capitalizing on capsicum203.64.245.61/web_docs/media/newsletter/2013/012_nov-15_2013.pdf · 15...

15 November 2013 www.avrdc.org

VINESA project aims

to build hubs for

horticultural research

in Africa

pages 12-13

Capitalizing on capsicum

(...continued on page 2)

Involving farmers in crop research and selection a new direction for the Solomon Islands

Who is the mysterious

Quiet Man with a Busy Trimmer? Turn to page 4

for the answer!

(left): Jim Saelea (l) Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), Solomon Islands and two officers from the Taiwan Technical Farm attended a capsicum field day on 8 October 2013 in Honiara to evaluate and select sweet peppers. The event was organized by MAL and Pitakia Tikai, AVRDC’s Liaison Officer for an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) project.

(right): Setting out capsicum samples for a taste test.

2

(...continued from page 1)


Pitakia Tikai, AVRDC’s Liaison

Officer for an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research

(ACIAR) project to strengthen

integrated crop management

research in the Pacific Islands, has always known that when farmers

are involved, showing is much more

effective than telling.

“If they can see a crop and examine

it up close, then farmers can be

more confident about their judgments and decisions when it is

time to plant,” he said. Together

with a team from the Solomon Islands Ministry of Agriculture and

Livestock (MAL), Pitakia organized

a capsicum field day on 8 October

2013 in the Solomons’ capital, Honiara, to engage farmers in the

evaluation and selection of sweet

peppers.

“Bringing farmers together to share

their opinions and observations is a new activity in the Solomons,” he

said. In the past farmers were

simply the recipients of the seed

varieties selected by the ministry. That approach has now changed,

with farmers playing a key role in

choosing new crop varieties.

Eleven lines were evaluated—one

local variety and 10 lines from AVRDC headquarters in Taiwan.

The crop was grown over a three-

month period to ensure the plants

had sufficient time to fully develop and bear fruit.

Farmers had company during the field day: MAL officials and

representatives from businesses,

including hotels and seed

distributors, joined the assessment and exchanged their opinions and

ideas with farmers. All 33

participants (22 male and 11 female) had an opportunity to

inspect the crops, which were

monitored for growth

characteristics and resistance to pests and diseases. More than 20

kg of peppers were collected in the

first harvest of the trials, providing plenty of samples for tasting during

the field day.

To sustainably intensify high-value

crop production in the Pacific,

(left): Shane Tutua (l) from Zaitina, a private farm, and Christiana, a staff member from the Heritage Hotel, took a closer look at the sweet pepper trial.

(right): Capsicum field day participants evaluated 11 lines: one local variety and 10 lines from AVRDC headquarters in Taiwan.

Participants examined plants and fruit to select the most promising lines during the capsicum field day.


3

farmers will need seed of well-

adapted, pest- and disease-resistant vegetable crops. The capsicum field

day was an important step in that

direction, said Jimi Saelea, Acting

Permanent Secretary of MAL. “The participation of farmers is very

important,” he said. “At the end of

the day it is the farmers who will be taking up the technology and

adopting it to their environment.”

He noted that crops should be

tested in different climatic conditions of different provinces,

and that trials also should be

conducted in rural areas to encourage more interaction with

growers in remote areas.

Can farmers capitalize on capsicum? It appears they can: a

number of hotels and restaurants

bought the first harvest, and there was a further request for another

20 kg from a restaurant, at the

price of SBD $30 per kg. “The early

indication is that there is a good market out there for capsicum,”

said Pitakia. “It’s just up to the

farmers to deliver.”

The varieties selected during the

field day will next undergo farmer

field trials followed by further assessment. “After these trials we

will evaluate with farmers on the

varieties they want to grow,” Pitakia said. “Then MAL will select the best

varieties, give them names, and

decide how to distribute seed.”

Thanks to Agrikalsa Nius, the newsletter of

the Solomon Islands Ministry of Agriculture,

for contributing to this story.

