Subject: IPM - Picturing Impact method + bio-lahang compost decomposer

From: Steve Diver <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 22:54:24 -0500

Here are some worthwhile resources for your sustainable
toolbox on:

*Picturing Impact method for farmer study groups
*IPM in Indonesia
*Conservation of natural enemies
*Insect Zoo
*Rice ecosystem IPM
*IPM as an entry point for Sustainable Livelihoods
*Ecological Foundations to Tropical Rice IPM
*Living Soils
*Tea IPM Ecological Guide

The picturing impact method and the on-farm recipe to
make bio-lahang as a compost decomposer led me to
these resources.

The first item is an article on Farmer Study Groups and
Community IPM in Indonesia, from the current issue
of LEISA, the magazine on low-external input
and sustainable agriculture.

A farmer study technique is to loan out cameras so
participants take pictures of their fields and farming
methods, then come back and label the pictures and
share experiences and reflect on the situation under
study.

Picturing Impact!
by John Pontius
LEISA / ILEIA | Vol. 19, No. 1 | March 2003
"Learning with Farmer Field Schools" issue
http://www.ileia.org//2/19-1/18_21.PDF

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The full report can be viewed online in PDF and DOC:

Picturing Impact:  Participatory Evaluation of Community IPM
in Three West Java Villages
Dr. John C. Pontius
FAO Regional Community IPM Program
International Learning Workshop on Farmer Field
Schools (FFS), October 2002, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
http://www.eseap.cipotato.org/upward/Events/FFS-Workshop-Yogya2002/02-Pontius.pdf

        45-page PDF

Picturing Impact:  Participatory Evaluation of Community IPM
in Three West Java Villages
http://www.communityipm.Org/docs/Picturing%20Impact/Picturing%20Impact%20top%20page.html

Especially see:

Chapter 4. Picturing Impact - Main Report
        40-page DOC version

"The goal of this study was to learn about the impact of
Community IPM on poverty in farming communities. The study
was carried out by farmers themselves, who took photographs
of what they considered to be indicators of impact. The data
consists of 84 photographs with captions."

The entries on indigenous microbe preparation for "compost
decomposers" and plant extracts for pest control remind me
of on-farm recipes in nature farming.

Excerpts:

"The photograph is of a mixture of goat manure, leaves, and
'biolahang' (a decomposer that we make from 'lahang' or sugar
palm sap, slices of banana tree trunks, and water).  The compost
is ripening.  Good quality compost needs to ripen for anywhere
from a week to 10 days.  Biolahang is mixture that we make
to speed the ripening process.  There are many similar commercial
products, but having tested them all against our decomposer, we
know that ours is as good as any." - Yakub Syah | page 23

"Our decomposer is made from 'lahang' (sugar palm sap), slices
of banana tree trunks, and water.  Tirta Bumi tested the
decomposer against a product called EMBIO, which is quite
expensive.  Bio-lahang is the equal of EMBIO.  Yakub Syah |
page 24

"Spider Gate.  One of our efforts is to spread the word about IPM.
We built this gate, which we decorated with pictures of spiders, a
symbol of the need to conserve natural enemies.  You could say
that the gate has also become a symbol for our village, which we
believe, has become an IPM village.  Jarot Indraloka | page 25

"IPM activities have helped farmers to become scientists.  This
photo is of 'bio-lahang', the decomposer that we created and tested.
It's cheap and performs as well as EM4 and EMBIO, which are
both very expensive commercial products.  If we can make it cheap,
why should we buy something expensive?  Aos Rosidin | page 30"

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Other resources at this IPM site:

Community Integrated Pest Management
/ formerly FAO Programme for Community IPM in Asia
http://www.CommunityIPM.org

.From Farmer Field Schools to Community IPM:
Ten Years of IPM Training in Asia
Editors: John Pontius, Russ Dilts, Andrew Bartlett
April 2001
http://www.communityipm.Org/docs/10%20Years%20of%20IPM/10Years-Main.htm

A detailed description of the development of Farmer Field
Schools, including historical context, educational foundations,
ecological principles and lessons learned.

The document consists of 145 pages with many photographs,
boxes and diagrams. To make it easier to download, the
document has been split into 8 chapters

Especially see:

Chapter 3: The IPM Farmer Field School

Chapter 6: Ecological Principles Underlying the FFS
conservation of beneficial insects, spiders, and snakes

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Toxic Trail - A BBC documentary in the 'Earth Report' series
http://www.communityipm.Org/ToxicTrail.htm

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Tea IPM Ecological Guide
Michael R. Zeiss, Koen den Braber
Translated by Tran Thanh Nam
Published by CIDSE, April 2001
http://www.communityipm.Org/docs/Tea_Eco-Guide/Tea_Eco-Guide.html

Especially see:

Chapter Three: The Living Soil

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Living Soils: Training Exercises for Integrated Soils Management
William Settle, 2000
http://www.communityipm.Org/docs/Living%20Soils/living%20soils.html
        101-pages, tables, diagrams, 31 excercises

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Field Guide on Peanuts
http://www.communityipm.Org/docs/PeanutIPMguide.zip

See:

Chapter 4, Insect Zoo

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Settle, W.H. et al. 1996. Managing Tropical Rice Pests
Through Conservation of Generalist Natural Enemies and
Alternative Prey. Ecology, 77(7): 1975-1988
http://www.communityipm.Org/docs/Ecol_settle.pdf
        15-page PDF, classic article

Mangan, J., and M.S.Mangan 1998. A comparison of two IPM
training strategies in China: the importance of concepts or the
rice ecosystem for sustainable insect pest management.
Agriculture and Human Values 15: 209-221.
http://www.communityipm.Org/docs/China-concepts.doc
        22-page DOC

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IPM as an entry point for Sustainable Livelihoods
http://www.communityipm.Org/Concepts/sustlive01.htm

"never in my wildest dreams did I think that a program about
'bugs' would bring the dawn of democracy and liberation to
Indonesian villages"

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Ecological Foundations to Tropical Rice IPM
http://www.communityipm.Org/Concepts/ecology01.html

A practical guide to the ecological dynamics of the irrigated
rice ecosystem, based on the classic paper in Ecology by
William Settle in 1996.

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Regards,

Steve Diver
NCAT / ATTRA
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