Spreading the Word: Knowledge Management&Dissemination

Natural Resources Knowledge

Spreading the Word:
Knowledge Management & Dissemination

Natural Resources Knowledge

A collection of summaries describing key outputs from clusters of projects run by DFID's recently completed 10-year Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy (RNRRS) programmes.

	Dissemination
	Information, Tools and Software
	Improved Participation
	Better Techniques

Dissemination:

	Cascading knowledge - training fisheries trainers - Training courses in fisheries stock assessment and management	FMSP12
	Programmes to train trainers can cascade knowledge and skills through a system quickly and strengthen independence, there's no longer the need to rely on trainers from outside. So, to boost skills in fish stock assessment and fisheries management, workshops were held to develop cores of trained people. The trainee trainers also received quality training materials, such as presentations, course outlines and guides to writing fisheries management plans, to help them pass on their knowledge and skills to others. Leading national training centres - universities, and national training and research institutes - in East Africa, South East and South Asia, and the Caribbean are now using the training materials in formal courses. Plus, the materials are also widely used and spreading in grass-roots training.
	Communication for dissemination - Scaling-up through communication	NRSP22
	In the East Asia and Pacific region, projects designed to improve the lives of fishers have worked with communicators from the Support to Regional Aquatic Resources Management (STREAM) initiative to ensure that the results of their work reach stakeholders at various levels and get used. This work aimed to overcome barriers to dissemination like culture and language, which vary from area to area. Cycles of production, testing, and revising - all in close consultation with stakeholders - produced a range of materials. Examples include four-page, picture-rich, Better Practice Guides for producers and two-page briefs for policy makers. To ensure their widespread appeal, the materials are available in 12 languages: Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Burmese, English, Hindi, Ilonggo, Khmer, Nepali, Oriya, Sinhala, Urdu and Vietnamese.
	Data on non-timber forest products - where when and how - Position paper on the biometris of assessment of NTFPs	FRP40
	A new guide is now available to help manage non-timber forest resources - all wild products from forests except timber and fuel. Nearly two-thirds of all forest flora are useful in some way but little formal knowledge exists, unlike for trees. This means that any management rules are likely to be based on the 'precautionary principle' rather than statistically sound data. But, better data underpins decisions on how to manage forests and can lead to certification of forest products. This means communities get more benefits from their resources. Now, case studies and work sheets show where, when and how to collect data about non-timber forest products. Then, how to choose management strategies, decide harvesting rules, assess markets and work out how these products could improve the lives of the poor.
	Ensuring that future research is appropriate - Networking as a tool to disseminate information and training manuals	LPP26
	A range of useful outputs have been produced to ensure that livestock research has long-lasting benefits for those it was meant to. Part of this work involved ensuring that the lessons already learned from small stock research are applied in the future. To this end, workshops and publications were used to create a vibrant network of researchers all working in related fields. These efforts are complemented by a decision-support tool designed and tested in Africa and Asia to support researchers conducting nutrition studies in livestock. Manuals and text books have also been produced for a range of audiences. Some are designed to control worms in small ruminants, and are aimed at extension workers and veterinarians. Others deal with wider ranging issues like the role livestock can play in wealth creation.
	Farmers learn to make the most of seed - Good seed initiative (GSI) sharing the learning from CPP programme into pro-poor seed systems in east Africa	CPP69
	Good crops start with good seed. A new manual and set of posters are now available to help farmers make the most of seed. Most farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa don't buy seed: they save their own or trade with other farmers. But, this arrangement often doesn't work - drought, pests, diseases, civil wars or other troubles mean they just don't have enough good quality seed. Over 1000 smallholder vegetable farmers in Kiambu District, Kenya, learned the best ways of choosing, drying and storing seed by discovering for themselves. Now, government staff in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania use these methods to help extension workers and other farmers make sure they have reliable supplies of healthy seed for vegetables, sorghum, yam, cassava, groundnuts, sweet potato, maize, and beans.
	Finding better ways of disseminating research results - Communication strategy for E.African semi-arid systems	CPP37
	Concerted efforts to reform extension work in poor, semi-arid areas of Kenya and Tanzania have yielded concrete results and a host of useful information. The project worked to ensure that communication and promotional strategies were embedded within existing systems and organizations. This was seen as key to ensuring that all stakeholders had better access to new products and knowledge. Other areas addressed included identifying what information stakeholders were demanding, and characterizing the ways in which people are currently given information. Working closely with farmers, the project also assessed how effective the different pathways and methods it used to reach farmers were. In Central Tanzania, for example, such testing indicated that the efforts had resulted in a high level of farmer uptake among both men and women.
	How can we increase the impact and uptake of research - Scaling-up strategies for pilot research experiences - a comparative review	NRSP05
	A demand-driven framework for scaling-up research findings is making inroads into poverty and improving livelihoods. It identifies the key strategies that must be put in place - forging strong networks and partnerships, building institutional capacity and ear-marking appropriate funding - and points out that research must be genuinely demand-led, and that researchers must be made more accountable for research impacts. The framework was used in the development of the DFID-NRSP's strategy for communication and scaling-up, and adopted by the World Bank, CIAT, ILRI, FAO, and the Kenya Forestry Research Institute. It is used by USAID projects in the Andes, South-East Asia and West Africa, and by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Nepal.

Information, Tools and Software:

	A new kind of extension worker - the Livestock Guru	LPP25
	Researchers working in India have developed Livestock Guru - a multi-media interactive learning program to teach farmers about animal health, welfare, and production. The program is available in two languages (Tamil and Oriya) and poor livestock keepers are being given access to it through kiosks with computing facilities. In Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, these kiosks are permanently available in local village knowledge centres. In Orissa, on the other hand, they are being placed in NGO training centres and local government offices for two months before being moved on. Importantly, the program keeps a record of exactly what information users ask for. This information can then be used to make decision makers aware of the needs of the poor and to update the program.
	Breakthrough in providing information on African acacias - African acacias - information resources	FRP11
	A large information gap on valuable acacia trees has recently been filled. Monographs, an annotated bibliography and synthesis of available information, and a manual on the identity, site requirements, seed sources, management, and uses of the six most important African acacia species plus six others from Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries, have been produced. A synopsis containing details of the species' names, distribution, botanical descriptions, ecology and uses, plus drawings, is in the final production stage. Acacia trees provide a wide range of products and services to Africans: fuelwood, fodder, shelter, rehabilitating degraded soils, and increasing productivity of non-arable land. Native acacias are preferred, as exotic trees don't take well to the harsh conditions, but their use has been limited through a lack of information for forestry technical officers and botanists in easily accessible formats.
	Controlling the threat of rabies - Design of rabies control programmes for domestic dogs	AHP03
	In Tanzania, vaccinating domestic dogs has proved to be a very effective way of fighting rabies, because they are the major reservoir for the disease. In fact, in areas where trials have been run, they slashed both the number of cases of rabies in dogs and the number of dog bites by more than 90%. Currently rabies badly affects the poor in rural and semi-urban areas, causing illness, death and livestock losses. The poor, for example, can least afford treatment and so are most likely to develop the disease once they have been bitten. Children are also particularly vulnerable to rabies, and are most likely to die from the disease if they develop it.
	Easy-to-use software provides the poor with access to information - El Promotor and Daktari wa Mifugo: Demand-led interactive learning software for poor livestock keepers in Bolivia and Kenya	LPP30
	Interactive learning software has been created to give users in Kenya and Bolivia access to information. The Daktari and Promotor programs are suitable for use even by the illiterate, and can give poor households who aren't reached by the extension services access to vital information. Poor users' access the software through kiosks placed in their community. And, despite the fact that only a small number of these kiosks are available, these programs have already been used by more than 6000 households. The programs are also complemented by digital forums. These can be accessed by policy makers and planners who want to gain better insights into the needs of the poor by finding out what information they are requesting.
	Helping people access the information they need - Methodologies for development of appropriate extension messages and communication pathways	LPP28
	In Kenya, a new method has been developed to identify what information communities need and to get it to them effectively. The method involves working closely with communities and conducting needs assessments in order to help local people identify and express what information they need. This is then sourced and provided to the communities in easy-to-understand ways through local organisations like churches, schools and women's groups. These unusual pathways are very effective at delivering a wide range of information. For example, children can be taught about a subject in school using books with lots of pictures. They can then be encouraged to go home and show their often-illiterate parents the books, explaining what they've learned and passing on the information.
	Improving information on rice pests and diseases in Bangladesh - Managing rice pests in B'desh by improving extension service information management for policy and planning	CPP61
