated Pest Management Programme in the Near East

Beneficiary Countries The Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Lebanon, the Hashemite

Kingdom of Jordan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Islamic

Republic of Iran and the Palestinian Territory

Duration/Phasing 1 April 2004 - 31 December 2009

anticipated extension to 30 June 2011

Category/Programme Trust Fund for Food Security and Food Safety

Italian Contribution

Project Budget USD 5,082,629; anticipated additional contribution of USD 1.8 m.

Project funding Special Trust Fund for Food Security and Food Safety, Italian

contribution

Counterparts The Ministry of Jihad and Agriculture of Iran, the Ministry of

Agriculture of Syria, the Ministry of Agriculture of Lebanon, the

Ministry of Agriculture of Egypt, the Ministry of Agriculture of

Jordan, the Ministry of Agriculture of Palestine.

Proposed participation by Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

Project Headquarters FAO, Damascus, Syria

Tel.: +963 (11) 44679301

Fax: +963 (11) 44679300

E-mail: [email protected]


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FAO - GTFS/REM/070/ITA Regional Integrated Pest Management Programme in the Near East

IV

List of Abbreviations

AESA Agro-Ecosystem Analysis

AGPP Agricultural Plant Protection Service, FAO Rome

CPO Country Project Officer

EU European Union

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization

FFS Farmer Field School

GAP Good Agricultural Practices

GO Governmental Organization

IPM Integrated Pest Management

LTU Lead Technical Unit

MOA Ministry of Agriculture

MOAAR Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

NPC National Project Coordinator

NSC National Steering Committee

NTE Not To Exceed

ROB (RNER) Regional Operations Branch, FAO Regional Near East Office

RPC Regional Project Coordinator

SC Steering Committee

TOT Training of Trainers

TR Tripartite

UN United Nations

WTO World Trade Organization


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Summary in English

This report has been prepared for the 3rd Tripartite meeting of the Regional Integrated Pest

Management Programme in the Near East (GTFS/REM/070/ITA). The first project Tripartite

meeting was held in Damascus in June 2005; and the second Tripartite meeting took place in

Cairo in June 2007. This report highlights achievements and constraints in projectimplementation, and outlines future perspectives of the Regional IPM project in the Near

East. The project started in April 2004 with an initial contribution of USD 1,796,700 and,

following approval of additional donors contributions, was extended till December 2009 and

a present total contribution of USD 5,082,629. The Donor has recently communicated their

willingness to contribute to a further extension to consolidate results achieved so far and to

allow a geographical expansion of the project to Maghreb region. The additional budget

equals 1,800,000 USD. This will bring the total project budget to USD 6,882,629, with a new

NTE of June 2011.

The project aims to strengthen capacities in the participating countries to reduce the hazards

of the use of chemical pesticides, to promote IPM tactics and proper agricultural practices forselected crops, to identify market opportunities for IPM crops and to inform policy makers on

the importance of production approaches that meet quality standards for domestic and

international markets. With the forthcoming extension, the project will focus during the next

two years on integrating of community based IPM activities, pesticide management systems,

and phytosanitary components in the member countries in the Maghreb and the Near East.

During the current reporting period, the project activities have been implemented according to

global work plans presented in the previous TR and without major delays. Work plans were

regularly updated, as needed, with direct participation of all project counterparts. Since the

start in 2004, the project has trained approximately 1,250 IPM/FFS facilitators (31% female,

69 % male); implemented over 870 IPM/FFS (completed and ongoing);executed 28 studies

related to IPM; and facilitated exchanges between stakeholders from the participating

countries through visits within and between countries.

The total number of farmers directly trained so far in IPM, using FFS approaches, exceeds

12,600 (12% female, 88% male). The project encourages farmers to move towards semi- and

self-financed IPM/FFS, which are now being implemented in a number of countries like Iran,

West Bank, Jordan and Syria. In other cases, MOAs and/or NGOs initiated and financed their

own IPM/FFS programmes with GTFS/REM/070/ITA technical support, like in Syria, Jordan,

Iran, Lebanon and Palestinian Territories.

Women are represented at all levels of the project: as facilitators, as farmers in the FFS, as

participants in training activities and in study tours. In most countries the project continues

the implementation of all women FFS, while also mixed gender FFS are found in several

countries.

The regional and national IPM-FFS networks are strengthened through exchange visits,

national and regional workshops and training sessions. Both the public and private sectors are

involved including Ministries, Universities, NGOs, Associations and farmers. Several

coordinators and facilitators have been members of the Global FFS Network and Arab Plant

Protection Society for a prolonged time.


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The project continues to assist the countries on marketing IPM products. A range of partners,

public and private, interact actively with the project. The project keeps disseminating relevant

information and results of studies concerning marketing to a broad range of stakeholders.

Some farmers that participate in the IPM/FFS programme, have been able to trade their IPM

products at premium prices, individually or as a group, and in some cases to export to

neighboring countries or Europe.

The positive results presented at the second Tripartite meeting in 2007 continue to be

confirmed during the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons. In fact, the government counterparts,

other stakeholders as well as farmers confirm that the project is (i) consolidating and

strengthening the planned core activities such as capacity building for IPM and FFS and

farmer education through FFS; (ii) strengthening policy support and assisting

institutionalization of IPM and FFS methodologies in some of the member countries; (iii)

assisting with marketing and commercialization of IPM products whenever possible in most

member countries.

All the project member countries, through their nominated NPCs or respective Ministries,express the desire to continue the project to promote the sustainability of the IPM/FFS

approaches. Some countries have formally acknowledged project staff for the success of the

activities implemented and the benefits provided to the country in the agriculture sector.