Sampling a local recipe prepared with

sweet peppers.


AVRDC’s 40th Anniversary around the world

4 CORNUCOPIA

AVRDC’s Tanzania staff began their celebration of

the Center’s 40th Anniversary on 25 October 2013 with a three-hour team building session presented by

Mark Hindle, Senior Training Consultant – British

Council Tanzania. Mr. Hindle explained different

communication strategies, discussed how to deal with conflict, and explored parent/child behaviors. Staff

members enjoyed the session and learned some

helpful techniques for working with colleagues across the room and around the world. Afterwards, the team

savored a tasty lunch buffet at the Mount Meru Hotel

and spent a few relaxing hours together. The group

also marked the 40th Anniversary with another special event: presenting the “The Quiet Man with

a Busy Trimmer” award to Anael Sawe, Gardener

at the Regional Center for Africa. Mr. Sawe was recognized for his dedication and passion in keeping

AVRDC’s Arusha campus clean and beautiful. He

joined AVRDC in 2000 as a casual worker in charge

of cleaning the farm, compound, and hostel. In September 2009 he became the gardener, and ever

since, his careful attention to the RCA grounds has

made the campus an attractive and comfortable place to work. Thanks, Mr. Sawe!

In Africa…

A vision in blue: AVRDC

Tanzania staff wear the commemorative 40th

anniversary polo shirt

Tanzania

Anael Sawe (l), Gardener at AVRDC Regional Center for Africa, received the “Quiet Man with a Busy Trimmer” award from Nadine Kwazi, Executive Assistant to the Regional Director.

5 CORNUCOPIA

The Cameroon crew led by

Regine Kamga shared a celebration dinner with

Monique Tegantchouang and

Nathalie Ewane from the

International Institute for Tropical Agriculture; Esther

Pegalepo, formerly an AVRDC

Cameroon staff member; Ashu Augustine, an NGO partner;

and Selamoh Nicolas and

Cyrille Gong, two casual

workers. They send their best wishes for many more years for

AVRDC – The World Vegetable

Center and the Cameroon office!

Cameroon

The 40th Celebration at AVRDC East and

Southeast Asia in Kamphaeng Saen, Thailand brought staff (blue shirts) and

participants (grey shirts) in the 32nd

International Vegetable Training Course to the

table for a special lunch of Thai noodle soup. In Thailand, noodles are an important meal on

birthdays to celebrate long life. More years for

AVRDC!

In East and Southeast Asia…

In Bamako, Mali, Team AVRDC celebrated the 40th

anniversary on 31 October at Eden Village restaurant. Professor Mama Kinta led a brief Conference on

Communication, in which staff discussed the importance of

adopting a good communication strategy for the institution’s

daily operations and success. Ba Germain Diarra, a technician researcher who has been with the Mali office since

2004, was honored for his service.

At dinner, Vegetable Breeder Albert Rouamba highlighted

the evolution of AVRDC over the years, from an Asia-focused

research institute into a global center for agricultural

research and development. Amara Sidibe, ceremony facilitator, thanked the participants for their commitment to

serving the people of Africa.

Mali

Thailand


EXECOM MEETS: The AVRDC Board of Directors’ Executive Committee met for the second time in 2013 on 19 October, just after the Center’s 40th Anniversary celebrations: (back row, left to right) Yin-fu Chang, Deputy Director General - Administration & Services; Yu-tsai Huang, Board Chair; Wolfgang Kasten, Board Member, Germany; Dyno Keatinge, Director General; Jim Phelan, Board Member, Ireland; Jackie Hughes, Deputy Director General - Research; Warwick Easdown, Regional Director, AVRDC South Asia; Robert Holmer, Regional Director, AVRDC East and Southeast Asia; Emmy Simmons, Board Member, USA; Dirk Overweg, Finance Director; I.R. Nagaraj, Human Resources Director. (front row, left to right) Didit Ledesma, Board Secretary; Cathy Reade, Board Member, Australia; Sophia Kaduma, Board Member, Tanzania; Abdou Tenkouano, Director, Regional Center for Africa; David Sammons, AVRDC Board Vice-Chairman and EXECOM Chair.

