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Feature Section, Latest News, Video

THE PAN-ASIA FARMERS EXCHANGE PROGRAM HELD VIRTUALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME

Video

On November 16 -20, 2020, about a hundred participants from Australia, China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and the US attended the first virtual Pan-Asia Farmers Exchange Program. In its 14th year, CropLife Asia, CropLife Philippines and the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines organized and held the week long event as an online two-hour webinar each day.

Farmers, scientists and the academe, government officers and policy makers and experts on industry shared their knowledge and experiences in the fields of agricultural biotechnology, regulations, communications and commercial growing of biotech crops . Companies and institutions also gave virtual tours of their facilities and showcased how their products are produced and managed while ensuring its safety and quality, and following government regulations.

Below are the recorded videos of the 14th Pan-Asia Farmers Exchange Program.

INTRODUCTION TO BIOTECHNOLOGY

Day 1

During the 1st day, Dr. Rhodora Aldemita, the Director, of ISAAA Southeast Asia Center and Director of the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology – International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), gave an overview of modern biotechnology.

Dr. Russell Reinke, Theme Leader of the Improving Health Through Safe and Nutritionally Enhanced Rice Program at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), shared the Golden Rice Experience. And Dr. Szabolcs Ruthner, Regulatory Affairs Manager of the International Seed Federation (ISF), presented a quick overview of new plant breeding innovations.

This session was opened by Dr. Sianghee Tan, Executive Director of CropLife Asia and moderated by Ms. Sonny Tababa, Biotechnology Affairs Director of CropLife Asia.

BIOSAFETY REGULATIONS

Day 2

On the 2nd day, Dr. Saturnina C. Halos, President of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP), discussed biosafety regulations, including environmental risk assessment and food safety assessment.

Dr. Gabriel Romero, Executive Director of the Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA) and Ms. Rosemary Richards, President of the Australian Oilseeds Federation, shared the road to commercialization of each of their very own country’s cultivated GM crop. Dr. Romero discussed about Bt Corn in the Philippines, and Ms. Richards talked about GM Canola in Australia.

This session was moderated by Mr. Abraham Manalo, the Executive Secretary of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP).

BIOTECH COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP

Day 3

The 3rd day was all about science communication.

Ms. Ma. Aileen Garcia, Manager, Project Coordination and Stakeholder Advocacy of the Healthier Rice Program at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), gave an overview on science communication.

Dr. Xiaoqing Liu, Associate Research Fellow of the Biotechnology Research Institute at Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Mr. Anil Ghanwat, President of the Shetkari Sangathan (farmer association) in India; Ms. Annalyn Lopez, Director-Coordinator of the Biotechnology Program at the Philippine Department of Agriculture; and Ms. Ta Thi Kieu Anh from the Biodiversity Conservation Agency at the Vietnam Environment Administration shared their experiences in communicating biotechnology in their respective countries.

This session was moderated by Dr. Rhodora Aldemita, Director, ISAAA Southeast Asia Center; Director, Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA).

EXPERIENCES IN COMMERCIAL GROWING OF BIOTECH CROPS

Day 4

On the 4th day, farmers from different countries shared their experiences in commercially growing GM crops.

Ms Belinda ‘Bindi’ Murray, a dryland broadacre farmer from Woodanilling in the Great Southern Western Australia talked about how they grow gm canola.

Mr. Tulus Panduwijaya, the director at Pt. Perkebunan Nusantara XI, a government-owned estate whose main business activity is the production of sugar, and Mr. Alex Suherman, the Biotech and Seeds Director of CropLife Indonesia took us on a virtual tour and learned about Indonesia’s gm sugarcane.

Mr Juanito Rama, a successful Bt corn farmer from Tarlac, Philippines, shared how Bt corn has improved and made their lives better. Moreover, Bt corn farmers from Vietnam, Mr Nguyen Thanh Phong from Nghe An Province, Mr Hoang Van Tuyen from Son La Province, and Mr Hoang Trong Ngai from Vinh Phuc Province also shared their experiences in growing Bt corn. On the other hand, Mr. Amir Hayyat Bhandara, a corn, cotton & wheat farmer in Pakpattan, Pakistan, shared his views and expressed how Pakistan farmers need to have access to this technology, to these biotech crops.

This session was moderated by Ms. Ma Emeru B. Rodriguez, Seeds Committee Vice Chairperson of CropLife Philippines.