	A computer programme to record and analyse information on pests and diseases will help agricultural departments in Bangladesh alert farmers quickly to threats. The new system speeds up the time it takes for data from districts to be analysed and the results fed back to the local offices. This means early warnings for farmers who can then take action. As it's based on the old paper system, the new system is very user-friendly. Proven for rice pests and diseases in Bangladesh, the software could also be used for other crops, and even across borders. Indian authorities are already interested in using the software to monitor pests in the border area with Bangladesh.
	Making stakeholders aware of advances in smallholder dairy farming - Smallholder dairying toolbox	LPP01
	A new 'toolbox' has been developed to make it easier for organizations to provide easy-to-understand information to anyone involved in smallholder dairy production. Known as the Smallholder Dairy Toolbox (SDTB), its software allows users to access useful information and provide it in formats that are appropriate to a whole range of stakeholders - from farmers and delivery agents to planners and policy makers. The toolbox is intended to overcome the fact that the training and information materials currently available are often inadequate and difficult to access - especially for farmers and extension workers who have very little spare time. It is available on CD or as a download from the project website, and is already being used in some parts of Kenya.
	Software to boost or restore natural fisheries - Fisheries Enhancement Decision Support Tools	FMSP10
	Newly-released EnhanceFish software helps fisheries staff calculate the costs and benefits - both social and economic - of boosting wild fisheries by stocking them with hatchery-reared fish. The software can be used to determine whether it's worthwhile to improve a fishery and, if so, with what, when and how. Although enhancing natural fisheries can improve incomes and have other social benefits, fisheries staff need to have a good understanding of the overall system and of the likely biological and socio-economic impacts. The package guides them through analyses and helps them advise and work with stakeholders in specific fisheries. EnhanceFish is already being used in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Strong interest from China and other governments indicate that this software has major potential to raise productivity and restore fisheries.
	Software tool helps develop and protect botanical resources - Capturing botanical knowledge in building foundations for a sustainable and bodiverse future	FRP08
	The Botanical Research and Herbarium Management System (BRAHMS) is a novel software tool that captures plant and biodiversity data and images from herbarium specimens, literature, field observations, and plot samples. It then converts them into products and publications that help in the development and protection of botanical resources. It also facilitates the exchange of data among people, institutions and countries. BRAHMS is currently used in more than 29 countries worldwide, and is freely available from the website www.brahmsonline.com. The products of the BRAHMS system can help countries understand the resources they possess, and how to harness them for agriculture, forestry, and medicinal and conservation purposes. They can also empower local communities and research institutes through training and the provision of information.
	Talking pictures - new tools to boost smallholders milk production - Optimising knowledge and information transfer - Novel approaches for stimulating innovation as a poverty reduction entry-point	LPP02
	New tools have been developed and tested in Bolivia, Tanzania, Kenya and India to help smallholder dairy farmers manage their animals better and greatly boost the amount of milk they produce. The improved breeds of cattle now available can produce up to 25 litres of milk per day, but many are producing similar amounts to local breeds simply because of poor management. To overcome this, researchers have produced software like the dairy rationing system for the tropics (DRASTIC), which trained users can use to predict what effect a particular mix of feeds will have on milk production. Another tool is Talking Pictures - Dairy (TP-D) which can be used to generate pictorial guides that local producers can easily understand and relate to.
	Up-to-date manual of coffee pests and diseases - Promotion of current knowledge on pests of coffee in east Africa	CPP56
	Coffee growers in East and Central Africa can now refer to an up-to-date manual to help identify and control insect pests and diseases. Coffee contributes significantly to national economies in the region and, directly and indirectly, provides a living for millions along the coffee growing, processing and marketing chain. Coffee wilt disease, coffee berry disease, coffee leaf rust, coffee stem borer and coffee berry borer are just a few of the problems that growers encounter. So, identifying pests and diseases correctly and knowing how to deal with them is crucial. This manual provides descriptions of pests and advice on how to control them. Coffee scientists in East Africa now use the manual and it's also available on the internet.

