Opening the teacher training class on plant health

According to the Central Regional Plant Protection Center, since 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued a Decision approving the "Action plan to promote the application of integrated plant health management (IPHM) on key crops in Vietnam in the 2022–2030 period.".

On that basis, the Plant Protection Department has issued a decision approving the outline for implementing the task "Developing applications for integrated pest management (IPM/IPHM) and biological measures to prevent harmful organisms on plants” in 2024.

The Central Regional Plant Protection Center was assigned by the Plant Protection Department to organize an advanced training class for TOT-IPM teachers on TOT-IPHM in Dak Lak.

Participating in the training class, TOT-IPM teachers will be supplemented with knowledge about integrated plant health management so that these teachers have enough knowledge and conditions to teach TOT-IPHM classes. Thereby creating a source of IPHM teachers for the provinces to train and organize TOT-IPHM classes at the provincial level and train local farmers (FFS) on integrated plant health management (IPHM).

According to the Central Regional Plant Protection Center, current coverage of the IPHM program is limited due to a lack of investment funding. The number of IPHM teachers trained in recent years across the country has increased significantly. However, there is a difference in the number of teachers in each locality.

Therefore, the class, with the participation of 30 students and the companionship of five national TOT-IPHM teachers, will contribute to promoting the IPHM program in localities.

Mr. Luong Anh Tuan, Director of the Central Regional Plant Protection Center, said that since 2020, world scientific forums with the participation of many international organizations have met to discuss the "One Health" topic.

According to Mr. Tuan, this is an integrated approach to the basic relationships between human health, animal and plant health, and environmental health. During the process of discussion, opinions from many developed countries assumed that it was necessary to pay attention to plant health.

"Plants are a source of products for humans and are used as feed for livestock production, as well as having many other values and benefits. If the plants are not healthy and the products are not safe, they will affect human health.

On that basis, the Plant Protection Department has proposed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development develop a program and action plan to implement the integrated plant health management (abbreviated as IPHM) program on the basis of inheriting the integrated pest management (IPM) program in Vietnam. In 2024, the Center was assigned by the Plant Protection Department to organize IPHM teacher training classes and farmer training classes (FFS) on durian trees in some Central Highlands provinces," Mr. Tuan said.

Mr. Tuan hopes that students will acquire professional knowledge and skills when studying and experiencing at the training class, as well as combining group working skills; field classroom (FFS) instruction skills; communication and dissemination skills; non-formal training methods for older people; and propagating and disseminating knowledge.

“Currently, plant health management is regulated as a criteria in the new rural assessment. With this regulation, developing TOT-IPHM teachers in the coming time is very necessary. At the end of the class, TOT-IPHM teachers will be qualified to be teachers in provincial training classes, coaching, guiding the community, or training farmers on IPHM," Mr. Tuan added.