Therefore, the main proposal is to capitalize on the investments made so far by the project, to

build further policy and marketing support and to enhance sustainability of the IPM cropping

system and FFS extension method. The TR is also expected to discuss and endorse the

extension of the Project to continue and consolidate the activities in the Near East and to

expand them to countries in the Maghreb in the coming two years.


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1. BackgroundThis report provides background information for the Third Tripartite Review (TR) Meeting of

the Regional Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Programme in the Near East,

GTFS/REM/070/ITA. The TR Meeting brings together Representatives of the project member

countries (Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories and Syria), Representatives ofthe Donor (Italy), and Representatives of the Executing Agency (FAO); invited at the TR are

also Representatives of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia as observers.

The objectives of the TR meeting are to:

Present and review the main project activities and outputs since the last TR, Present and review the priorities and an overall work plan for the coming 2 years,

project extension and expansion to include Maghreb countries,

Present and endorse Project addendum and budget revision.The project started on April 1

st

, 2004, for an initial period of 2 years, with a budget ofUSD 1,796,699. In July 2007 the Government of Italy (Donor) approved additional funds for

an extension of the current phase (USD 1,185,933) through December 2007. In October 2007,

the Donor, in agreement with FAO and upon request by the participating countries, extended

the project till December 2009 with an additional allocation of USD 2,100,000. In July 2008,

the Donor gave approval in principle to an extension and geographical expansion of the

project with an anticipated additional contribution of USD 1,800,000. The total allocation to

the Project will then be USD 6,882,629.

2. Introduction Project OverviewThe FAOs Regional IPM Programme in the Near East is being implemented in six countriesin the region, working closely with Governments and other stakeholders to address the issue

of overuse of chemical pesticides and associated negative effects on environment and public

health. Food safety and quality demands for domestic and international markets are also of

increasing importance and overuse of pesticides is often sub-optimal from an economic,

environmental and health point of view.

The project has so far been implemented in six countries of

the Near East Region, namely:

The Arab Republic of Egypt, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, The Islamic Republic of Iran, The Palestinian Territories, The Republic of Lebanon, and The Syrian Arab Republic.The overall development objective of the project remains unchanged from the originally

designed project, that is:

to contribute to the achievement of food security and to improve the

nutritional status of the rural population through development and

implementation of sustainable agricultural practices involving localfarming communities.


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3. Objectives and Project resultsThe immediate objectives of the project current phase are:

1. Consolidation and strengthening of the core activities of the project: capacity buildingfor IPM and FFS, farmer education through FFS;

2. Developing/strengthening policy support and institutionalization for IPM and FFS inthe member countries;

3. Assist marketing and commercialization of IPM products.3A. Results for Objective 1: Consolidation and strengthening of the core activities of

the project: capacity building for IPM and FFS, farmer education through FFS

The Project aims to contribute to strengthening sound knowledge and understanding of IPM

and FFS approaches in the project participating countries. During the reporting period the

project focused on consolidation and growth of the core activities on IPM and FFS by training

more farmers and technical field agents.The training provided by the project targets farmers and field agents, but also staff of public

Institutions, Ministries, local and international NGOs, CBOs and Universities.

Training at national level on technical and methodological issues tailored to the needs of

each individual country continues according to national work plans. Depending on the country

situation and capacity, the project trains people taking into account gender, institutional

background and location (project target area). In all countries, interested farmers attend IPM

training using the FFS methodology; some of them, then, are selected as facilitators for newly

organized IPM/FFS in their village or neighborhood. Significant examples of farmers as

successful facilitators are found in Jordan, Iran, Palestinian Territories and Syria. In Lebanon,

the implementation of activities, especially training and FFS implementation, are on a smallscale because the capacity of the MoA is very limited (shortage of staff). The training activity

of the project is mainly targeting young and motivated NGOs that are cooperating with the

project and are establishing IPM/FFS activities in their project areas.

Table 1 summarizes national training courses conducted by the Project during the reporting

period and up to May 2009.

Table 1. National Training Courses conducted 2007-09

Country Workshop/training Period# of

Participants

Syria National training course on "Establishment andManagement of IPM/FFS"

July 2007 14

National training course on IPM for apple crop April 2007 to October 2007 19

National training course on "Establishment andManagement of IPM/FFS"

September 2007 13

Training course on IPM July 2007 2

Field training on IPM for greenhouse tomato October 2007 - June 2008 12

National training course on "Establishment andManagement of IPM/FFS" for the National Programmeof IPM/FFS

February 2008 25

National training course on "Establishment andManagement of IPM/FFS" for co-facilitators

March 2008 17

Technical training on "Nematodes Diagnosis" forfacilitators of tomato FFS and technicians at theNematodes Laboratory in Hama

June 2008 18


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Technical training on IPM for greenhouse tomato cropin Lattakia

October 2007 - June 2008 9

Long-term training on IPM for apple crop in Saragaia April 2008 - November 2008 12

Long-term training on IPM for grape crop in Muzereeb May 2008 - November 2008 12

Workshop on IPM/FFS for the new facilitators forgreenhouse tomato

January 2009 10

Training on Green Lacewing rearing at farm level inLattakia

October 2008 22

Training on IPM for greenhouse tomato in the coastalarea

January 2009 - July 2009 11

Workshop on "Estimation of the Efficiency ofTrichogramma spp. and B. brevicornis"