6 CORNUCOPIA

Recent publications

McCreight JD, Staub JE, Wehner TC and Dhillon NPS. 2013. Gone Global: Familiar and Exotic

Cucurbits Have Asian Origins. HortScience 48 (9): 1078-1089

Taiwan Review

http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/

7 CORNUCOPIA

The Center in the news

The Center’s 40th anniversary celebrations in October attracted

attention near and far: The event was covered by many Taiwan media outlets, including Radio Taiwan International.

SNV, a NGO based in the Netherlands, noted the participation

of Sarah Simons, SNV Kenya, as a speaker during a panel discussion on “Improving Future Horticultural Systems and

Profitability”:

Radio Taiwan International: http://rti.org.tw

SNV: http://www.snvworld.org

Director General Dyno

Keatinge and Genebank Manager

Andreas Ebert met

with Jim Hwang, a

reporter from the Taiwan Review, on 7

November 2013.

The magazine, which

publishes editions in

English, French,

Spanish and Japanese, plans to run a feature

article about AVRDC in

an upcoming issue. In a recent profile story, Danielle

Nierenberg, co-founder of Food Tank, mentioned the work of AVRDC –

The World Vegetable Center.

The new VINESA project (see pages 12-

13) was featured on the website of donor Australian International Food

Security Research Centre (AIFSRC),

and in their e-newsletter.

http://aciar.gov.au/aifsc/news/power-partnerships-and-collective-thinking

http://truetometoo.com/profiles/danielle-

nierenberg/#.UmmvJhBYWzc

Memoranda of Understanding signed

Manuel Palada, Visiting Professor of Sustainable Agriculture

at Central Philippines University (and retired head of AVRDC’s Crop and Ecosystem Management group) was

instrumental in arranging for a five-year memorandum of

understanding between CPU and AVRDC – The World

Vegetable Center, recently signed by AVRDC Director General Dyno Keatinge. The MoU will cover research activities and

student exchanges. Founded in 1905, CPU has grown from an

elementary school with 17 pupils into a widely known university with an enrolment of over 12,000. The 24-hectare

campus, which was originally chosen for its quiet and relative

isolation, is now a thriving community with more than 30

buildings for classrooms and support facilities.

************

Manuel Palada (r), Visiting Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at Central Philippines University, signed a MoU with AVRDC Director General Dyno Keatinge.

THAILAND COMES TO TAIWAN: AVRDC East and Southeast

Asia Office Assistant Pishayapa Thongmalai (call her “Bee”)

and Information Technology and Communication Assistant

Sorawit Limsiriwat (a/k/a “Ball”) spent a week at AVRDC

headquarters in Taiwan for training in IT, Communications and

Finance. During their visit they met colleagues from around the

world and toured Kaohsiung and Tainan, southern Taiwan’s

major cities. (left to right) Bharath Krishnan, IT Manager;

Hsien-Yang Tien, Assistant Specialist - Information

Technology; Shirley Chen, Officer – Information Technology;

Ball; Bee; and Ming-che Chen , AVRDC Photographer.

To expand the Center’s work with major national partners in

South Asia, AVRDC recently signed a MoU with the FOOD 360 Foundation at the Headquarters of Nagarjuna

Fertilizers Limited in Hyderabad, India. Through the MoU,

Regional Director Warwick Easdown, representing

AVRDC, and FOOD 360 Foundation President KS Raju agreed to explore opportunities for joint research and

development work. The FOOD 360 Foundation involves

some of the leading industrial companies in India working together to ensure food and nutrition security and

sustainable growth for the farming community through

transfer of improved agricultural technologies. Under the

MoU, AVRDC will explore agribusiness activities and transfer relevant technologies initially in Andhra Pradesh

before looking at expanding into other areas of the country.

