Peer Review Committee

Good practice rating:

(1 for the best, 5 for the lowest score)

Comments on this example:

     The extent of these resource requirements, and the time involved, is seldom appreciated. The PICs need to take advantage of funding provided through the Montreal Protocol Fund. Some funding has already been received for institutional strengthening for Fiji's Department of the Environment.

     Sustainable over time: At the Special Ministerial Conference on Agriculture in Small Island Developing States held in Rome on 12 March 1999, the issue of Plant Protection by Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as an alternative strategy for effective, efficient, balanced and environmentally safe pest control was discussed as follows

      "Current pest control strategies based mainly on the use of pesticides should be reviewed. The practice of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an alternative strategy for effective, efficient, balanced and environmentally safe pest control. SIDS are by definition relatively isolated areas of limited size were biological control can be effective, relatively easy to implement, because pests and diseases cannot spread easily to neighbouring territories, and their impacts on the natural ecosystem are often more predictable. Production could be undertaken in official Pest Free Areas (PFA) so as to meet special needs of niche export markets. Pest eradication programmes should be seriously considered when dealing with important crops and a small number of pests with a simple life cycle and infection/infestation process. Other areas of intervention are:

• Establishment of harmonized pesticide legislation and registration requirements to establish a common legal framework for the importation and distribution of pesticides;
  
  
• Monitoring of pesticide residues in the environment (e.g. drinking water) and in agricultural produce;
  
  
• Active participation and joint decision making within the PIC procedure; and
  
  
• Verification of the existence of obsolete pesticides and their disposal"
  
  

     Hence, there are other options to pest controls that are more sustainable than chemical pesticides. Although, it hasnt become widely used yet because farmers still lack the knowledge that other alternatives are available and also, chemical pesticides seem to be the least expensive option so far.

     The use of organic pesticides or other sustainable pest control methods are most likely to be adaptable to any agricultural location in the ESCAP region as long as the crop they are used on are the same. Normally, different crops have different pest enemies and the pesticides need to be produced particularly to tackle that species. Hence, a certain pesticide formula would not be useful on other species that destroy other crops.

     International commitment: If Fiji can respond quicker than its competitors, as in the case of EDB, they will have a significant marketing advantage. However Fiji's EDB/HTFA experience has shown that this is a long process requiring considerable research and technical assistance resources.

Documentation:

Source of Information:

Contacts:

Submitted by: