July 15, 2011 www.avrdc.
org
AVRDC’s Disaster
Seed Kits
produced and
distributed in
southern Thailand
Page 8
Gulayan sa Paaralan: Vegetables go to school in the Philippines
Implementing an ambitious program to establish vegetable gardens at all
42,000 public schools in the country
Robert Holmer (center) and conference participants.
Robert Holmer, AVRDC East and Robert delivered a keynote speech the Department of Education
Southeast Asia Regional Director, on the topic “The Classroom of attended.
recently attended a conference on Health: Using School and Home
The participants worked to develop
the Philippine National Gardens to Improve Community
implementation guidelines for the
Greening Program organized by Nutrition and National Food
National Greening Program, which
the Health and Nutrition Center of Security.” Unit heads and
includes vegetable school gardens
the Department of Education in nutritionist-dietitians from the
(Gulayan sa Paaralan), waste
Cebu City, Philippines. Regional Health and Nutrition
management, and climate change
Units and other key personnel from
2
mitigation and adaptation the 17,400,000 households in the gardening with their families and
components. The program will be country. Children from poor communities.
conducted in each of the country’s families often fail to complete their
The program will provide garden
42,000 public schools through education because hunger and
tools, certified vegetable seeds, and
2016. malnutrition force them to drop out
training on food production. The
from school to help their parents
Robert, Reynaldo D. Laguda, vegetable varieties selected for
earn a living.
Assistant Secretary and Chief of school garden production aim to
Staff of the Department of The Gulayan sa Paaralan initiative address deficiencies in protein
Education, and Juan Araojo, seeks to raise public awareness (legumes), energy (root crops), and
Chief of the Nutrition Division, about health and nutrition, and vitamins and iron (vegetables).
discussed strategies on how the promote the economic benefits of Some likely candidates: Moringa
Center can assist the Philippines in establishing school, household and (malunggay), jute mallow
implementing the nationwide community gardens. As they (saluyot), taro leaves (gabi), water
vegetable school garden program. acquire hands-on experience at convolvulus (kangkong), amaranth
school, students will serve as (kulitis), Malabar spinach
Hunger and malnutrition affect
program multipliers, sharing their (alugbati), and Chinese cabbage
19% or 3,268,000 families out of
new knowledge about vegetable (pechay).
Indigenous vegetables at the head of the class
Nutritious and easy to grow, these indigenous vegetables may soon be
sprouting in the Gulayan sa Paaralan school gardens:
Malunggay: The tender Kulitis: Amaranth
leaves, shoot tips, flowers, (Amaranthus spp.) With
and pods of Moringa oleifera, many leaf colors and shapes,
a fast-growing tree, are local amaranth appeals to young
favorites in the Philippine appetites.
diet.
Saluyot: Boiled, stewed, or Alugbati: High in beta-
stir-fried, the leaves and carotene and folic acid, the
stems of jute mallow leaves and tender stems of
(Cochorus olitorius) will add Malabar spinach (Basella
vitamins and minerals to spp.) can be eaten fresh or
school cafeteria food. cooked.
Kangkong: Water seeds
convolvulus (Ipomoea
aquatica) grows rapidly and
will give students a boost of
early success in their
gardening efforts.
(l to r): Malunggay, Saluyot, Kangkong, Kulitis, and Alugbati
3
CORNUCOPIA
Crops for the Future – Beyond Food Security
University of Nottingham.
There was continuity from the first
International Symposium
“Underutilised Plant Species for
Food, Nutrition, Income and
Sustainable Development” with
more than 30 of the participants
from the 2008 symposium again
contributing, and taking the
discussion further—beyond food
security. The discussions were
broad-ranging, covering topics that
AVRDC – The World Vegetable The symposium also served as the
included 1) nutritional, processing
Center was represented strongly at venue for the launch of the new
and end-user values, 2) economic
the 2nd International Symposium Crops for the Future Research
and marketing potential – building
on Underutilised Plant Species held Centre (CFFRC) which will target
value chains, 3) physiology,
at the Royale Chulan Hotel in Kuala both food and non-food uses of
agronomy and agroecological
Lumpur, Malaysia from 27 June – 1 underutilised species. CFFRC is co-
potential, 4) biotechnology,
July 2011. Jackie Hughes, Deputy hosted by the University of
breeding and seed systems, and 5)
Director General – Research, Nottingham Malaysia Campus in
strategic approaches for research
delivered the keynote address on partnership with the Government
and development.