One of the first activities under this MoU was a workshop on “Cost- Effective Covered Cultivation” by Rakesh Sharda,

Principal Investigator and Extension Specialist, Department

KS Raju, President, FOOD 360 Foundation signed a MoU with AVRDC South Asia Regional Director Warwick Easdown.

of Soil and Water Engineering, Punjab Agricultural

University. Discussions are underway to start initiatives on home gardens and protected

cultivation technologies.

************

8 CORNUCOPIA

************

9 CORNUCOPIA

Seminars

Jeff Ling-Hsi Chen, Research Fellow from the Taichung District Agricultural

Research and Extension Station (DARES), Taiwan Council of Agriculture, recently set up a fertigation system in a greenhouse at AVRDC headquarters and gave a talk

to headquarters staff about his experiences on 29 October 2013. Fertigation—the

application of fertilizers, soil amendments, or other water-soluble products through

an irrigation system—allows for more precise use of nutrients and more control in crop production. Jeff and his colleagues at Taichung DARES have been working on

fertigation since 2005, and have developed pumps, pipeline configurations, and

remote sensors and monitoring tools to refine the system for farmers in Taiwan and other countries. AVRDC and COA will work together on experiments to evaluate

the newly installed system.

IT Manager Bharath Krishnan and Assistant to the Deputy Director General –

Research Iin Luther introduced vegone, the Center’s new data collection system, to colleagues on 31 October 2013. The web-based system allows staff to easily enter

and track project indicators to be counted as part of the Center’s institutional

achievements. The system will collect gender-aggregated information on the

adoption of new technologies and practices, individuals receiving training, public-private partnerships, distribution of seed kits, publications, collaborations and

more.

Caroline Drummond, Chief Executive of LEAF (Linking

Environment and Farming), an organization promoting sustainable food and farming in the UK and Europe, visited

AVRDC headquarters on 11-12 November 2013. She spoke to

staff about the organization’s initiatives to engage farmers,

consumers and the food industry in a dialogue about the vital role agriculture plays in the health of people, communities,

and the environment. One example is the LEAF Marque, a

consumer quality assurance logo used to identify produce that has been grown following particular standards for environmental safety. To build public

understanding of food and farming, LEAF annually hosts Open Farm Sunday—a

day throughout the UK when participating farmers open their fields and barns to

the public. LEAF also maintains a national network of Demonstration Farms and Innovation Centres where farmers can see how other farmers apply sustainable

crop management methods. "Farmers produce commodities, not food -- this must

change," Caroline said. “Farming can learn from science to optimize the nutrition in food.” During her stay, Caroline also visited the Tainan District Agricultural

Research and Extension Station and the Taiwan Livestock Research Institute.

http://www.leafuk.org/

10 CORNUCOPIA

Visitors

After receiving training from AVRDC about 10

years ago, Ngo Quang Vinh, Director General of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural

Sciences, introduced tomato grafting to

Vietnam. Largely due to his dissemination

efforts, the country today has a thriving industry in grafted tomato production. Dr.

Vinh, accompanied by Nguyen The Nhuan,

Director of the Potato, Vegetable and Flower Center, Institute for Agricultural Sciences for

Southern Vietnam (IAS), and IAS Scientist

Ngo Minh Dung visited AVRDC headquarters

on 30 September – 1 October 2013. The visitors met with AVRDC scientists, and toured the

genebank, Demonstration Garden, and

fertigation facility.

(left to right): Wen-shi Tsai, AVRDC Virology Associate Specialist; Ngo Quang Vinh, Director General, Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Robert Holmer, Regional Director, AVRDC East and Southeast Asia .

