[UgaBYTES] [tlc-livelihoods] FW: AfricaPestNet Initiative - call for partners

Thu Aug 14 11:39:21 GMT 2008

Dear Friends,

I thought many would be interested in this...///Sulah

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*AfricaPestNet Initiative – call for partners*

PestNet <http://www.pestnet.org/> is seeking 2-3 additional partners (NGO's)
who are interested in participating in a project to set up 'AfricaPestNet'
for the continent, in response to an ACP call for proposals.

We are specifically looking for organizations that have extensive and proven
outreach capacity in rural communities. Experience in agriculture is a plus,
but not necessary.

Details on PestNet, and an outline of the proposed initiative are given
below.

Please note that our proposal must be submitted by mid-September 2008. Thus,
we're aiming at completing the proposal by *end August*. If your
organization is interested in becoming a partner, we would like to hear from
you.

Interested organizations should contact Mr. Wilco Liebregts, Secretary, at
wilco at pestnet.org  with a copy to gjackson at zip.com.au  and
Stratakis at forthnet.gr.

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*About PestNet*

PestNet (www.pestnet.org) is an on-line plant protection and quarantine
advisory and diagnostic service for Asia and the Pacific. PestNet started
more than 8 years ago, first in the Pacific and then, south Asia. In
November 2003, we helped the Caribbean set up a separate network –
CariPestNet.

PestNet responds to questions on diseases and insect pests of plants,
provides identifications on-line, and gives out pest and incursion alerts,
plant protection news and contents of journals as these come to hand. We
have set up Google searches for plant protection news and sift through this
daily for relevant information for members. We now have more than 800
members throughout the world and some 6000 messages have been exchanged. It
is an entirely free service, providing quick information on pest diagnostics
and management, quarantine issues and species taxonomy. The operation of our
list service, and our website do not require external funding, so the
sustainability is ensured. It is run by five volunteer moderators who are
located in Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand, and is
registered as a non-profit NGO in Fiji.

PestNet was established to help overcome the problems experienced by plant
protection specialists, extension workers and farmers in remote locations –
and the Pacific has some of the most remote and isolated areas in the world!
We all know the constraints that are associated with sustaining agriculture
and forestry-based livelihoods, particularly when pests and diseases abound
and there is no advice readily available. It can take many weeks or even
months before a problem is diagnosed and the causal agents identified, and a
suitable solution provided. During that wait, crops may be lost, or worse
invasive organisms may have become firmly established so that eradication is
no longer an option.

PestNet has to a significant extent helped overcome these constraints. It
has given agriculture extension and plant protection officers, students,
growers and others the possibility to seek and receive advice at the drop of
an email.  Attaching an image of the problem or the pest, will elicit
responses from people worldwide working in research institutions,
universities, museums, and agriculture and quarantine departments. Often
responses are received within a day, sometimes it's just a few minutes.

But PestNet is so much more: Since all messages are sent to all members, the
technical advice and information given by specialists has provided many
practitioners and extension agents operating in the field with the knowledge
on that they can apply when encountering pest problems – it is an
educational tool. In many cases, extension agents and farmers are often the
first to notice a new pest problem, and PestNet therefore helps to
strengthen national and regional pest surveillance capacity: there have been
several cases whereby a query posted on PestNet resulted in the first record
of that pest in a country. And a rapid response time of course improves the
likelihood of success of any eradication and containment efforts.

All PestNet messages – queries and responses - are moderated for relevance
and file size, but this does not delay posting: we have a very short 'turn
around' time. Messages go to all members, any one of whom may reply. Each
month some 50-80 messages are posted.

PestNet now has members in more than 40 countries and territories, including
all Pacific island countries, most Asian countries, and increasingly African
and South American countries.

PestNet is, and will remain a free service. The overheads of running the
service are small. PestNet (and CariPestNet,too) use a free email list
server, Yahoo!groups. Advice is given free by members, and really all it
takes is less than an hour or so of moderators' time each day to keep it
going. Its success is due to the enthusiasm of the members to help each
other.

Occasionally, PestNet is requested to participate in a project, or seeks
funding in its own right as it did to provide cameras and training in their
use for 14 Pacific Island countries in 2005/2006.  In these cases, we charge
a small overhead and these sums are used to promote PestNet, develop new
initiatives, or help offset some of the operating costs.

*About the AfricaPestNet initiative*

Compared to the Pacific and Asia, the impact of pests in many regions of
Africa is several magnitudes greater. Although the pests may be different,
we believe that researchers, extension workers and farmers in Africa would
welcome a PestNet-type service: basically, the problems are similar
worldwide, and our formula has proven itself in the Pacific, Asia and the
Caribbean, so there is no reason why it would not work in Africa.

*Rolling out of PestNet over Africa, Asia and the Pacific*

PestNet's services are currently dependent on subscribers having computer
and internet access, but it intends to study opportunities for developing a
mobile telephony / satellite access to its services which will increase its
outreach.

Accessibility to PestNet's and AfricaPestNet's services is a critical key to
reaching the people who are often most affected by pest outbreaks – the
farmers. PestNet has been following developments in advanced information and
communication technologies and, although the use of the Internet in the
developing world has become more widespread in the last 4- 5 years, we
believe that mobile telephony appears to have greater potential for our
needs. We intend to test and develop mobile telephony facilities to link in
with the international PestNet network. With its extensive mobile phone
network that is much used in rural areas, Africa appears to be well suited
for such an initiative. Accessing PestNet's services with a mobile phone, a
combination of a query with an image of the problem will enable an almost
immediate response.

To further investigate the potential of extending our service into the
mobile telephony domain, PestNet has joined efforts with Greece-based *
Forthnet*, which has utilised this medium to deliver relevant agricultural
information to farmers in Crete.

*What do we need at this stage?*

AfricaPestNet will first need partner organizations in Africa that are
involved in the delivery of information to farmers and rural areas. These
should include NGOs and government and private agricultural extension
services, who would be both the beneficiaries of AfricaPestNet as well as
users. They are essential in steering the development of the service.

There now is the possibility of preparing a project proposal for submission
to the EU, to help establish and develop AfricaPestNet. For this however, we
will need several partner organizations in several, sub- Saharan ACP
countries. If you are in principle interested in participating in this
initiative, please let me know soonest. I can send further details on the
call for proposals if you are interested.

I'd be happy to receive your comments and of course, a confirmation of your
interest to participate and contribute to develop AfricaPestNet.

*On behalf of PestNet*

Wilco Liebregts (Wilco at pestnet.org), PestNet Secretary

PestNet Organisation, Suva, Fiji

www.pestnet.org

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*Note*: in Holland until 27 August; Tel. + 31 6 19377857 (mobile)

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