the role of vegetables in assuring of Malaysia. With 18,000
food and nutritional security and indigenous species in its region and In addition to the main symposium,
highlighted the need for funding of nearly $40m from the which had 107 papers presented
partnerships, the opportunities Malaysian government, CFFRC has and 73 posters, and a well-attended
inherent in home gardens and been given the mandate to carry out field visit, Drs. Hughes and Ebert
making sure the message is heard research on a whole range of participated in side events which
globally through targeted public underutilised crops. included identifying opportunities
relations. Genebank Manager and needs for capacity-building and
In his speech, the Prime Minister
Andreas Ebert discussed variety training as well as identifying
explained that the CFFRC is
trials and seed conservation of targets and strategies for the
incorporated under the Malaysia
indigenous vegetables while Ravza CFFRC. Michael Hermann, the
Companies Act and is guaranteed
Mavlyanova, Regional Global Coordinator of Crops for the
by the Government of Malaysia and
Coordinator based in Tashkent, Future and Dr. Hughes also
the University of Nottingham but it
Uzbekistan, presented a paper on discussed potential opportunities
is an independent entity with the
the promotion of underutilised and synergies between AVRDC and
freedom to drive forward
crops in Central Asia and the Crops for the Future and both
innovative and imaginative
Caucasus. Professor Azam-Ali and Dr.
methods of research while fulfilling
Hermann hope to work more
The symposium was opened by the its responsibilities to its wider
closely with AVRDC in the future.
Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB stakeholders. Professor Sayed
Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Azam-Ali will be the first Chief -- Jackie Hughes
Deputy Director General - Research
Haji Abdul Razak, who shared Executive Officer of CFFRC and will
the podium with senior members of lead the research center as part of
the Malaysian government and the the global Crops for the Future
University of Nottingham as well as organisation, an international
World Food Prize laureate alliance hosted in Malaysia by
Professor M. S. Swaminathan. Bioversity International and the
4
CORNUCOPIA
DG at WIEF
Top: Participants in the panel discussion on food security; DG Keatinge
and Herbert Oberhansli are on the far right. Left: DG Keatinge outlines
the need for improving nutrition in Central & West Asia and North Africa.
The 7th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) convened
8-9 June 2011 in Astana, Kazakhstan, and AVRDC Director
General Dyno Keatinge was on hand to participate in a
panel discussion on “Food Security: Balancing Trade and
Social Needs.” The forum, launched in 2005, promotes
business activities in Muslim countries through awareness
of global issues and trends in finance, energy, agriculture,
infrastructure, technology and other sectors. During the
forum the DG met with Herbert Oberhansli, Economics
and International Relations, Nestle SA Switzerland to
discuss nutrition and other areas of interest.
5
PEOPLE
Visitors...from Australia
(l to r): Jessica Chang, Principal Research
Assistant, AVRDC GRSU staff helps Merrill
Ryan (center) and William Martin of the
Australian Mungbean Association conduct
mungbean seed characterization.
Six members of the Australian headquarters to learn more about Foods, which produce mungbean
Mungbean Association met respective mungbean breeding threads (noodles), and Huankuan
with South Asia Regional Director objectives and discuss Fruit and Vegetable Production
Warwick Easdown, Genebank opportunities to host workshops Cooperative, producers of
Manager Andreas Ebert and the and conferences. During their stay mungbean sprouts.
staff of Genetic Resources and in Taiwan, the group visited Hwa
Seed from 11-15 July 2011 at Yi Foods Industrial and Longkow
...from Hong Kong
Chan Sui-lun, Mok Che-ki,
and Dora Chan, officers with
the Hong Kong Agriculture,
Fisheries, and Conservation
Department, visited the Center
on 14 July 2011 to discuss
disease management, IPM,
and soil management with
researchers Chin-hua Ma, Mei-
ying Lin, and Chih-hung Lin,
and tour the Demonstration
Garden with Deng-lin Wu. The
2600 farms in the territory
produce about 44 tonnes of
...from Taiwan
vegetables daily; local Yin-Fu Chang, Deputy Director General for Administration and Services
production accounts for about (right) was interviewed recently by members of the Taiwan Institute of
2.5% of fresh vegetables Economic Research, the Biotechnology Industry Study Centre, and the
consumed in Hong Kong. Intellectual Property Valuation Service Centre for an article to be published
in an upcoming issue of the Agricultural Biotechnology Industry Quarterly.
6
CORNUCOPIA
Seminars
Jhonly Chin Hing Wong gives his report on “SSR Market Development in Pepper.” Every summer the Center welcomes students from around the
world to train with AVRDC researchers and gain hands-on lab and field experience.