Feature Section, Latest News, Video

14th PAN-ASIA FARMERS EXCHANGE PROGRAM

On Nov 16 – 20, 2020, CropLife Asia, CropLife Philippines and the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines held the 14th Pan-Asia Farmers Exchange Program virtually as a one-week webinar series via Zoom platform.

Participants from the US and the Asia-Pacific – Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Pakistan joined the webinar series.

On Nov 16, Dr. Rhodora Aldemita, the Director, of ISAAA Southeast Asia Center and Director of the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology – International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), gave an overview of modern biotechnology.

Dr. Russell Reinke, Theme Leader of the Improving Health Through Safe and Nutritionally Enhanced Rice Program at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), shared the Golden Rice Experience.

And Dr. Szabolcs Ruthner, Regulatory Affairs Manager of the International Seed Federation (ISF), presented a quick overview of new plant breeding innovations.

The session was opened by Dr. Sianghee Tan, Executive Director of CropLife Asia and moderated by Ms. Sonny Tababa, Biotechnology Affairs Director of CropLife Asia.

Below is the recorded video of the 1st day of the program.

On Nov 17, Dr. Saturnina C. Halos, President of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP), discussed biosafety regulations, including environmental risk assessment and food safety assessment.

Dr. Gabriel Romero, Executive Director of the Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA) and Ms. Rosemary Richards, President of the Australian Oilseeds Federation, shared the road to commercialization of each of their very own country’s cultivated GM crop. Dr. Romero discussed about Bt Corn in the Philippines, and Ms. Richards talked about GM Canola in Australia.

The session was moderated by Mr. Abraham Manalo, the Executive Secretary of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP).

Below is the recorded session of the 2nd day of the program.

On Nov 18, the session was all about Science Communication.

Ms. Ma. Aileen Garcia, Manager, Project Coordination and Stakeholder Advocacy of the Healthier Rice Program at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), gave an overview on science communication.

Dr. Xiaoqing Liu, Associate Research Fellow of the Biotechnology Research Institute at Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Mr. Anil Ghanwat, President of the Shetkari Sangathan (farmer association) in India; Ms. Annalyn Lopez, Director-Coordinator of the Biotechnology Program at the Philippine Department of Agriculture; and Ms. Ta Thi Kieu Anh from the Biodiversity Conservation Agency at the Vietnam Environment Administration shared their experiences in communicating biotechnology in their respective countries.

This session was moderated by Dr. Rhodora Aldemita, Director, ISAAA Southeast Asia Center; Director, Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA).

Below is the recorded video of the 3rd day of the program.

On Nov 19, farmers from different countries shared their experiences in commercially growing GM crops.

Ms Belinda ‘Bindi’ Murray, a dryland broadacre farmer from Woodanilling in the Great Southern Western Australia talked about how they grow GM Canola.

Mr. Tulus Panduwijaya, the director at Pt. Perkebunan Nusantara XI, a government-owned estate whose main business activity is the production of sugar, and Mr. Alex Suherman, the Biotech and Seeds Director of CropLife Indonesia took us on a virtual tour and learned about Indonesia’s GM Sugarcane.

Mr Juanito Rama, a successful Bt corn farmer from Tarlac, Philippines, shared how Bt corn has improved and made their lives better. Moreover, Bt corn farmers from Vietnam, Mr Nguyen Thanh Phong from Nghe An Province, Mr Hoang Van Tuyen from Son La Province, and Mr Hoang Trong Ngai from Vinh Phuc Province also shared their experiences in growing Bt corn.

On the other hand, Mr. Amir Hayyat Bhandara, a corn, cotton & wheat farmer in Pakpattan, Pakistan, shared his views and expressed how Pakistan farmers need to have access to this technology, to these GM crops.

This session was moderated by Ms. Ma Emeru B. Rodriguez, Seeds Committee Vice Chairperson of CropLife Philippines.

Below is the recorded session of the 4th day of the program.

On Nov 20, the main focus was Crop Improvement and Seed Quality.

Ms. Hannah Mae Tolentino, together with her colleagues in the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Ms. Ronalyn Miranda and Mr. Malvin Duldulao, gave a virtual tour of the PhilRice Biotech Laboratories and PhilRice Genebank.

And Dr. Antonio Alfonso, the Regulatory and Stewardship Manager of Corteva Agriscience in the Philippines, showed how the industry keeps the good quality of seeds before it is released for farmers use.

This session was moderated by Ms. Thelma Soriano, Seeds Director of CropLife Asia, and was concluded by Mr. Edilberto de Luna, Executive Director of CropLife Philippines.

Below is the video of the 5th and last day of the 14th Pan-Asia Farmers Exchange Program.

Feature Section, Latest News

THE POTATO

 

By: CropLife International 

 

We expect supermarket shelves to be filled year-round with a variety of fresh produce. Society is adjusting to living under measures that mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and this new normal can make us pause to reflect on where our food comes from, and celebrate those that ensure food supplies are maintained.

CropLife International and the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) have teamed up with YouTube channel SORTEDfood to explore the story behind some of our ingredients and the challenges involved in producing them.

This episode focuses on the humble potato, or ‘spud’ as the British commonly call it, favored by chefs around the world for its versatility in cooking, and long chosen by farmers for its nutrient-dense, high-yielding value.

52 million tons of potatoes were harvested across the EU alone in 2018, but even with a crop that is so widely consumed in many different ways, there’s an increasing disconnect between the knowledge of how food is grown and how it gets to our plates.

Therefore, as an industry that helps farmers grow crops, the crop protection sector is committed to closing this gap.

Sorted Food’s Ben Ebbrell (a chef) and Mike Huttlestone (a ‘normal’) battle it out to see who can create the best tasting potato dish, incorporating some of the facts they learn about this starchy tuber.

Together with an audience of passionate and engaged food enthusiasts, they take us on a journey to understand more about how the food we eat is grown and what they discover might surprise you!

They first invited food historian Angela Clutton to the Sorted studio kitchen to discover more about this important food staple: from its origins in the high Andes, being viewed with suspicion in 16th Century France, to becoming an indispensable crop for the working class in the 19th Century.

When potato blight – a kind of mold – struck over successive years in the 19th century, it led to the infamous Irish Potato Famine between 1845 and 1849. This disaster contributed to more than one million deaths in Ireland alone and during the same time, blight also affected crops across many parts of Europe.

Disease continues to be a threat to potato crops to this day. Without crop protection methods, up to 40% of European crop yields could be lost each year and farmers are committed to producing food in challenging times and conditions.

To see this for themselves first-hand, Ben and Mike traveled to the Dutch-Belgian border near Eindhoven to visit a third-generation potato farmer whose family has been growing potatoes for more than 50 years. His harvest almost entirely goes to feed Europe’s French fry hungry consumers supplying, amongst others, brands like McDonalds.

Jacob Van Den Borne explains that his method of precision agriculture and attention to detail is something that each generation on his farm has applied. The only difference is the tools they use. Jacob has been called the Elon Musk of potatoes – this means the tools he uses are super innovative, and he takes advantage of digital advances to reduce his inputs, improve his yields and protect the environment.

Yet, despite having access to sophisticated technology tools and monitoring systems that generate data about his crops, he regularly walks around his fields and remains at the mercy of the climate and diseases – just as the generations of farmers did before him.

For example, during the extraordinary European heatwave in 2018 – maxing out at a record 42°C (107,6°F) for the Netherlands – Jacob lost almost half his yields, meaning he had to adapt and invest heavily in irrigation techniques to make sure that losses would not be as severe in following years.

Whether it is through water soil moisture monitoring, or using models to predict the spread of blight, learning about how best to protect the crop is essential to producing enough affordable, safe and high-quality food in challenging conditions.

“We use a lot of software platforms that tell us when to spray; those platforms get weather information and know in which kind of weather fungi can attack my plants. We aren’t only spraying the crops just before such an attack can happen. The software tells us when and how, and with what to spray” Jacob says.

“Sustainability is the key to what we’re doing. One thing that a lot of people forget is that we have to pay for all the chemicals we use. So, the less we put on, the better it is for us. We only use chemicals when they are absolutely necessary. Why put them on when they’re not needed? That’s how all farmers are trying to survive, also to ensure we have low food prices – every bit of money counts. Being sustainable is also about being affordable and therefore me lowering my cost price.

As farmers, we have the job of protecting future – because the population is growing fast and food demand is growing with that. If we don’t gear up, we won’t be able to work to feed the world”.

CropLife International and ECPA member organizations work to help farmers protect their crops from pests and diseases so we have safe and nutritious foods to eat.

Those methods range from the precise application of fungicides, pesticides and herbicides – including those of natural origin – to innovative biotech solutions that make crops more resistant to disease like blight.

Watch these behind-the-scenes video clips from Ben and Mike’s chats with Angela and Jacob, to find out more about where potatoes originated and how this nutritious crop with the potential to feed everyone across the globe, is protected to ensure it makes the journey to your table, Belgian frites (French fries) stand or favorite burger restaurant.