Several joint Taiwan Council of Agriculture

(COA)/AVRDC projects are underway. Ten collaborators on “Vegetable germplasm collection

and breeding – cucurbits” came to headquarters

on 30 September 2013 to discuss experiments for

developing virus-resistant cucurbits. On October 9, a group of 12 COA tomato researchers were

briefed on the research proposal for a three-

month project to develop tomato with virus resistance and other beneficial characteristics. On

October 14, researchers participating in a project

on organic vegetable production toured the

Center’s new organic farm operation set up by Jui-Chang Huang.

Study tours help expand students’ understanding of the

world. Two groups of students from National Taiwan University’s Highland Experimental Farm visited the

Center in October. Each group of 20 was greeted by Deputy

Director General – Administration & Services Yin-fu

Chang, briefed on the Center’s activities by Visitor and Seminar Coordinator Shiu-luan Lu, and guided through the

Genebank by Yung-kuang Huang and the Demonstration

Garden by Willie Chen. On 8 November 2013, a group of 46 from the College of Agriculture and Natural

Resources, National Chung Hsing University toured

the Genebank and Demo Garden.

Jim Hwang (r), a reporter from the Taiwan Review, an

English-language monthly published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, came to AVRDC HQ on 7 November to learn

about the Center’s activities. Garden Manager Willie Chen

guided Jim through the Demonstration Garden, where more

than 100 traditional and global vegetables are on display.

AVRDC with AIRCA at NUS2013 Conference

AVRDC participated in a side event

hosted by the Association of International Research and

Development Centers for

Agriculture (AIRCA) during the

Neglected and Underutilized Species 2013 (NUS2013)

Conference held from 25-27

September 2013 in Accra, Ghana. Five AIRCA member centers

participated in the session entitled

“NUS for Food and Nutrition

Security and Income Diversification in Marginal Areas”: International

Center for Biosaline Agriculture

(ICBA), represented by Kameswara Rao Nanduri, Plant

Genetic Resources Specialist;

AVRDC, Fekadu Fufa Dinssa,

Vegetable Breeder; Crops for the Future (CFF), Michael

Hermann, Director General;

International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), Michael

Kuaku, West Africa Regional

Representative; and CABI —

Victor Attuquaye Clottey, Regional Coordinator, West Africa.

AVRDC Postharvest Specialist

Ngoni Nenguwo and Agricultural Economist Srinivasulu

Rajendran also participated in the

discussions.

Michael Hermann, the chairperson

of the event, welcomed participants

and briefed them on AIRCA’s mission and objectives. Each of the

five participating AIRCA centers

then gave a 10-minute presentation

on their activities.

In his talk, Fekadu presented

AVRDC’s mandate crops of traditional and global vegetables,

explained the importance of

traditional vegetables for food security, nutrition and income

diversification, especially in

economically and environmentally

marginal areas, shared AVRDC’s research and development strategy

for traditional vegetables

(participatory selection approach, conservation, utilization and

improvement of existing local

germplasm), and discussed creating

linkages and building capacity

among actors in the vegetable value chain.

Fekadu also highlighted the

Center’s achievements in improved germplasm development, which has

led to releases of a number of

improved commercial varieties in different parts of the globe.

Examples of companies involved in

commercialization of varieties

released from AVRDC lines in sub-Saharan Africa and East Africa

were noted.

Presentations were followed by a

wide-ranging panel discussion to

explore the integration of neglected species into agricultural systems.

(left): AIRCA side-event panelists (l to r): Michael Kuaku, West Africa Regional Representative, International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR); Victor Attuquaye Clottey, Regional Coordinator, West Africa, CABI; Fekadu Fufa Dinssa, Vegetable Breeder, AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center; Michael Hermann, Director General, Crops for the Future (CFF); and Kameswara Rao Nanduri, Plant Genetic Resources Specialist, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).

(right): Staff from AVRDC and Crop Innovations, University of Bath get acquainted over a meal.