February 2009 24

Training course on FFS in Damascus March 2009 26

Technical workshop on the evaluation of the efficiency

of Natural Enemies to major pests on apple and grapeorchards

May 2009 22

Seminar on IPM/FFS at Bath University in Homs May 2009 N/A

Seminar at the IPM Conference at Tishrin University,Lattakia

May 2009 N/A

Jordan Training course on FFS management February 2008 25

Training workshop on IPM February 2008 - March 2008 25

Training on Good Agricultural Practices in Jordan

ValleyJune 2008 - July 2008 25

Training on Good Agricultural Practices in Gour AlSafi

September 2008 - October2008

25

Training course on FFS managementAugust 2008 - September2008

25

Lebanon Training on IPM management June - July 2008 20

Training course on FFS July 2008 30

IranMaster training workshop for IPM/FFS facilitators inTehran

November - December 2007 20

Four training courses in Tehran, Kermanshah andAzerbaijan provinces

February - May 2008 N/A

Workshop on network among IPM/FFS projects to

promote marketingFebruary - May 2008 N/A

Training for farmers and producers on IPM productimage promotion

February - May 2008 N/A

Training for cucumber IPM/FFS facilitators December 2007 15

Training on Natural Enemies December 2007 16

Two training courses on FFS in Tehran andKermanshah

March 2009 50

Two Master training courses in Tehran andKermanshah

March 2009 25

Palestinian

Territory Four training courses on FFS for women farmers September 2007 82Two training courses for women farmers on"monitoring the key pests and pesticides use" in WestBank

April - May 2008 80

Training for target farmers on "monitoring the keypests in Citrus Orchards"

July 2008 72

Two training courses of target farmers on newenvironmentally friendly pest control techniques inTubas and Qalqilia districts

March 2009 48

Workshop on potential markets for IPM produce inPalestine

April 2009 20

EgyptThree training courses on IPM mango, strawberry and

citrus

January December 2008 40

Three intensive training courses on IPM for mango,strawberry and citrus

November 2008 - May 2009 40


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Training at Regional level: The Project started regional

training activities five years ago. In 2004 and 2005, three

regional workshops for IPM/FFS facilitators were

completed, bringing together coordinators and facilitators

from the 6 member countries. These workshops focused on

IPM approaches and FFS methodologies, which allowedinitiating activities in each of the countries. Two

Facilitators Field Manuals based on the Project

experiences were produced specifically for the Near East

local conditions. In November 2008, the Project organized an additional regional training

workshop in Jordan for National Coordinators and master facilitators to assess and discuss the

programme development since its inception. In addition, some observers countries were

invited, like Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the Maghreb countries where IPM-FFS programmes are

expected to start soon. From the Maghreb countries only Libya and Morocco responded to the

invitation and attended the workshop. The objectives of the workshop focused on (i) Analysis

of the development of the programme in the different countries, focusing on Training and

Quality; Programme Development; Marketing; Policy and institutionalization in support ofIPM and FFS. Inventory of what innovations occur in the IPM programme in the different

countries in the project, and elsewhere; (ii) Monitoring & Evaluation of project activities;

impact evaluation. What information is being collected, what is needed in the future; (iii)

Priorities and action points for the next 1-2 years, based on the analysis made; (iv) Exchange

of experiences/building regional facilitator network.

Table 2. Regional Workshops conducted 2007-09.

Table 3 summarizes International training courses conducted by the Project up to May 2009.

Table 3. International Training Courses conducted 2007-09

Country Workshop/training PeriodNumber of

Participants

ItalyTraining course on "IPM of Grapevine and Tomato,International Quality Standards for Agro-food"

July 2007 10

The Project extended IPM training to additional crops responding to specific requests of the

countries; in fact, as can be noticed in table 4 below, the project moved from the initial two(2) selected crops per country, to three or four crops per country.

Table 4. Project target crops by country

Country Crops

Egypt Citrus, strawberry and mango

Iran Grape, cucumber, apple and grape-pistachio farming system

Palestine Greenhouse cucumber, tomato, citrus, strawberry, cherry tomato and fig (self-financed)

Lebanon Greenhouse tomato and olive (discontinued grapes and potato)

Syria Apple, greenhouse tomato and grape

Jordan Tomato, cucumber, wheat, and watermelon

Country Workshop/training PeriodNumber of

Participants

Jordan Regional facilitator workshop November 2008 25Syria Regional training course on report wiring and project evaluation April 2008 12


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This has been possible because of the development of a more solid IPM/FFS capacity in

countries like Syria, Jordan, Iran and Palestinian Territories (see section related to objective 2:

Institutionalization of IPM and FFS).

Farmer Field Schools, season-long field based training for farmers. The IPM-FFS is a

participatory approach to educate farmers. Farmers are trained to perform their own agro-ecosystem analysis (AESA). Farmers meet in regular weekly or bi-weekly sessions from

planting to harvest to observe and discuss the farm agro-ecosystem. They conduct simple

experiments, which helps the participants to become better decision makers for field

management. The project demonstrates that IPM-FFS activities and programmes can be

economically, socially and environmentally feasible from the point of view of both

participating farmers and the community. Table 5 summarizes the IPM/FFS activities

organized by the regional programme by country, for the period 2004-February 2009.

Table 5. Summary on IPM/FFS activity conducted during the reporting period, or on going,

up to 28 February 2009

Country CropsFacilitators

trainedIPM/ FFS

Farmers

trained

Egypt Citrus, strawberry and mango 251 231 2,558

IranGrape, cucumber, apple and grape-pistachio farming system

320 368 6,077

West BankGreenhouse cucumber, tomato, citrusand fig (self-financed)

21 35 545

Gaza Strip(Discontinued in 2007)

Strawberry and cherry tomato 5 21 339

LebanonGreenhouse tomato and olive(discontinued grapes and potato)

152 18 201

Syria Apple, greenhouse tomato and grape 285 98 1,366Jordan

Tomato, cucumber, wheat, andwatermelon

198 103 1,501

Total1,232

(32% )874 12,587

(18%)

In summary, the Project trained about 1,250 people who are potential IPM/FFS facilitators

with a satisfactory gender balance (32% ) considering the social and cultural tradition of the

region. Only the best trained people are selected to conduct FFS. From the table it is clear that

Lebanon moves at a slower pace than other countries; this is due to the unforeseen situation

related to security and shortage of staff at the MOA. On the other hand, in West Bank the

activities are running with no major obstacles even if the security situation is not stable and

remains unpredictable. In the Gaza Strip all activities have been discontinued since 2007 in

agreement with the counterpart.

The Project has conducted a substantial number of IPM/FFS. It should also be considered that

in some countries, other local Institutions, NGOs and/or MOA initiated IPM/FFS

programmes. For instance in Lebanon, AVSI (an Italian NGO) conducted 24 FFS in 2007/08;

in Syria, the MOAAR conducts 40 IPM/FFS on a yearly basis starting from 2007; in Iran,

local provincial Agricultural administrations and UN agencies have adopted similar IPM/FFS

programmes inspired by and building on the results and achievements of FAO Regional IPM

Project.

Since its inception, the project organized over 870 IPM/FFS in the region. The total number

of farmers directly trained through the implemented IPM/FFS is almost 12,500 with an

acceptable gender distribution (18% ); however, it should be noted that many more farmers


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receive indirectly information on IPM through the so called mouth-to-mouth informal

channel, where trained farmers discuss with others in their communities and share some of

their experiences. Country project reports state that ,on average, each participating farmer had

trained, or otherwise advised, two other farmers about IPM tactics and FFS approach. Such

sharing increases the interest and willingness of other farmers to join in future FFSs. In other

words, IPM/FFS activity has a satisfactory multiplier effect, which can be enhanced throughappropriate planning. However, it should be kept in mind that IPM is a knowledge-intensive

approach that requires intensive training.

So far, the IPM/FFS programme of the project has achieved several results which can be

summarized as follows:

Economic aspects: the farmers that participate in the FFS programme achieved a significant

decrease in costs of production. These results can be utilized to promote IPM at national and

regional levels. Detailed documents are available at country level and a document that

synthesizes M&E activities and some evaluation studies is available and presented at this TR

meeting.

Health aspects: awareness on the risks of chemical pesticides leads to obvious change in

behavior of the farmers. Inappropriate use of pesticides (leading to intoxication and exposing

applicators to other risks) is linked with low levels of awareness on the risks of pesticides and

practical knowledge on how to avoid such risks. In a study in Iran, none of the IPM/FFS

farmers or their families had experienced any intoxication after joining the project; on the

other hand, almost all of the non-member or control farmers reported that they had seen or

heard about several cases of intoxication in their working environment.

Environmental aspects: in general, participation at the IPM/FFS

programme leads to remarkable improvement in the farmers'attitudes and behavior toward biodiversity in their agro-

ecosystem. IPM/FFS farmers understand the importance of

conserving useful insects in their fields, while non-participating

farmers believe that all insects on their fields are harmful. In

addition, many farmers of the latter group believe that pesticides

are the only viable way to control pests.

Social aspects: IPM/FFS leads to a major shift of the farmers' attitudes in the nature of

relationship among themselves, the community and with the government. A study in Iran

underlined that the empowerment process brought them at a stage that they realized their

shortcomings in management of their agro-ecosystem, including technical know-how,marketing skills, legal protection, etc. These aspects are reflected also in the other countries.

The farmers believed that the IPM/FFS approach had not only led to improvement of their

farming practices, but had also resulted in changes in other aspect of farm management. Some

stated that exposure to the participatory approach had also changed their behavior towards the

family life, and higher appreciation of the role of other members of the family. They stated

that they had started to help their wives in homework, which in turn had resulted in

satisfaction of their wives of their participation in the project.

Technical field management aspects: IPM/FFS could gain the confidence of farmers as a

practical solution to some of their recurrent problems not only in plant protection but also in

overall crop production practices. This was reflected in almost all of the participatory self-

evaluation exercises conducted in all countries.


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A large percentage of the farmers belonging to the IPM/FFS programme did not use or used

less synthetic pesticides. It is interesting to observe that this group of farmers also tends to

move towards more appropriate fertilizers applications, often reducing the quantities used.

This is confirmed in studies conducted in West Bank, Jordan, Egypt and Syria.

IPM/FFS farmers applied all or greater part of what they

learnt in the FFS in their own farms as well. This attests to

the fact that IPM/FFS led to empowerment of the

participating farmers. IPM/FFS farmers who adopted this

approach were keen to promote and publicize it further in

their neighborhoods. This observation is supported by the

finding that many farmers in the target project areas

requested joining the project at subsequent seasons after

having familiarized with the approach through their fellow

farmers. This is an extremely important observation that can be utilized for development of

IPM programmes.

The IPM/FFS farmers gained a good level of knowledge and skills about natural enemies andtheir role in pests control. In interviews and field days, FFS participants repeatedly stated that

previously they did not have any knowledge about these insects and their interactions. Many

of them stated that they had enquired about risks of pesticides to agro-ecosystem balances

when extension people prescribed spraying.

Farmers tended to apply the logic of IPM/FFS to other crops or activities (i.e. animal

husbandry in Iran). During any self-assessment, the IPM/FFS farmers repeatedly asked for

continued support to IPM/FFS, which also led to a decision by some countries on its

institutionalization.

It should be clarified that part of the above points are reflecting findings of an in-depth study

the project completed in Iran. However, other studies or FFS self-evaluations completed inWest Bank, Syria and Jordan are in line with the findings obtained in Iran.

Exchange visits (including study tours) within member countries and between countries.

During the current reporting period the Project organized 14 major study tours for Jordanian,

Syrian, Egyptian and Palestinian nationals to Jordan, Syria and Egypt (see table 6 below). The

study tours covered the following objectives: (i) exchange of knowledge on the IPM

techniques in the two countries; (ii) study of the project strategies and the link between the

Extension, Research and Farmers within the FFS; (iii) visit and attend some of the IPM/FFS;

and (iv) Sharing of experiences on the biological control strategies and other techniques.

Table 6. Country to country study tours completed by the ProjectCountry Destination Period Number of Participants

6 participating counties Italy September 2007 10

Jordan Syria April 2007 10

Jordan Iran July 2008 4

Saudi Arabia Syria October 2007 12

Iraq Jordan April 2008 10

Egypt Jordan October 2008 8

Syria Egypt November 2008 6

Palestine Syria October 2008 6

Egypt Jordan November 2008 8

Syria Jordan November 2008 5

Syria Egypt November 2008 6Iran VietNam May 2009 6


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In the coming period additional study tours will be conducted according to the specific needs

of the requesting country.

Local exchange visits are, however, carried out as an integral part of each national IPM/FFS

Programme (one FFS group visiting the other, etc.). Regular meetings between facilitators

and NPC are conducted in all countries to exchange experiences and problem solving

solutions with mutual learning between the people involved in the activities. In the same

manner Field days are organized by the Project to share information among different

stakeholders including policy makers and High Officials (Ministers, Ambassadors, etc.).

Monitoring and evaluationactivities: Country IPM/FFS self-evaluation exercises have been

conducted at the completion of each FFS cycle or at the end of each year. The project has

consistently used such information to update and review the national programmes and tailor

specific training at national and regional levels.

The project has now prepared a report that presents an overview of the different impacts of

the IPM/FFS activities conducted in the last 5 years. The study provides a clearer indication

as to what impacts on the attitudes and behaviors of the participating farmers and ruralcommunities can be observed. It also outlines what additional information might be needed

for a more complete picture. The report will be presented as a separate document at this TR

Meeting.

Scholarships: A fellowship for an advanced university degree has been awarded by the project

to Eng. Imad Mohammad Nahhal to obtain a Master Degree in Plant Protection during the

academic years 2008/09 and 2009/10 at the American University of Beirut. The student will

implement a programme of study with a thesis on the Participatory Research to Develop and

Validate Integrated Management of a Major Tomato Pest under Green House Conditions in

Lebanon.

Conferences: The project participated at several international and national Conferences.

Among them it is relevant to mention the ones stated in the table 7.

Table 7. Participation to National and International Conferences:

Country Event Period Participants

Jordan The Sixth Jordanian Agricultural Scientific Conference April 2007 1

Morocco5th International Congress of Mediterranean Group on PesticideResearch (MGPR)

November 2007 2

Syria1st International Conference on Agriculture: Consolidate the

role of Research in Sustaining Agricultural Development Plans

October 2008 1

Training material: Field guides (manuals), brochures, posters, booklets on IPM, FFS and

related issues (i.e. major pests and natural enemies) have been produced by the Project in

English, Arabic and Farsi languages (a list of training material is attached in annex A).

Representatives of the IPM programme participated and presented papers at National and

International Conferences as well as produced articles in several scientific magazines. All

countries are members of the Global FFS Network.

3B. Results for Objective 2: Developing/strengthening policy support and

institutionalization for IPM and FFS in the member countries

The project continues providing information on IPM and FFS to policy makers and other

stakeholders, using different media. Policy makers are whenever possible invited to interact


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directly at field level with farmers for their information and possible action. The project also

organizes workshops to bring together relevant stakeholders to discuss policy issues.

Table 8 summarizes the studies completed by the Project.

Country Study

Syria The marketing opportunities of applePalestinian Territory The impact of IPM Farmer Field Schools on knowledge and pesticides use

Palestinian Territory Study on consumer response to IPM produces in West Bank

Lebanon Baseline study for apples and olives in Lebanon

Lebanon Marketing study for olive, olive oil and apple in Lebanon

Jordan Evaluation of Farmer Field Schools activities

Jordan Market study & setting-up a "Module Case"

Iran Monitoring and evaluation of IPM/FFS

Iran Preparation of a publication in Persian on organic farming and certification

Egypt IPM/FFS Evaluation Exercise

FAOs substantial experience in the area of IPM and pesticide risk reduction strategies

introduced by the project leads to an institutionalization of IPM/FFS programmes in Jordan,Syria and Palestinian Territories at central levels; other countries like Iran organize a different

set up at provincial level for the sustainability of the IPM/FFS programme. Lebanon and

Egypt are not yet moving towards institutionalization of the IPM/FFS programme for a

variety of reasons.

Partnerships and networking: The Project is working with a wide range of stakeholders and

partners. Farmers and government agencies are key partners. Active links and collaborations

exist with NGOs, CBOs, Research Institutions (both national and international levels),

Universities and others. The Project continues to work with a range of partners in specific

activities defined in detailed work plans. Where relevant, institutions/partners are sub-

contracted by FAO to perform specific studies or other activities to strengthen the IPMactivities within the region. The list of collaborators/partners is attached in Annex D. The

regional IPM project actively collaborates also with other FAO projects such as (i) the IFAD

Grant GCP/RAB/066/IFA "Rising Food Prices in NENA" specifically in Syria, Jordan and

Egypt; (ii) GCP/RAB/004/SWI Prevention and Disposal of POPs and Obsolete Pesticides in

Syria; (iii) GCP/SYR/011/ITA - "Institutional Development of Organic Agriculture in Syria".