 

Feature Section, Latest News, Video

BEAT THE CHEF: ULTIMATE POTATO BATTLE

Video

By: CropLife International

Reducing food waste can have a huge impact on food security and climate change. So, where do we start? It’s all about working together. By gaining a deeper understanding of the care, commitment, and hard work that gets food from the field to our forks, we can hopefully start to waste less of the food we buy.

In partnership with the European Crop Protection Association, we sent Ben and Mike from SORTEDfood on a journey to dig into the history of the potato to find out where it came from and how farmers use smart technology to produce the hearty spud on a global level. Along the way, they meet Angela Clutton, a food writer and historian, and Jacob Van Den Borne, a Dutch potato farmer. Going behind the scenes at his farm, they learned how he uses technology to grow his potatoes more sustainably to reduce any food loss on the farm.

Ever wondered what you can make from those leftover potatoes in your kitchen so they don’t go to waste? If anyone can tell you, it’s SORTED. Ben and Mike went head-to-head in the Ultimate Potato Battle, but who made the better dish? Let’s find out!

 

 

Want to have a go?

  • Grab Ben’s recipe for Spiralised Potato and Blood Sausage Croquettes on Potato Soup here. ​
  • Grab Mike’s recipe for Fondant Dripping Potatoes with Horseradish Pommes Purée here.

Share your favorite potato recipes with us by tweeting @CropLifeIntl and @sortedfood.

You can also watch behind-the-scenes video clips from Ben and Mike’s chats with Angela and Jacob, to find out more about where potatoes originated and how this nutritious crop is protected to ensure it makes the journey to your table.

Feature Section, Latest News

CropLife Asia Calls on Region’s Stakeholders to Work Together to Address “Unacceptable” Food Crisis

CropLife Asia Calls on Region’s Stakeholders to Work Together to Address “Unacceptable” Food Crisis

United Nations’ Report on Food Security & Nutrition Highlights Troubling Trends in Asia

Singapore, 16 July 2019 – With the release of the 2019 State of Food Security & Nutrition in the World by the United Nations (UN), new data has come to light indicating hunger, undernourishment and obesity are at critical levels globally and throughout Asia in particular. In light of these troubling trends, CropLife Asia is now calling on the region’s food value chain stakeholders to work collectively to ensure a safe and nutritious food supply across the continent.

According to the UN research, some 820 million people did not have enough food to eat in 2018 – this is up from 811 million in 2017 and represents the third consecutive year of increase. Meanwhile, over 513 million of those hungry people (or over 62%) call Asia home. When it comes to undernourishment, the statistics are also discouraging. In 2018, the largest number of undernourished people around the world (more than 500 million) lived in Asia.

“The hunger and undernourishment trends taking place across Asia are simply unacceptable,” said Dr. Siang Hee Tan, CropLife Asia Executive Director. “In an age when Asia leads the way on so many fronts, this cold reality is a reminder we have much work yet to do.”

“The UN is to be commended for this research and raising awareness around this critical issue. It’s now time for the food value chain stakeholders in Asia to work together like never before to address this dilemma.

“While the technologies and innovations of plant science are part of the solution to feed our growing population, they’re only one part. The responsibility to ensure our region’s men, women and children have enough safe and nutritious food to eat is a shared one. The time is now for a renewed effort with the region’s governments, industry and civil society working together. The stakes are simply too high to not act now.”

Earlier statistics have also shown that obesity and overweight rates across ASEAN are particularly on the rise – especially among children. According to WHO data, the incidence of obese and overweight children across Southeast Asia has increased 150% since 2000.

The phenomena of rising undernourishment and obesity rates concurrently is commonly referred to as the ‘double burden’. In an effort to highlight this dilemma and discuss shared solutions, CropLife Asia partnered with the US-ASEAN Business Council and EU-ASEAN Business Council in 2019 to form the ASEAN Safe, Nutritious Food Alliance. This new group has conducted public-private sector dialogues in Bangkok and Hanoi thus far with key findings, shared solutions, and opportunities for greater partnership coming to light to better ensure safe, nutritious and abundant food supplies in Thailand and Vietnam respectively.

###

  About CropLife Asia

CropLife Asia is a non-profit society and the regional organization of CropLife International, the voice of the global plant science industry.  We advocate a safe, secure food supply, and our vision is food security enabled by innovative agriculture.  CropLife Asia supports the work of 15 member associations across the continent and is led by six member companies at the forefront of crop protection, seeds and/or biotechnology research and development.  For more information, visit us at www.croplifeasia.org. 