Improved Participation:

	Capturing farmers demands and involving them in research - Methods for linking the supply of technology with the demand from smallholder farmers	CPP58
	A new menu of methods now helps farmers and researchers work together more productively. Farmers want and need change. So finding out what they want isn't a one-off process, it's continuous. And, like everyone else, there are things out there that farmers don't know about, so they don't know whether or not they might need them. Then, when suggestions are made to meet their needs, they like to be involved in testing them out. Development agencies, research organisations, foundations and non-government organisations already use the methods. Teamwork between researchers and farmers relies on social principles. These principles work as well with new equipment for draught animals as with integrated pest management, whether the topic is potato, rabbits or rice.
	Farmers take the lead in learning - Accelerated uptake and impact of CPP research outputs	CPP07
	Farmer Field Schools (FFS) are helping to turn research results into improved livelihoods for the poor in Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda and Tanzania. In these open-air schools, farmers participate in evaluating new technologies, methods and knowledge. They also select the crops they wish to focus on, identify the problems they need to solve, and select the technologies they want to use. This approach fosters rapid uptake and has helped to improve the production of maize, beans, sweet potatoes, sorghum and tomatoes. Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools bring together orphaned youths in areas with high HIV/AIDS prevalence. They place a strong focus on health, nutrition and income generation and use drama and theatre to develop self esteem and confidence among the youths.
	Getting everyone to agree in natural resources management - Analysing trade-offs for resilence in resource management	NRSP08
	Trade-off analysis is a way of building consensus among stakeholders in multiple use natural resource areas. It involves working with stakeholders to identify their interests and importance, developing different scenarios and iterative weighting of information leading to consensus. It is in use at the Buccoo Reef Marine Park in Tobago, where wide agreement was reached on the long-term objectives of sustainability and conservation of resources. Co-management, facilitated through trade-off analysis, has benefits for the wider social goals of conservation and social-ecological resilience. The method has been widely disseminated in the literature and is being used in Barbados, Canada, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tanzania and the UK, in contexts such as fisheries, forestry, agriculture, tourism and climate change mitigation.
	Powerful planning tool for river basins and lakes - Simple empirical models for lake and river fishery assessment	FMSP04
	Simple ways of collecting and sharing data and information are helping improve management of small fisheries. These fisheries make important contributions to national economies and exports, and provide a living for over 200 million people in Africa and Asia. Previously, poor fishers - and other stakeholders - weren't consulted on decisions that affected them, often with unfortunate results. It's proved invaluable for fisheries departments and fishers to get together to gather and use information to help manage these fisheries better. Getting stakeholders to participate means their interests are taken into account and they don't lose out. Step-by-step guidelines are already widely used in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Thailand, and organisations in Bangladesh, Uganda, Barbados, Cambodia and Tanzania are customising the approach for their own needs.
	Participatory learning has something for everyone - Maize Innovation Systems Opportunities (MISO): Improving access to quality information and products for maize innovation systems	CPH46
	A participatory learning process - involving surveys, workshops and trade fairs - has helped to expand farmer information supply in the southern highlands of Tanzania. Location-specific tools - such as Swahili language leaflets on maize management - and increased access to information, training and products has helped to improve the capacity, effectiveness and morale of public and private sector organizations. Farmers from 18 villages benefited directly, improving their capacity to manage their maize cropping systems. In addition, stockists, researchers, extensionists, seed companies and NGOs all perceived benefits from the participatory learning process and its positive influence on their ability to do their job effectively.