The Project continues assisting AGPP/Obsolete Pesticides group to develop a Regional

Initiative for Pesticides and Pest Management related to Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

The Regional Project Coordinator (RPC) was invited by the Department of Plant Protection,

Faculty of Agriculture Science, University of Tuscia, Viterbo (Italy), to present a seminar on

Farmer Field School, season-long field based training for farmers on IPM technologies:FAO experiences in the Near East Region on 19 September 2008. The seminar was part of

the PhD scientific programme of the XXIII PhD Course in Plant Protection at University of

Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy.

The RPC and NPCs have been invited to several other seminars in the Near East region.

Project Thematic Knowledge Network (TKN): The Project also initiated to explore the

possibilities to set up a TKN. Initial contacts have been made with the FAO Regional

Information Management officer at RNE, Cairo.


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3C. Results for Objective 3: Investigate opportunities for marketing and

commercialization of IPM products

The project continues to investigate marketing opportunities of IPM products. The project

keeps disseminating information collected and results of studies concerning marketing with a

broad range of stakeholders. A range of partners are actively involved with the Project.

In a study conducted in Iran, it has been noted that the

IPM/FFS farmers consider the lack of organized

participation as a historical problem to many of their

shortcomings. They believe that the dealers and

intermediaries (middlemen) misuse and exploit the

situation reducing the benefits of farmers, especially

those acting in isolation. When asked about the ways to

improve the existing marketing problems, farmers

mainly referred to two solutions: (a) revising the

existing system of urban fruits and vegetable markets, and b) setting up special marketingchannels for niche marketing of IPM products to special customers.

This situation is prevailing not only in Iran, but it is present and fairly typical for most of the

small-holders that the project works with in the other member countries.

In all ongoing FAO RIPM project activities, farmers are frequently asking how their extra

efforts to grow IPM products can be rewarded through higher prices or more reliable access to

markets. A broad range of initiatives have been developed worldwide to respond to such

expectations with variable success. FAO has organized a workshop during the last week of

May 2009 to exchange information about efforts undertaken so far and to tap into relevant

experiences outside the IPM programmes. All NPCs of the Regional IPM Project in the NearEast participated at this important event in Rome. It is envisaged that workshop participation

will be enabling national IPM programmes to further develop their marketing strategies,

provide an exchange experience forum on the marketing of IPM produce as ecological or

safer; and explore practical approaches to the marketing of IPM produce. This project

participation at the IPM Market Workshop in Rome in May 2009 replaced the previously

planned Regional workshop on market opportunity.

The project assistance to farmers in marketing can be summarized by country as follows:

Jordan: Tomato growers that participated in the project, especially those in Safi area,

exported around 470 tons last year through the central vegetable and fruit market in Amman;

an additional 27 tons of cucumbers have been provided by FFS farmers from the JordanValley. The export was mostly in the Near East and Gulf regions (i.e. Iraq, Turkey, UAE and

Kuwait).

The farmers have been able to catch a premium price locally with an average of 6%, while the

premium price for the exported products was around 25%.

The project also did a marketing study and assisted farmers in creating links with some

exporters; some farmers visited Turkey to familiarize themselves with new market

opportunities; cooperates with other projects related to market access; establishes links with

potential exporters through cooperation with other projects; visits fruit and vegetable

packaging and storing facilities; on a personal basis, some farmers have been assisted to make

some contracts; the project assisted also some farmers to be present in country vegetableexhibitions and provided training on Global-GAP. Some of the project IPM/FFS groups


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developed into growers associations. Most of these activities were at no cost for the project

but took place with its full assistance and involvement.

Syria: in 2008 tomato production coming from the Project

FFS participants was satisfactory; approximately 1.3 tons of

IPM produce was marketed in Damascus with a premium price of 5-10%; storing, cooling and marketing facilities

have been established and used by different stakeholders

upon satisfactory productions of IPM products.

In order to protect the local tomato production, the Plant

Protection Directorate sent an official letter to the Ministry

of Trade and Economic requesting that tomato shipments

from neighboring countries be certified to be free of pesticides and Nitrate residues and

comply with the international legislations of WTO.

A label for IPM apple and tomato has been created by the MOA of Syria and farmers who

participated in the IPM/FFS programme are registered so that they can have access to labelingof their products.

Lebanon: in Lebanon most farmers participating in the project are small holders and the

quantity produced doesnt allow them to enter in the competitive export market; however, in

some cases, such as for the tomato growers, farmers are able to obtain a premium price in the

local market; in fact, the tomato produced under the project are sold at a price 10% higher

than other traditionally produced tomatoes because of their well recognized better quality

characteristics.