11 NEWS FROM THE REGIONS

New project to launch hubs for horticulture in Africa

Vegetable production in peri-urban

corridors must expand to address Africa’s rapidly changing

demographics, increasing demand

from urban consumer markets, and

urgent need for a more nutritious food supply. A diverse group of

partners from Tanzania, Malawi,

Mozambique, Ethiopia and Australia gathered in Arusha,

Tanzania from 1-4 October 2013 to

plan activities that will make it

possible for more people to participate in urban horticulture

through a new project,

“Improving Income and Nutrition in Eastern and

Southern Africa by Enhancing

Vegetable-based Farming and

Food Systems in Peri-urban Corridors” (VINESA).

AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center is leading the initiative,

which will involve Africare (an

NGO headquartered in Washington

DC, with offices in 23 countries in

sub-Saharan Africa), the

International Potato Center (CIP), scientists from the four countries,

Australian consultants, and

hundreds of vegetable business

professionals in 120 communities. The five-year project is funded by

the Australian International Food

Security Research Center (AIFSRC).

Abdou Tenkouano, Director,

AVRDC Regional Center for Africa, told workshop participants that by

focusing on nutrition, income and

increasing social capital, the project will help address some of the key

challenges Africa faces, including

changing rural and urban labor

markets, youth unemployment, malnutrition, and capacity.

Mellissa Wood, Director of

AIFSRC, said the project was an “excellent example of agricultural

interventions delivering on

nutritional outcomes.”

Project partners set up operational

structures and committees, developed work plans and

milestones, and created task forces

to address cross-country themes

including production, postharvest and nutrition, and policy and

capacity building. Developing

linkages with related projects fosters the dissemination of

knowledge and builds the capacity

of project participants; to extend its

reach, the VINESA team will connect with AVRDC initiatives on

traditional vegetable

characterization, capacity building of PhD students, and horticultural

innovations for learning and

agricultural research, and to

projects supported by the Food Security Centre (“Farm Power and

Conservation Agriculture for

Sustainable Intensification” and “Increasing Irrigation Water

Productivity in Mozambique,

Tanzania, and Zimbabwe Through



(above): Partners from Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Australia gathered in Arusha, Tanzania from 1-4 October 2013 to plan a new project to launch hubs for horticulture in Africa.

(right): Abdou Tenkouano, Director, AVRDC Regional Center for Africa, with some of the superior vegetable seed selected for testing in the project’s Best Practice Hubs.

On-farm Monitoring, Adaptive

Management and Agricultural Innovation Platforms”) among

others.

Workshop participants visited Afrisem, a seed company that aims

to supply African vegetable growers

with affordable hybrid varieties and top quality seed. A reliable, high

quality seed supply is critical for

vegetable production, and Afrisem

and other seed producers are an important link in the vegetable

value chain. During a visit to

DARSH, a tomato processor that produces Redgold brand tinned

tomatoes, sauces and jams,

participants learned about food

safety, quality control and other issues. (AVRDC’s ‘Tanya’ tomato is

DARSH’s most preferred variety for

processing.) Collaborative relationships with the private sector

will foster improved technologies

and practices for postharvest

storage, value addition and processing.

Best Practice Hubs (BPHs), one of

the defining features of VINESA, are designed to address knowledge

gaps along the vegetable value

chain and serve as centers for

education, crop trials and experimentation. The aim is to

draw young future producers into

communities of practice, where they can learn, evaluate and adapt

vegetable production and

postharvest technologies, support

diet diversification through improved crop varieties, and

develop effective value chain

analysis skills to support income-generating activities and build

strong market relationships.

“The project will contribute to lifting people out of poverty by

improving nutrition and increasing

incomes,” said Tenkouano. The enthusiasm and commitment

demonstrated by all VINESA

partners will soon make that

statement a reality.



(left): Les Baxter, Research Program Manager for Horticulture, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

(right): Ngoni Nenguwo (r), AVRDC Postharvest Specialist in Tanzania, explains how farmers benefit from access to the Postharvest Training and Services Center.