Better Techniques:

	Building confidence to manage research data - Improving research throughout and effective use through capacity strengthening in data management and statistical applications	CPP49
	Agricultural researchers in Uganda are now confident of their ability to manage data. Previously, although they had vast amounts of data it often wasn't organised properly. So, they couldn't use it effectively. Banana researchers checked and organised their data in a database. This means that they now have quality datasets that can be used fully, and have fewer problems with analysing data. Because they can extract findings quickly, they show decision makers that they can give prompt and reliable information and that investment in research is worthwhile. Good data management also helps managers apply best practices to data security and ownership. So, research is more useful and contributes more to improving the lives of the poor.
	Fisheries - what is not measured cannot be managed - How to assess and manage a fishery: A collection of tools for fish stock assessment and developing management plans	FMSP05
	Basic tools to collect and record information on fisheries, designed specifically for developing countries, can now be downloaded from the internet. Previously, assessing fisheries was expensive, time-consuming and needed to be done by experts. This left 70% of the world's fisheries badly managed and seriously threatened. Now, using these tools and with a little training, fisheries managers can work out what is happening in a fishery. Using this information, they can then develop plans that take into account not only the physical resources, but the social, economic and environmental aspects as well. Fisheries managers, fishers and community groups in the Seychelles, Indian Ocean, Kenya, Vietnam, India and the Caribbean have already proven these tools' value. FAO is championing their use in the Atlantic and hundreds of copies of the software have been downloaded all over the world.
	Forecasts prevent crop damage by migrant pests in southern Africa - ICOSAMP	CPP46
	Twelve countries in southern Africa - Angola, Botswana, D.R. Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe - now use a new early warning system to prevent large-scale damage to crops by migrant pests. It's vital to deal with insect and bird pests before they become a serious problem. But they appear suddenly, multiply rapidly and disappear just as quickly. Now, each country sends in regular reports that are fed into a database. This shows what's happening with pests and where. The information helps pest officers forecast imminent outbreaks and issue warnings so that farmers can take preventive action. Active co-operation between countries has been crucial to the system's success, as pests don't respect national borders.
	Getting to grips with fish losses - Fishloss: Electronic tools for fish loss assessment and reduction	PHF09
	People can now use a new computer programme to enter local data and work out how best to prevent losses in a particular fish market chain. They can also see the effects of steps that could be taken to reduce losses. Most small fishers cannot freeze or chill the fish they catch. This means it soon spoils and fetches lower prices than fresh fish. Smoking, drying or salting preserves fish for longer but even then it's often damaged by poor processing, storage or transport. Tested in Ghana, India and Uganda, the programme has been used in Cote d'Ivoire and Tanzania and is now spreading in the Philippines. The potential impact on livelihoods is large as returns per 100 kilograms of fish can rise by US$5-6.
	Information maps - a path to effective solutions - Knowledge management	CPH45
	Practical software tools - known as 'Step Tools' - are helping local users to make better and more effective use of information, creating flexible, database-driven solutions without the need for high-level technical expertise. This contributes to pro-poor development by improving local practices and information flow. The innovations apply information mapping to help users visualise their requirements. Customised programming transforms the information maps into searchable web-based databases. The methodologies and tools were developed and pilot-tested with partners in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Zimbabwe. They are currently in use in Kenya, Malawi, Pakistan, Tanzania and Uganda.
	Information market place gives farmers access to the knowledge they need - A marketplace for agricultural information services (MPAIS) in Uganda	CPH43
	National Agricultural Advisory and Development Services (NAADS) in Uganda are finding it easy to get their hands on relevant up-to-date information that addresses farmers' problems thanks to the MPAIS Portal. This privately operated web-based market place for agricultural information makes existing extension materials readily accessible. It acts as a virtual trading environment for agricultural information and market service providers in Uganda. The service providers received training in information management and tailored the content to benefit poor households in the pilot districts in Uganda. New users from other districts are coming on board, and several countries in the East African region have shown interest in joining the MPAIS Portal.