 For more information please contact:

Duke Hipp                                                                                      

Director, Public Affairs                                                                 

CropLife Asia                                                                  

Tel: (65) 6221 1615                                                                                                    

duke.hipp@croplifeasia.org            

Feature Section, Latest News

MEET GRACE MAKU

By: CropLife International

How plant science can help Ugandans feed their families and increase climate – resilience.

 

 

Meet Dr. Michael Otim, a Crop Entomologist at the National Crops Institute. Dr. Otim works in Uganda, where droughts affected close to 2.4 million people between 2004 and 2013.[1] He is part of the Water Efficient Maize for Africa project which is working to develop drought-resistant maize.

 

This research will be vital for families like Grace Maku’s. Like most Ugandans, Grace Maku and her family rely on the maize they grow on their farm to both feed themselves and be their primary source of income.

As Grace explains, climate change is putting her maize farming at risk:

“DROUGHT SIMPLY DRIES UP THE MAIZE. SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO GET WATER AND TRY TO IRRIGATE, BUT THAT’S NEVER EASY HERE.”

 

This is where drought-resistant crops could greatly improve her life. Some estimates suggest that drought-resistant maize could reduce up to 25% of crop loss. Innovations like this are essential to ensuring we meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal on Zero Hunger.

When maize is successfully harvested, it is often milled at places like Nakatundu Maize Millers in Kiwenda, Uganda. Over two million Ugandans count on maize as their main source of income, with agriculture accounting for almost 30% of the nation’s GDP.[2]

Mitigating the impact of climate change and drought on crops like maize would mean increased demand for millers and increased economic activity – benefiting all Ugandans.

From Dr. Michael Otim’s lab, into Grace Maku’s field, all the way to Agnes Makilumda’s (pictured above) table, maize’s journey from the field to the plate is an important one

As global climate continues to change, and it becomes harder to harvest maize and other crops through drought, floods, and other natural disasters, biotech can help ensure our food’s journey is not interrupted.

Feature Section, Latest News

CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THROUGH INNOVATION

By: CropLife International

Last month, CropLife International attended the 4th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi, Kenya. Policy makers, businesses and third-sector organizations from across the globe came together to discuss the environmental challenges our planet faces, and how sustainable innovation could be the key to solve these.

One area we’re passionate about is improving soil health. We joined the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, the International Fertilizer Association and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) at a side event to talk about the importance of healthy soils to ensure food safety, food security and human health.

CropLife International’s Director of International Regulatory Affairs for Crop Protection, Christoph Neumann, spoke about how new innovations in plant science can help tackle pests and diseases, while also ensuring soil health.

He also spoke about the importance of no-till agriculture – the practice of planting a new crop directly into the stubble of the previous crop, without ploughing. Intrinsic to the use of no-till is the use of herbicides to control weeds.

No-till helps to maintain soil structure, improve the ability of soil to retain water and every year it prevents the release of CO2 equivalent to removing every car from London for 5 years.

Christoph explained how investment in research on natural pesticides, known as biologicals, is another major area of innovation to help farmers deal with the pest threats to our harvests and crops.

We also joined the UN Environment Programme which urges more action on chemical management. We support UNEP’s new report, Global Chemical Outlook II (GCO II), which calls for efforts to ensure chemical management is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. You can read more about how the industry actively supports GCO-II here.

Partnerships was another major them at UNEA. I sat on a panel event organised by UNEP where we discussed the value of public private partnerships to deliver sustainable development. I spoke about how we have worked with the German development organisation, GIZ, and the Vietnam government to help thousands of rice farmers towards a better future.

As Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary General and Active Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, articulated: “Standing still is falling behind”. We must all work together to come up with new solutions to fight today’s environmental challenges – through collaboration across businesses, governments, citizens, and NGOs.

Feature Section, Latest News

GROWING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

By: CropLife International 

Jake Leguee is a third generation family farmer in Saskatchewan, Canada. He grows several crops on his land including canola, wheat, durum, peas, lentils, and soybeans. We visited Jake during the harvest season to learn how he practices sustainable farming.

 

 

Jake and his family farm 13,000 acres, which is around 35 miles from one side to the other. This means the farm has many different land types and weather patterns.

Like many other farmers, weather is one of the biggest challenges that Jake faces on his farm. But with the right tools there are lots of things he can do to tackle this: “if we can maximize the crops water-use efficiency, we can make the best use of the weather we get. And the best way to do that is with good varieties, good nutrition, and taking care of pests in the crop.”

Jake follows integrated pest management (IPM) principles to ensure that he manages pests on his farm sustainably. Learn more about Jake and IPM here.