VINESA project partners AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center Australian International Food Security Research Center (AIFSRC) Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) TANZANIA Sokoine University of Agriculture Horti-Tengeru ETHIOPIA iDE Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) MALAWI Africare Bvumbe Agricultural College MOZAMBIQUE International Potato Center Mozambique Institute of Agricultural Research (IIAM) Collaborating organizations Australian Applied Horticultural Research (AHR) Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA)

Reports on VINESA by partners:

http://aciar.gov.au/aifsc/news/power-partnerships-and-collective-thinking

Seed Fair for Tanzania

A farmer’s success depends on

access to reliable sources of good quality seed that’s available at the

right time for planting. To create

awareness of the improved seed

stocks available in and around Arusha, Tanzania, AVRDC’s

Regional Center for Africa hosted a

Seed Fair from 1-2 October 2013 at the RCA campus in Arusha. The

event, supported by the HortCRSP-

African Indigenous Vegetables and

USAID Postharvest projects, showcased area seed suppliers and

low-cost postharvest technologies

to increase production of nutritious vegetable crops.

Six seed companies—Alpha Seeds,

Africasia Seed, East West Seeds, Royal Seed, Kenya Highland Seed

(which has teamed up with Mukpar

Tanzania) and Balton Tanzania—displayed their products at 3 x 3

meter stands lined with colorful

and informative posters and signs.

Farmers were able to purchase seed

directly from the suppliers. Small-

scale vegetable processors also demonstrated their products to the

crowd.

A total of 112 farmers (69 male and 43 female) participated on the first

day and another 96 (58 male and

38 female) farmers attended on the fair’s second day. The visitors came

from 10 villages around Arusha

City, Meru council, and Arumeru

district. Extension officers from Arumeru and Arusha attended, and

61 diploma students from the

Horti-Tengeru Research and Training Center visited the stands

over the two days. The Tanzania

Official Seed Certification Agency

(TOSCI)/Tengeru, Selian Agricultural Research Institute/

Northern Zone, Pest Control

Services Office in Tengeru, District Agricultural and Livestock

Development Offices from Meru

Council, Arusha Council and

Arusha City, and the International

Institute for Tropical Agriculture

(IITA) sent representatives to the fair.

Participants from an inception

workshop for the VINESA project (see page 11) also toured the fair.

VINESA, which will run in four

countries (Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania), is

supported by the Australian Centre

for International Agricultural

Research (ACIAR).

The companies displayed seed of

traditional vegetables (Africa nightshade, cowpea, spider plant,

amaranth, Ethiopian mustard,

Africa eggplant, roselle, okra, moringa and others) and global

vegetables like tomato, pepper and

onion. AVRDC’s Postharvest

Training and Services Center demonstrated easy-to-use, low-cost

postharvest handling technologies.

The Regional Center for Africa’s research plots were open for closer


(left): Seed companies had their wares on display during a Seed Fair organized by AVRDC Regional Center for Africa in Arusha, Tanzania. Seed suppliers are a vital link in the vegetable value chain, as farmers must have access to quality seed at the right time for planting.

(above): Postharvest grading tools and sorting aids.


inspection. Each day of the seed fair included panel

discussions moderated by AVRDC staff that brought together farmers and representatives of seed companies

and other organizations to explore topics of common

interest. Farmers shared their concern about the quality

of seed obtained from market/seed stores (sometimes

fake seeds are sold under a good variety name), accessibility, lack/insufficiency of extension services on

agronomic practices, and fluctuation of vegetable prices

from season to season.


(left): Farmer groups displayed their processed products during the Seed Fair.

(right): The Seed Fair offered seed companies an opportunity to engage new customers.