Five summer students from the by Wide Crosses and Genetic “Evaluation of Grafted Tomato
University of Malaysia – Sabah Engineering.” Ting Ting Hong Combinations to Improve Off-
gave presentations to report on the presented an “Inheritance Study of season Tomato Production in the
work they conducted during their Heat Tolerance in Sweet Pepper” Lowlands.” The students received
training courses at headquarters. In under the auspices of Pepper certificates acknowledging their
Biotechnology/Molecular Breeding, Breeding, and in Nutrition, Wei research, good wishes for successful
Jhonly Chin Hing Wong Ting Neoh reviewed “Antioxidant scientific careers from AVRDC
discussed “SSR Market Activity of the Most Consumed staff—and AVRDC bush hats to
Development in Pepper” and Pui Vegetables in Taiwan.” Pei Ning keep them cool out in their future
Lai Chong reviewed “Trait Chuah in Global Technology fields.
Introgression into Tomato Cultivars Dissemination discussed her
(l to r): Jhonly Chin Hing Wong,
Jackie Hughes, Deputy Director
General for Research, Pui Lai
Chong, Wei Ting Neoh, Pei Ning
Chuah and Ting Ting Huong
7
NEWS FROM THE REGIONS
Philippine researchers visit Kamphaeng Saen
(Top): HARRDEC visitors at the AVRDC office.
(Right-top, l to r): Steve Kebasen, Gilda Jacalan, Venus Maddul, Sonwright
Maddul and Carlito Laurean.
(Right-bottom): Narinder Dhillon (wearing hat) guided the group to the
demonstration garden, where AVRDC’s advanced lines and mature technologies are
exhibited.
Officers from the Philippines Highland Agriculture and Resources Research &
Development Consortium (HARRDEC) visited AVRDC’s East and Southeast Asia
Research and Training Station located on Kasetsart University’s Kamphaeng Saen campus
in Thailand from 29 June to 1 July 2011. Sonwright Maddul, Consortium Director,
Carlito Laurean, Deputy Director, and Gilda Jacalan, Coordinator of HARRDEC’s
Applied Communication Group, explored opportunities for joint research and development
initiatives to benefit farmers in the Philippines with Narinder Dhillon, AVRDC Cucurbit
Breeder.
Based at Benguet State University, Benguet Province, Philippines, HARRDEC is one of 14
regional R&D consortia organized and substantially supported by the Philippine Council
for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD).
PCARRD established the consortia as regional venues for planning, evaluating and sharing
resources among R&D agencies to develop agriculture, forestry and natural resources in
the highlands and benefit the region’s farming communities.
HARRDEC
www.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph/regional_consortia/harrdec
8
NEWS FROM THE REGIONS
KU Krabi distributes AVRDC seed kits in southern Thailand
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sombat
Chinawong, Vice President of
Kasetsart University’s Kamphaeng
Saen campus and representative of
the KU President on AVRDC’s
Board of Directors, invited Robert
Holmer, AVRDC East and
Southeast Asia Regional Director,
to join about 30 KU officials and
staff members on a trip to Krabi
province in southern Thailand from
9-10 June 2011. The tour aimed to
familiarize participants with the
local KU Krabi campus, headed by
Dr. Sombat.
KU Krabi has implemented
different sustainable farming
seed kits that were produced by
systems based on the “zero waste”
AVRDC with the financial
concept. These systems are
support of Taiwan’s Ministry of
extended to numerous marginal
Foreign Affairs. In one of the
and vulnerable communities of
resettlement villages, different
Krabi. Some of those communities
vegetables are already growing in
were seriously affected by the
containers and contributing to
March 2011 floods, including an
the daily diet of the villagers. In
entire village of about 100
another village, Robert assisted
households in Krabi‘s Khao
Dr. Sombat in releasing young
Phanom district, which was washed
crabs and fingerlings as part of a (Clockwise from left):
away by a landslide; 10 residents
community integrated coastal Floating vegetable garden in Krabi's pier area.
were reported dead and many more
resources management project. Kangkong from AVRDC seed kits planted in
missing. KU is assisting these
containers in front of emergency houses.
communities by establishing
Seeds with planting instructions in Thai.
community-based farming systems
with livestock, aquaculture, and Robert Holmer (center in blue shirt) with school
kids: Hooray!
vegetable components.
Seed kit distribution in another Krabi community.