	Managing fisheries when there is not much data - Managing fisheries with limited data: technical and participatory approach	FMSP06
	Tapping into fishers' knowledge opens the door to a wealth of data. This is invaluable in fisheries where there may be very little information or no records at all. As new fisheries are still being discovered in less-developed countries - and there's very little information about many existing fisheries - asking fishers to share their knowledge helps managers quickly weigh up the state of a fishery. In Namibia, Zanzibar, the Galapagos, Kenya, India, Gabon, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and the Seychelles fishers have shared important information with scientists, managers and stakeholders and helped develop plans for fisheries. Namibia, St Helena and Tonga have adopted precautionary management based on fishers' knowledge, and the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago are planning to adopt this approach too.
	New decision tools to target restocking efforts - Restocking pastoralists - A manual of best practice and decision support tools	LPP22
	Decision-support tools are now available to help NGOs, donors and governments identify which households and communities would benefit most from restocking efforts. Restocking projects can greatly improve the food and livelihood security of vulnerable farmers and pastoralists. However, the impact they have on poverty is often low because they are badly targeted. By learning lessons from past projects, the new support tools could help to avoid this in the future. The tools are now being used by a wide range of practitioners, working with many different kinds of stakeholders around the world - ranging from pastoralists in Mongolia and refugees in Bosnia, to smallholders in South Asia suffering as a result of avian influenza.
	New techniques give decision makers an edge - Local Applications of Remote Sensing Technologies - LARST Tools	FRP35
	The Local Application of Remote Sensing Techniques (LARST) project has produced a variety of remote sensing tools to help decision makers plan for and monitor a huge range of environmental problems. They can also be used to provide early warning of threats to food security (like locust outbreaks), human and animal health (by predicting epidemic outbreaks), threats to forestry (like fire) as well as threats to water resources, and fisheries. Remote sensing techniques like these give decision makers the tools they need to properly design, implement and monitor new policies. The techniques are already in use around the world to solve a range of problems, from detecting fire risks in Nicaragua, Mexico and Botswana, to estimating rainfall and avoiding famine in Ethiopia.
	Powerful planning tool for river basins and lakes - Simple empirical models for lake and river fishery assessment	FMSP01
	A new planning tool for river basins and lakes helps track trends and measure the likely results of changes to policies or regulations. Previous methods involved collecting large amounts of data and were expensive and time-consuming. Now, planners can quickly call up scenarios showing the impact of various options on rural development. The modelling tool is based on an extensive database of lake and river basin information from across the tropics. Proven in river and lake fisheries in Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Bolivia, FAO has now incorporated elements into the African Water Resources Database and the World Fisheries and Aquaculture Atlas. This tool also has great potential to be applied more widely, to water resources, human impact and climate change.
	Promoting the use of research in coastal resource management - Communication and advocacy for pro-poor coastal resource management and development	NRSP07
	A communication strategy to promote integrated and equitable (pro-poor) coastal resource management and development is responding to the needs of different stakeholder groups. It's vital to transfer the lessons, methods and tools gained from field experience and research projects in ways that influence policies and practice. The process used in this multi-stakeholder strategy focuses on the identification, testing and dissemination of a series of products (like policy briefs, presentations, posters, websites, courses) and pathways (like meetings, community events, ministerial briefings), each tailored to the different needs of the different stakeholders. The strategy was developed in the Caribbean and although until now it is only used in the region, the experience gained is applicable in similar locations around the world.
	Strengthening pro-poor management in floodplains - Tools for managing floodplain fisheries	FMSP09