Iran: in Iran, the project assisted farmers and different stakeholders in translating a FAO

published document a practical Manual - on Producers and Exporters of AgriculturalProducts in Asia which includes regulations, standards and certification procedures. This

publication has then been shared also with the FAO IPM Project in Afghanistan. Then, the

project - upon a specific request by the counterpart and farmers - produced a booklet in Farsi

language on An Introduction to Production and Certification Organic Agriculture Product in

Iran which provides basic information on organic agriculture. The project assistance in Iran

is not only based in producing useful documents on IPM and other potential niche markets

and market opportunities for Iranian farmers, but also directly to farmers through people

involved in the project. The project assists farmers in identification of potential exporters and

buyers whenever possible. In 2007 about 7,400 tons of fruits

were exported from a total production of 23,000 tons

produced by West Azerbaijan IPM/FFS participants to fiveneighboring countries; in fact, 3,500 tons of grape was

exported to Russia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan; and 3,900

tons of apple was exported to Uzbekistan, Russia,

Azerbaijan, Iraq and Turkey. Recently, the production of

IPM cucumbers made it possible to export 600 tons to

Azerbaijan, Russia and Persian Gulf Countries.

In general, many farmers participating in the project are also obtaining premium prices and

exporting their products since they are now known in their respective areas as good farmers

producing clean agricultural products.


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Palestinian Territories: a niche market for IPM produces in the Palestinian Territories is not

yet available, or at least not organized and well structured. The commodities produced by

farmers participating in the project are sold at the local market without any premium price, but

bulked with all other product received. This poject in West Bank is now collaborating with

another FAO project on "GlobalGAP" in order to better assist the farmers especially for the

domestic market. Despite the fact that the IPM farmers are not obtaining any premium for their product, project growers are wellknown locally and can market their products easier than

other farmers. In Palestine, some NGOs started working on organic agricultural produces like

olive, aromatic plants and vegetables; those commodities will be for the export market;

however, neither IPM products nor the crops dealt with by the project are of interest to the

NGO.

The situation seems to be discouraging, but the IPM farmers are, however, still very interested

and motivated on IPM farming and hoping that a more profitable market will become available

soon.

In Gaza Strip, project IPM farmers have been able to export successfully to EU countries

through an Israeli Company called AGRISCO, but this is linked and depends on the securitysituation.

Egypt: in Egypt the strawberry IPM/FFS programme have shown immediate positive results;

in fact, farmers participating in the FFS programme have been identified by exporters and

middle-men as potential producers of high quality product. Some IPM farmers from the

different provinces in the Governorate of Ismailia since the first year of project

implementation sold their product to exporters as shown in the table 9 below. The overall

exported strawberry quantity produced by IPM/FFS participants in the past four years has been

of over 55 tons with a pick of 25 tons in the last cropping season.Table 9. Total exported strawberry fruits from IPM/FFS project

Production season ProvincesTotal(Kg)Ismailia

AbuSwair

El-Qassasin

Tal El-Kabeer

FayedQantaraGharb

QantaraShark

2004/05 935 740 1,064 222 1,085 923 740 5,709

2005/06 1,308 1,085 1,901 301 1,790 1,731 910 9,026

2006/07 2,910 1,722 3,354 728 2,336 2,583 1125 14,759

2007/08 4,418 2,267 4,082 2,122 3,018 4,309 5,306 25,523

Total 55,017

4. Project Extension and Geographical ExpansionThe anticipated project extension with an expected additional donors contribution of USD

1,800,000, will allow for consolidating results in the Near East, broadening the programme

scope, and expanding geographical coverage through:

- Continuation of priority activities to fill gaps for the sustainability of IPM practices,with emphasis on promotion of marketing opportunities;

- Introduction of a pesticide risk reduction component as supportive policy framework inthe promotion of sustainable production intensification and IPM;

- Geographical coverage of the Maghreb countries: Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.The overall objective of the project remains valid and unchanged.


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The programme will work with a range of stakeholders to develop an action plan for the Near

East and Maghreb regions to integrate pesticide risk reduction approaches, livelihood and

community empowerment, and sound chemical management systems. This strategy will allow

the countries to contribute to food security as overall objective of the project.

The programme will build upon achievements attained and network established in the past

years in the Near East and on existing capacities in the Maghreb, transferring and/or adapting

technologies as applicable among countries and regions in order to avoid duplication of

efforts and optimize cost-effective implementation of activities.

The project addendum and budget revision documents will be presented to the Donor and

participating countries at the TR meeting for discussion and endorsement.

5. Project BudgetThe total budget allocated to the Project up to the end of 2009 is equal to USD 5,082,629. The

latest budget revision is dated February 2009. Delivery including forecasts till the end of May2009 is equal to USD 4,122,579. However, as mentioned previously, and additional

contribution of USD 1,800,000 is expected from the Donor for the expansion and extension of

the project until mid- 2011. This will bring the total overall budget at USD 6,882,629.

6. Work plan and Time TableDuring the last period of the project, it is expected that all the remaining planned activities

will be completed.

The work plan provided in Annex C is based on actions and activities already planned for inthe latest approved project agreement till the end of December 2009. However, it has to be

noted that the work plan and budget shall be updated and amended as required following

endorsement and formal approval of the project extension till mid-2011 and in agreement with

all counterparts, Donor, LTU and RNE Operations Branch. A tentative provision work plan

for the first year of operation in the coming expanded phase is available in the Addendum

Document presented at the Tripartite meeting.

7. Administrative and management issues7A. Reporting:

All activities conducted by the project are reported upon following FAO and Donors

requirements.

7B. Procurement:

The project continued to provide inputs and equipment for the execution of the activities

including management at regional and national levels. Inputs and equipment have been

procured according to FAO rules and regulations.

The implementation of IPM/FFS included procurement of expendable and non expendable

inputs to be used by the community involved in the FFS programme. Generally, the project

provides inputs required to conduct the field study of each FFS adequately.


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7C. Recruitment:

FAO, according to the official project document, recruited 1 Regional Project Coordinator

and 2 Support Personnel Staff following FAO rules and regulations. International and

National Consultants are recruited according to arising needs. A detailed list of recruited

people by the project during the reported period is attached in Annex B. The table includes the

name of the person recruited and function.