POTENTIAL TREATMENT FOR A DREADED DISEASE:

A group of recent pharmaceutical graduates from San

Pedro College in Davao City, Philippines screened

kangkong (Ipomoea aquatica) for alkaloids and then

identified the active component of the plant with pharmaceutical potential responsible for preventing

acetylcholine degradation, which leads to Alzheimer's

disease. The scientists found comparable effects when

they compared the acetylcholine-increasing effects of the kangkong alkaloid extract with Rivastigmine, the current

drug of choice for treating the disease. The next step will

be to confirm the accuracy of the results with further

research, and if warranted, clinical trials. Kangkong is a

popular traditional vegetable that grows mainly in East and Southeast Asia. Known as swamp cabbage or water

spinach, it is a fast-growing and easily cultivated semi-

aquatic plant. If kangkong attracts interest from the

pharmaceutical industry, new income opportunities may

open up for poor farmers in the region.

http://www.scidev.net/asia-pacific/disease/news/common-plant-could-hold-key-to-alzheimer-s-treatment.html

Another reason to eat more vegetables

16

2013 World Diabetes Day Walk

On World Diabetes Day, 14 November, AVRDC headquarters staff put on their walking shoes and headed to the research fields, where their colleagues explained the health benefits of consuming okra, Malabar spinach, high beta-carotene tomatoes and other nutritious vegetable crops.

World Diabetes Day marks the birth of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, was instrumental in the discovery of insulin in 1922. The event engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness.

17 CORNUCOPIA

Welcome

Ellen Iramu is AVRDC’s new Project Coordinator in the Pacific Islands. Based in Sigatoka, Fiji,

Ellen holds a PhD in Horticulture from the University of Queensland. Previously she served as Principal Research Officer (Head of Crops Section) in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock

(MAL) in the Solomon Islands, where she supervised and implemented research activities related

to root and vegetable crop improvement, development and production. She was seconded by MAL

to implement Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)-funded integrated crop management/pest management activities to evaluate AVRDC tomato and sweet

pepper lines in the Solomon Islands..

The South Asia region recently welcomed several new arrivals.

Swagatika Pradhan (1) has been appointed to the COFRA-funded project in Odisha on eastern India to work with women’s self-help

groups to develop home gardening. Three staff have been appointed to

the Bhoochetana Plus project funded by the Karnataka government:

Project site coordinator Nagaraj Kumar (2) will be based at Raichur along with Research Technician Amaresh Naik (3) who will work

with farmers to promote vegetable production. Research Technician

Shoban Babu (4) will be based further south in Chickmagalur to work with local farmers.

Ming-Tung Hsueh (Robert), Research Fellow from the Taitung District Agricultural Research

and Extension Station, Council of Agriculture (COA), Taiwan arrived at AVRDC headquarters on 1 October 2013 for a three-month cooperation program. Funded by the 2013 COA Project

“Strengthening the cooperation between AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center and Taiwan re-

search institutes on vegetable research and development,” Robert is working on identifying in-

digenous vegetables with tolerance to flooding in AVRDC’s Genetic Resources and Seed Unit un-der the supervision of Andreas Ebert, Genebank Manager.

Fresh, 15 November 2013

Fresh is published by

AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center

P.O. Box 42, Shanhua, Tainan 74199

Taiwan

www.avrdc.org

Comments, ask a question, add a name to our mailing list: [email protected]

Editor: Maureen Mecozzi

Graphic design: Kathy Chen

Photographic guidance: Ming-Che Chen

Contributors: Agrikalsa Nuis, Sheila de Lima, Fekadu Dinssa, Robert Holmer, Regine Kamga, Nadine Kwazi, John Macharia, Hassan Mndiga, Ngoni Nenguwo, Pitakia Tikai

Suthathip Riwthong (Oom), a Thai graduate student from Hohenheim University, Stuttgart,

Germany arrived at AVRDC headquarters for an internship from 21 October to 30 December 2013. Oom is working with the Humidtropics Project for a study entitled “The transformation of

pest management in the intensification of highland farming in Thailand” by analyzing a data set

on 240 farm households in 12 sample villages in northern Thailand. She is under the supervision

of Pepijn Schreinemachers, Agricultural Economist.

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