	Policy makers are drawing heavily on new guidelines for managing floodplains that emphasise stakeholder involvement. The fierce competition for floodplain resources - land and water - means that it's critically important prevent exploitation but, at the same time, make sure that millions of poor inhabitants don't lose out. National, basin and local needs must be reconciled. The guidelines help people work through the co-management process systematically. Bangladesh is already applying co-management principles to its Inland Capture Fish Strategy. In India they are being used in the middle Ganges to reconcile fishery needs with water flow through irrigation barrages. NGOs and development agencies are among the quickest to adopt these strategies, indicating that they have great potential to make a major impact.
	Strengthening registration of biological controls in Africa - Capacity building for biological pesticide registration for Africa	CPP44
	Several countries in sub-Saharan Africa have already used new guidelines to develop systems for registering biological controls for pests and diseases - bacteria, viruses, nematodes, fungi, predators and parasites. Although systems for registering chemical controls are often in place, few deal with biological controls. But for produce to meet heath and safety standards, biological controls must be registered. This is vital for horticulture exports from Africa and Asia, particularly those destined for developed countries. Both South Africa and Kenya now have laws - based on the guidelines - that allow biological control agents to be registered, sold and used. Many other countries, including Tanzania, Ghana and Benin, are also using the guidelines to draw up similar laws to help their booming exports of fresh produce.
	Successful strategies for promoting new farming technologies - Tools, methods and systems to promote and scale-up the adoption of integrated pest management and other improved farm species	CPP34
	A systematic approach to planning and applying effective 'pyramidal' training and dissemination strategies is now available to help get new techniques into use by farmers. Originally developed to promote integrated pest management (IPM), the system can be used to build capacity in a wide range of fields. From innovative, interactive and enjoyable training courses for trainers and farmers, to training guides, farmer pocket books and pest identification cards, a host of useful and well-targeted outputs have already been produced. These are being used in 40 countries. Plus, the generic training strategy has already been successfully used locally by government agencies and NGOs such as Harvest Help and SACDEP in 10 countries: Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Jamaica, Cameroon, Ghana, Lesotho, Zambia, Mauritius and India.
	Tackling fish losses along the marketing chain - Fishloss Assessment and reduction - field based methodology	PHF08
	Three new tools help show what, where and how fish losses happen between fisher and consumer. Knowing the size and nature of these losses is the first step towards prevention. It's an important problem to tackle not only because millions of fishers, processors and traders make a living from fish but also because many fisheries globally are threatened. Proven in West Africa, these methods are already being used in the Philippines, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Chad, the Gambia and Senegal. FAO are now helping them spread to the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda and Mauritania. Potentially, these tools could also be adapted and applied to other foods such as fruit, vegetables, crops and meat.
	Weekly forecasts help prevent birds damaging crops - Medium and short-term spatio-temporal forecasting of likely breeding areas for the red-billed Quelea	CPP41
	Weekly forecasts now warn pest managers in Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe where and when to expect bird pests. They can then take action to control them and tip off farmers to protect their crops. The Red-billed Quelea devastates millet and sorghum crops throughout southern Africa. The birds migrate long distances to feed on grass seeds, so their migrations follow rains with a predictable time lag. Every week, a map posted on the internet shows where the bird pest season hasn't yet begun, where there's been enough rain to prompt the first migrations, where queleas could breed and where the season is ending. These forecasts have proved so successful that national crop protection teams all over southern Africa now use them.
	Weighing up costs and benefits in fish factories - Cleanse it, Ice it and Log it	PHF13
	Simple software helps managers in fish factories in developing countries record and analyse data. Collecting data is the first step towards weighing up costs and benefits. Using ice, disinfecting machinery and constructing better containers all cost money. The software helps managers decide the most cost-effective ways to improve production. Tested in Uganda and Ghana, the software has helped cost the benefits of using ice, and provides information for a booklet on sanitation in factories and for designing fish containers and holds. A prototype hold improved returns by at least 15%. Use of the software is spreading to Pakistan and Morocco, and there is interest in Namibia, Denmark and India.