8. Conclusions and RecommendationsAs of May 2009, the project completed activities for the five years with the following

conclusions:

IPM tactics confirmed to be an economically and environmentally friendly solution inspecific local ecological and socio-economic conditions.

IPM growers can reduce drastically chemical pesticides applications with significantsavings on cost of production. Farmers using IPM tactics could have better opportunities in the local and export

markets.

The FFS methodology could be considered as a sound farmer education approach in allproject member countries.

Syria, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories officially moved on the institutionalizationof IPM/FFS programme within their respective MOA.

The project created a consistent capacity of human resources with both technical IPMand methodological FFS skills within the MOA, Universities and NGOs.

Some IPM/FFS participants have been able, also with the project assistance, to tradetheir produces with a premium price at local market and, in some cases, to be exported.

The project is engaged in a continuous dialogue with policy makers to strengthennational policies plan in support of wider IPM programmes in the member countries.

Majorrecommendations are:

Consolidating and strengthening capacity building on IPM and FFS (entire projectgeographical coverage).

Assisting market access and commercialization of IPM products (entire projectgeographical coverage)

Strengthening the phytosanitary capacities (mainly Maghreb) Framework for sound pesticide management (mainly Maghreb) Development of a comprehensive strategy and programme that integrates pesticide risk

reduction, empowerment and livelihoods, and sound chemicals management to achieve

sustainable production intensification (entire project geographical coverage).


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ANNEXES

Annex A. List of training material produced during the reporting period

Country Material

Lebanon - Posters related to table grapes and potato pests and diseases in Lebanon- IPM pocket field guides and posters on greenhouse tomato and olive crop andpest management in English and Arabic

- Posters on Integrated Management of Major Tomato Pests and Diseases- Poster on Integrated Management of Major Olive Pests and Diseases

Palestinian Territory - 4 posters on IPM and related issues- Technical brochure on major fungal diseases of greenhouse tomatoes and its

IPM control methods

- Technical brochure on major fungal diseases of greenhouse cucumber and itsIPM control methods

- Technical brochure on most common natural enemies used in biological control- Technical brochure on safe use of pesticides in greenhouse tomatoes

Iran - Facilitators FFS Manual part I & II in Persian language- The Farmers' Field Schools, a strategy for a sustainable production and pestmanagement in Persian language- IPPM in protected cucumber in Iran (paper)- Public awareness on IPM products- Brochures for producing natural enemies at farm level- Introduction to Organic Agriculture Production and Certification in Persian

Language

Jordan - 5 posters- 2 booklets

Egypt - Brochure on project activities in Egypt- Crop calendars for strawberry, citrus and mango- 1 Poster

Syria - 2 posters for public awareness on IPM products- Leaflet on green lacewings rearing at farm level- Leaflet on IPM/FFS in Tartous Province


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Annex B. List of recruited people by the project during the reporting period

A. FAO Staff: Name Function

1 Alfredo Impiglia Regional Project Coordinator

2 Marjon Fredrix IPM Technical Officer

3 Asma Al Matar Support personnel staff

4 Mayy Hatouzouk Support personnel staff

5 Rula Jrious Support personnel staff

6 Firas Okaily Driver

B. Consultants: Name Function

1 Frederike Praasterink International Consultant

2 Nilsa A. Bosque-Perez International Consultant

3 Maria Giovanna Mariani International Consultant4 Amjad Salah Al-Mugayyar National Consultant

5 Issa Abyad National Consultant


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Annex C. Work plan for the remaining Project period (to December 2009)

WORK PLAN FOR THE NEXT REPORTING PERIOD

ActivityJune09

July09

Aug.09

Sep.09

Oct.09

Nov.09

Dec.09

Update country and regional work plan

Prepare and conduct Planning workshopfor the Addendum Project (Maghreb and

Near East countries)

Capacity building in IPM and FFS

approaches

Country level Training of Facilitator courses

Monitoring of project activities

Cross-learning and facilitator networking

Preparation of project reports

Farmer Field Schools implemented in the

participating countries

Implementation of FFS

Documentation of FFS and data collection,

Facilitate access to markets for IPM

products

Linking with other initiatives in marketingdomain

Improved policy framework related to

IPM and FFS

Invite policy makers to field visits

Strengthened information network on IPM

Conduct field exchange visits withincountries and among countries

Develop and distribute project informationmaterials

Preparation of project progress reports


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Annex D. List of collaborators/partners

- Agricultural Engineer Association, Jordan- Agricultural Engineers Home Society, Palestine- Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN), Jordan- AVSI, Italian, NGO, Lebanon- COSPE, Italian NGO, Egypt- Georges N. Frem Foundation, Lebanon- Istituto Agronomico Mediterraneo (IAM), Bari, Italy- International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)- Irada, Jordan- Istitute for University Cooperation (ICU), Lebanon- The Jordan Exporters and Producers Association for Fruit and Vegetables (JEPA),

Jordan

- Jerash University, Jordan- Jordan University and National Center Agriculture Research and Extension (NCARE,

former NCARTT), Jordan

- International Institute for Development and Training, Jordan (Kafaa), Jordan- Moota University, Jordan- Plant Protection Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Syria- The American University of Beirut, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences,

Lebanon

- The Hariri Foundation, Lebanon- The Institute for Green Rural Advancement, Iran- The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)- The Plant Protection Research Institute, Egypt- West/Central Asia and North Africa (WESCANA)

Documents

Tripartite Progress Report