Robert and Dr. Sombat handed
over several hundred vegetable
CORNUCOPIA 9
40 years of service to tropical agriculture
Four decades ago, in Taiwan as Aiwen) variety from
a research and Florida USA and encouraged farmer
Cheng Han-chih to plant 100 seedlings
development
in Yujing Township, about 20 km
institute dedicated northeast of the Center. Today Yujing
to alleviating is at the heart of Taiwan’s mango
production industry, which exports
poverty and
about 5000 metric tons annually to
malnutrition in Asia, North America, Australia, and
Asia by increasing Europe. The palm-sized, red-skinned
the supply and Irwin is Taiwan’s most popular mango,
accounting for 40% of the country’s
quality of total mango area.
C.L. Luh
vegetables was
established in
July is mango season in Taiwan – an
Taiwan. Today,
event that never may have occurred
AVRDC – The without the assistance of C.L. Luh,
World Vegetable who served as AVRDC’s first Associate
Director. In the early 1960s Luh was
Center operates on
Director of the Plant Industry
a global scale Department of the Sino American Joint
across Asia, Africa, Commission on Rural Reconstruction;
he had extensive knowledge of fruit
and Oceania. In
and vegetable production in Taiwan
future issues of and throughout Southeast Asia—and a The Irwin mango, a delicious tribute to
Fresh we will track special interest in mangoes (and C.L. Luh’s dedication to Taiwan’s
horticultural progress.
the Center’s long mushrooms, Taiwan’s #1 agricultural
export at that time). Few mangoes were
and fruitful history grown commercially in the country
through photos. until Luh introduced the Irwin (known
3
10
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
inside
insight
An epidemic of noncommunicable diseases
(NCDs) is compromising global health and
developmental initiatives and impeding
achievement of the United Nations Millennium
Development Goals. The United Nations NCD
Summit 2011 will focus on galvanizing action
at global and national levels to address the
health and socioeconomic impact of NCDs
through multisectoral approaches. The summit,
to be held 20-22 September 2011 in New York,
will convene with the participation of heads of
state and governments.
What are non-communicable contribute to underdevelopment poverty. And when money is tight,
diseases? and poverty. Approximately 60% of healthy foods like fruits, vegetables,
all deaths in the world are due to and lean sources of protein, which
Four types of non-communicable
NCDs, and more than 80% of these are nearly always more expensive,
diseases (NCDs)—cardiovascular
deaths occur in developing are usually the first items dropped
diseases, cancers, chronic
countries and economies in from the diet.
respiratory diseases, and diabetes—
transition. People living in these
make the largest contribution to Among women, NCDs are the
countries die much younger from
mortality in the majority of second cause of death in low-
NCDs than in developed
developing countries and income countries, and the first
economies.
economies in transition. These cause of death in middle-income
diseases are largely preventable NCDs create a poverty trap for countries. Twice as many women
through interventions that tackle people with low incomes: Studies die from NCDs in Africa (per 1,000
four common modifiable risk show that poor households face adults) than in high-income
factors, namely: tobacco use, catastrophic health care countries alone. The rise of NCDs
unhealthy diet, physical inactivity expenditures for treatment of places an enormous burden on
and the harmful use of alcohol. NCDs, which lock a substantial health systems.
proportion of families into poverty.
Why are non-communicable Why is a global summit
Loss of household income from
diseases a development issue? needed for a health issue?
poor physical status (e.g. limb
NCDs and their risk factors are amputations in diabetics) sinks Gains can be achieved much more
closely linked to poverty and poor households into even deeper readily by influencing public
3 11
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
inside
insight
policies in sectors like agriculture, development work at global and NCD Alliance
education, food production, national levels. Participants will
pharmaceutical production, address challenges faced by
http://www.ncdalliance.org/
taxation, trade and urban developing countries, identify
development than by making opportunities for synergy with the
changes in health policy alone. MDGs, and build innovative
mechanisms for sustainable
What will happen at the
financing to widen and strengthen
summit?
collaborative efforts and alliances.
The plenary meetings and round-
table sessions will aim to raise the
priority accorded to NCDs in
Tea time
Having an appropriate vessel from which to sip
tea has been a human preoccupation ever since
people begin drinking the first infusions of
Camellia sinensis about 4700 years ago in China.
Over the centuries tea has been drunk from
bowls, mugs, and glasses, yet the simple ceramic
cup remains the container of choice. The latest
offering in the AVRDC – The World Vegetable
Center gift line links tea and vegetables—two
natural products acknowledged for their health-
promoting qualities. These attractive porcelain
tea cups, hand-painted with vegetable motifs by
members of the Yingge Farmers Association, are
packed in silk-lined boxes and come with
matching saucers and lids. Choose from tomato,
bitter gourd, pumpkin, eggplant, and cabbage &
chili. Price: NT$860/set. Please contact Kathy
Chen <[email protected]> to order.
