The Global Plant Clinic: what we do and why ERIC BOA CABI 1910 – 2009: the modern CABI UK 1910 – 2009: the modern CABI Switzerland ••Imperial Imperial BureauxBureaux (Entomology,(Entomology, Mycology)Mycology) Trinidad & Tobago Kenya ••Colonial Colonial ––Commonwealth Commonwealth ––International International Pakistan ••CABI CABI BioscienceBioscience ––CABI CABI Malaysia China COFFEE RUST CABI and diagnostics Sri Lanka changing contexts

• 1920s – food security, colonial commerce COFFEE BERRY DISEASE • 1960s – taxonomy, E Africa commodity diseases • 1990s – crop protection projects, CPC • 2000s – Index fungorum, COFFEE WILT plant health services and E Africa …foodsecurity GPC: what and why

WHAT • Diagnostics • Extension • Research

WHY • Satisfy sponsors (mostly donors) • CABI member countries (43) • Consultancy/one-off projects

Donors mainly UK, but also Swiss, Denmark, Australia and IFAD. GPC: adapting to change

BUT Diagnostic service expensive to run and needs reliable business Extension is a national remit Research

CHANGE Shift emphasis from diagnostics/crop protection towards plant health systems. Good idea – but what does it mean? How will this happen and unfold? Activities

• Establish and supervise plant health clinics India, plant health clinic • Build plant healthcare systems • Provide expert diagnostic service • Develop new extension methods

• Vigilance/surveillance CABI diagnostic lab • Training

PLUS research on all of above

HEALTHY PLANTS FOR HEALTHY PEOPLE Nepal plant doctor course Research: best ways to …

• establish and sustain plant clinics • operate clinics, maintain quality Nicaragua • create plant healthcare systems • do surveillance • design extension messages • rapid response to diseases Burundi, banana surveys • give training • accredit plant doctors

Public Plant Health campaigns Plant health clinics: why?

GAPS and WEAKNESSES STRENGTHS • farmers have limited or no • agronomists have good field access to advisory services experience, know farmers • diagnostic laboratories are • many active organisations, under-used (includes GPC) motivated to help farmers • recording of plant health • low start-up costs for clinics problems weak and unreliable

IAAS, Nepal Fredy Almendra, Bolivia and because of Tiraque market Plant health clinics

• usually weekly in a public place • accept any problem on any plant • give advice on managing plant health problems • run mainly by agronomists • use mainly field diagnosis to • independently run by orgs. determine cause with existing responsibilities to support farmers • send samples to labs; get expert technical assistance Plant health clinics: how?

PLANNING OPERATIONS • identify suitable partners • confirm commitment (permission from bosses) • run training courses • adjust methods (place, • hold pilot clinics schedule) • plan regular operations • maintain clinic register

Biocontrol company Dr Jayanth, BCRL DRDR CongoCongo Plant health clinics provide regular advice on how to control plant health problems RwandaRwanda

Held regularly (every week) – consistent commitment IndonesiaIndonesia Gather demand from untapped audiences BoliviaBolivia Independently run by many different organisations

Plant health clinics y 80 regular and 25 pilots

Country Start # Country Start # 2004 19 Kenya 2005 (3) Benin 2006 (3) Mali 2008 (1) Bolivia 2003 17 Nepal 2009 4 Cameroon 2007 2 Nicaragua 2005 16 Colombia 2006 (2) Pakistan 2009 2 Côte d’Ivoire 2006 (1) Peru 2008 (2) Cuba 2005 (2) 2006 1 DR Congo 2006 3 2006 12 Guinea 2006 (1) Sri Lanka 2009 1 India 2006 4 2005 4 2007 (2) Vietnam 2007 2

Clinics are supported by the GPC but run independently Progress so far

GOOD SATISFACTORY • standardized clinic operations • quality of diagnoses and advice improves • new sponsors (e.g. GoSL) • clinics run regularly • selecting good organisations • new clinics starting up, • popular with farmers independent of GPC • training curriculum developed • impact assessments confirm • outreach, return users benefits

IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED • data recording • links to diagnostic labs • change ‘project mentality’ Sierra Leone started 2008

CLINICS 13

ORGANISATIONS Ministry of Agriculture

FUNDING Government; GPC pays for training PLANT DOCTORS Extension, plant health inspectors PROGRESS Steady. Good commitment from beginning, though institutes weak. Post- conflict country. TRAINING COURSES for PLANT DOCTORS Groups of 15-20: modules last 3 days

ModuleModule 11 ModuleModule 22 ModuleModule 33

• Field diagnosis • Giving advice • Extension messages • Operation of clinics • Plant healthcare • User validation` Biotic > NOT mammal > active disease no feeding damage process, clear border between healthy and diseased area Eliminate the negative

NOT insect > no holes or other ? bacterium > evidence unlikely – expect gall or wilt

NOT nematode, ? fungus > virus or phyto- possible – known plasma > to produce don’t cause this necrosis and type of symptom cankers TheThe RegisterRegister

Remember to complete all the information

Use short words, few words Write down what the farmer says

The code is for future reference Information from the register is stored in a simple spreadsheet

1

2

3 Diagnostic services: UK

• Diagnostic service for any • UK labs but also using US pathogen, any crop & international expertise free for clinics and to confirm new e.g. USDA, IFAS disease records

CABI ► fungi, bacteria, Rothamsted ► FERA ► viruses, bacteria nematodes phytoplasmas, viruses (+ other pathogens) GPC: new disease records 2001- 2009 year direct assist 2001 1 0 Selected plants (40 spp.) 2002 0 0 Alfalfa Maize 2003 0 1 Banana Napier grass 2004 6 1 Cacao Papaya 2005 4 1 Cassava Peach 2006 8 1 Cashew Potato 2007 5 0 Citrus Bell pepper 2008 7 0 Chilli Tea 2009 9 0 Eggplant Tomato TOTAL 44 French bean Japanese knotweed Peer reviewed in Plant Pathology

Global Vigilance NDRs in PLANT PATHOLOGY/PLANT DISEASE 2000-2007

NDRs published 2000-2007 NDRs by IPPC region Plant Pathology 578 Africa 131 Plant Disease 1142 Asia 288 Total 1720 Europe 670 Latin America –Caribbean 293 Near East 77 N America 258 SW Pacific 39 Boa and Danielsen, unpublished data (2008) Plant health clinics detect new diseases: Peru

Moises Calderón: first opportunity to get advice

Alfalfa/lucerne witch’s broom – NDR? Impact Assessments

• Is the sponsor happy? • How do they measure your performance? • What evidence is needed? • How do you obtain evidence?

DONORS GOVERNMENTS • poverty, livelihoods COMMERCIAL • better business • public goods • sustainability • welfare of people • solve defined problems Impact indicators what improvements are sought?

1 RESOURCES • more effective use of existing people, organisations, knowledge • wider access to services, more female users Better use of existing resources Wider access to services Healthcare systems Ministry of Agriculture

Natural control Farmer+plant

Agricultural supply shop Research institute

Private clinic or Diagnostic plant doctor laboratory Plant health clinic Plant Healthcare, Bangalore-style Impact indicators what improvements are sought?

2 SUPPORT SERVICES • SURVEILLANCE better detection of pest threats • EXTENSION more effective response to threats • DIAGNOSIS AND ADVICE improved quality Uganda: improved vigilance (711 queries, 3 clinics, 10 months)

Banana 111 Eggplant 8 Potato 2 Cassava 97 Pawpaw 8 Yams 2 Maize 83 Sesame 7 Anona (Kitaferi) 1 Groundnut 55 Avocado 6 Cocoa 1 Tomato 54 Passion fruit 6 Elephant grass 1 Coffee 47 Onions 5 Finger millet 1 Orange 32 Eucalyptus 4 Green pepper 1 Sorghum 32 Millet 4 Kulekula nuts 1 Rice 30 Cereals 4 Lemon 1 Cabbage 20 Citrus 4 Pineapple 1 Sweet potato 17 Jackfruit 3 Pumpkin 1 Beans 13 Soybean 3 Red pepper 1 Green gram 13 Bitter berries 2 Sugarcane 1 Watermelon 12 Cotton 2 Vanilla 1 Cowpeas 10 Mango 2 No info 1 Uganda: improving quality of diagnosis

Fusarium wilt 3 ◄ Are problems with BANANA Banana weevil 8 similar symptoms clearly Banana (bacterial) wilt 93 ◄ distinguished? Mites 5 Fungus 6 ◄ Cassava Brown Streak Virus 6 CASSAVA Mealybug 7 Root rot 18 ◄ Clarify vague diagnoses Cassava mosaic 43 Tristeza 3 Leaf spot 3 ◄ Fungus 5 ◄ CITRUS Fruit fly 6 quality control using Leaf miner 14 clinic register identifies Scab 14 weaknesses and COFFEE Coffee wilt 41 common errors Impact indicators for donors what improvements are sought?

3. PEOPLE • ‘satisfaction’ with clinics • adoption of recommendations • greater economic benefits (from advice) • reduction in pesticide abuse Bangladesh: satisfaction Bangladesh: clinic satisfaction measured by return users

Return users users first time repeat Rural Plant Clinic 1 673 24% 76% Rural Plant Clinic 2 716 21% 79% Rural Plant Clinic 2 666 26% 74% total 2055

RDA Bogra clinics September 2006 – June 2008 Bolivia: adoption by clinics users Bolivia: adoption of recommendations

Source of advice sample adopted Clinic only 130 82% Clinic and received 98 100% additional training total 238

Counterfactual or control group There is more than one source of advice – you need to separate

Farmer sample group came from the Chapare, Andes of Cochabamba and Valleys of Santa Cruz Bolivia: economic benefits Bolivia: changes in production costs

n=238

Pesticide use: Big savings in SCZ because many farmers stopped unnecessary applications Bolivia: average economic benefit per user

Area sample # visits average benefits (US$) Andes 114 192 1004 Valleys of Santa Cruz 97 295 2198 Chapare 27 41 181 total 238 527

Calculating benefits Net change in income following adoption of clinic recommendations (harvest value-production costs) Benefits of Impact Assessment

• gathers key evidence • suggests improvements (including how to do IAs) • supports requests for funds • attracts new sponsors • values extension per se • values ‘behind the scene’ services e.g. diagnostics • supports new research topics Squaring Extension the circle

Plant healthcare system

Research FARMER Plant Health

Input suppliers www.globalplantclinic.org ● www.research4development.info www.youtube.com/ericboawww.youtube.com/ericboa and /globalplantclinic/globalplantclinic My cassava is rotten. What should I do?

What about my sick banana?

MakeMake usus happyhappy (and(and getget toto dodo moremore diagnostics)diagnostics)