Appropriate Use of Bio-Fertilizers and Bio-Pesticides for Small-Scale Farmers in Asia
Working toward sustainable agricultural systems
It is in this context that bio-agents, such as bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides, have recently became the focus of research and resources in many countries. Scientists worldwide are now exploring suitable and effective bio-agents as among the strategies to improved and sustainable production. In many Asian countries, bio-fertilizer and bio-pesticide technologies are now in various stages of development and utilization.
Forum on Bio-Alternatives
Under this premise, FFTC organized the international workshop on Appropriate Use of Bio-fertilizers and Bio-pesticides for Small-scale Farmers in coordination with the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD). Held in the Philippines in November 2007, the primary goal of the workshop was to bring together experts from all over the Asian region to share and exchange practical and technical information and enhance regional cooperation in the development of standards and regulations on bio-agents.
During the two-day workshop, 13 speakers representing 8 countries in Asia discussed and identified bio-agents that are suitable and effective to local conditions. They also deliberated on the enormous contributions of bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides in improving crop production and agricultural ecosystems. Overall, the workshop provided a better under-standing of the efficacy and safety of these technologies in small-scale farms, and gave a clear picture of the general status and prospects of bio-agents as promising strategies for environment-friendly and sustainable crop production.
Status and Potential of Bio-Fertilizers and Bio-Pesticides
While the negative effects of agrochemical overuse are widely acknowledged by most countries in Asia, majority of small-scale farmers in the region continue to rely on inorganic fertilizers and pesticides. Bio-alternatives occupy only 1-2% of the total crop protection market, mostly concentrated on the sales of Bt products. Factors limiting the use of bio-alternatives include availability and accessibility, efficacy of the product, knowledge on their development and proper application, promotion and marketing, and policy aspects.
Despite this situation, however, efforts related to fertilizer and pesticide risk reduction and concerns for food safety, human health and the environment drive international communities to continue exploring alternatives that would abate the negative effects of inappropriate and intensive use of agro-chemicals.
Opportunities for developing, using, and commer-cializing bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers in Asia are vast. Research results indicate their effectiveness and cost efficiency. They can easily be mass-produced and are compatible with Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), food safety, and environmental concerns. With a growing public and private investment in this area, some countries in Asia have had significant technology breakthroughs and research findings establishing the effectiveness of bio-pesticides in managing pests and diseases and bio-fertilizers' efficiency in enhancing soil productivity. With an established system of registration and a more advanced R&D, countries like Japan, Korea and Taiwan have made significant strides in terms of developing and commercializing bio-agents.
However, for some developing countries in the region, successful cases of adoption of bio-agents by smallholder farmers largely depend on their level of education and training to lead them into rational decision-making given various farm production options. In addition, regulatory systems to ensure efficacy, safety, and cost effectiveness of bio-agents have yet to be established in most Asian countries.
Issues, Constraints and Recommendations
Bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides are still underdeveloped and underutilized in most developing countries in Asia due to technical, social, and institutional constraints. The effectiveness and efficacy of bio-agents have yet to be established to be comparable if not to exceed that of agro-chemicals. Bio-fertilizers, for instance, are perceived by farmers to have slow positive effect compared to chemical fertilizers. Some other issues that need to be addressed include technological constraints and limitations, farmers' acceptability of the technology, lack of technology promotion and product marketing, financial limitations to pursue further research activities, inadequacy of modern research equipment and laboratory facilities, and inappropriateness of existing policies to the nature and characteristics of bio-agents.
Recommendations to address the problems include: conduct of further research activities to fine-tune the technology, multi-disciplinary effort in undertaking research and extension activities, provision of adequate financial support for R&D, and upgrading of research equipment and laboratory facilities. Extensive marketing, promotion and awareness program must also be implemented such as information campaigns on the disadvantages of overusing chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides, field demonstrations to showcase the benefits of adopting bio-agents in crop production, training for farmers and researchers on the aspect of developing and using bio-agents, technology promotion and product marketing though partnership with local government units and private companies, and policy advocacy to create legislations and gain strong policy support from the government, especially in the area of standards and regulations.
In the devepment and adoption of bio-agents, basic principles of good agricultural practice must also be emphasized, such as use of resistant varieties, clean seeds, cropping systems, balanced ecosystems, etc.. Lastly, resource sharing and complementation among countries in the Asian region through information exchange and technical partnerships must be given due importance to facilitate the development, use and adoption of bio-agents.
Index of Images
Figure 1 Participants visited the Agricultural Park at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) showcasing vegetable plots applied with compost and herbal gardens with plants used as natural pesticidal control
Figure 2 Participants visited the Center for Rural Technology Development in Calauan, Laguna, Philippines promoting vermicomposting technology for small-scale farmers
Figure 3 Visit to the bio-fertilizer production section of the National Institute for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (UPLB-BIOTECH), Philippines
