Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Plant health clinics in Bolivia 2000—2009: operations and preliminary results

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Food Security Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Smallholder farmers need information on plant diseases. Ten plant health clinics (Postas para Plantas) evolved in Bolivia after 2000 and are still operating due to the efforts of three local institutions. The plant clinics receive any problem, on any crop, and give written and verbal recommendations, immediately if possible. Many clinics are held at weekly farm fairs, where villagers from many surrounding communities can seek help. The clinic staff write fact sheets for farmers on common problems. From 2000 to early 2009 the clinics received more than 9000 queries on over 100 crops with potato comprising two thirds of the queries, followed by peach, tomato and broad bean. Potato tuber moth and potato weevil were by far the most dominant plant health problems in the high Andes, but not in lowland areas. The diversity of crops and problems are a big challenge to the clinic staff. With basic training and practical experience they learn to diagnose most problems. However, they need access to expert support to solve some of the more difficult problems and improve the quality of advice. Preliminary results show cases of poverty alleviation, reduction in pesticide abuse, increased harvests and other benefits. The plant health clinics in Bolivia enabled extension and research to reach more farmers with a timely low-cost service.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson JR, Feder G, Ganguly S (2006) The rise and fall of training and visit extension: an Asian mini-drama with an African epilogue. In: Van den Ban AW, Samanta RK (eds) Changing roles of agricultural extension in Asian Nations. B.R. Publishing, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson PK, Cunningham AA, Patel NG, Morales FJ, Epstein PR, Daszak P (2004) Emerging infectious diseases of plants: pathogen pollution, climate change and agrotechnology drivers. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19:535–544

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arocha Y, Antezana O, Montellano E, Franco P, Plata G, Jones P (2007) ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma lycopersici’, a phytoplasma associated with ‘hoja de perejil’ disease in Bolivia. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 57:1704–1710

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ashby J, Braun AR, García T, Guerrero MP, Hernández LA, Quirós CA, Roa JI (2000) Investing in farmers as researchers: experience with local agricultural committees in Latin America. CIAT, Cali. pp 199

    Google Scholar 

  • Bentley JW (2009) Impact of IPM extension for smallholder farmers in the tropics. In: Peshin R, Dhawan AK (eds) Integrated pest management: dissemination and impact. Springer, New York, pp 333–346

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bentley JW, Rodríguez G (2001) Honduran folk entomology. Curr Anthropol 42:285–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bentley JW, Boa E, Van Mele P, Almanza J, Vasquez D, Eguino S (2003) Going Public: a new extension method. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 1(2):108–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bentley JW, Webb M, Nina S, Pérez S (2005) Even useful weeds are pests: ethnobotany in the Bolivian Andes. Int J Pest Manag 51(3):189–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bentley JW, Velasco C, Rodríguez F, Oros R, Botello R, Webb M, Devaux A, Thiele G (2007) Unspoken demands for farm technology. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 5(1):70–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Bentley JW, Boa ER, Kelly P, Harun-Ar-Rashid M, Rahman AKM, Kabeere F, Herbas J (2009) Ethnopathology: local knowledge of plant health problems in Bangladesh, Uganda and Bolivia. Plant Pathol 58:773–781

    Google Scholar 

  • Boa E (2009) How the global plant clinic began. Outlooks on Pest Management 20:112–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell CL, Peterson PD, Griffith CS (1999) The formative years of plant pathology in the United States. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, Minnesota

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter MR (1984) Identification of the inverse relationship between farm size and productivity: an empirical analysis of peasant agricultural production. Oxf Econ Pap 36:131–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Chipeta S (2007) Demand driven agricultural advisory services. Accessed online at www.neuchatelinitiative.net on 24 June 2009

  • Danielsen S, Fernández M (eds) (2008) Public plant health services for all. Red de Diagnóstico y Manejo Fitosanitario, Managua. Accessed online at www.research4development.info on 8 August 2009

    Google Scholar 

  • Danielsen S, Kelly P (2008) Monitoring progress and quality of plant clinics—Vietnam. Global Plant Clinic, CABI, p 22

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson AP, Ahmad M, Ali T (2001) Dilemmas of agricultural extension in Pakistan; food for thought. AgREN Network Paper No. 116

  • Denevan WM (2001) Cultivated landscapes of Native Amazonia and the Andes. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Geertz C (1963) Agricultural involution: the process of ecological change in Indonesia. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • González-García A, Gómez-Sal A (2008) Private urban greenspaces or ‘patios’ as a key element in the urban ecology of tropical Central America. Hum Ecol 36(2):291–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin M, Sobal J, Lyson TA (2009) An analysis of a community food waste stream. Agric Hum Values 26(1–2):67–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones GE, Garforth C (1997) The history, development and future of agricultural extension. In: Improving agricultural extension: a reference manual. FAO, Rome. pp 3–12

  • Jones P, Arocha Y, Antezana O, Montellano E, Franco P (2005a) ‘Brotes grandes’ (big bud) of potato: a new disease associated with a 16SrI-B subgroup phytoplasma in Bolivia. Plant Pathol 54(2):234. Available online at www.bspp.org.uk/ndr

  • Jones P, Arocha Y, Antezana O, Montellano E, Franco P (2005b) ‘Hoja de perejil’ (parsley leaf) of tomato and morrenia little leaf, two new diseases associated with a phytoplasma in Bolivia. Plant Pathol 54(2):235. Available online at www.bspp.org.uk/ndr

  • Jones P, Arocha Y, Antezana O, Montellano E, Franco P (2005c) First report of an isolate of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australiense’ associated with a yellow leaf roll disease of peach (Prunus persicae) in Bolivia. Plant Pathol 54(4):558. Available online at www.bspp.org.uk/ndr

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones P, Arocha Y, Plata G (2005d) First report of a ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ isolate associated with a witches’ broom disease of alfalfa in Bolivia. Plant Pathol 54(4):559. Available online at www.bspp.org.uk/ndr

    Google Scholar 

  • Large EC (1940) The advance of the fungi. Jonathan Cape, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Levine R, the What Works Working Group, Kinder M (2004) Millions saved: proven successes in global health. Center for Global Development, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller SA, Beed FD, Harmon CL (2009) Plant disease diagnostic capabilities and networks. Annu Rev Phytopathol 47:15–38

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Netting RMcC (1993) Smallholders, householders: farm families and the ecology of intensive, sustainable agriculture. Stanford University Press, Palo Alto

  • Ortiz O (2006) Evolution of agricultural extension and information dissemination in Peru: an historical perspective focusing on potato-related pest control. Agric Hum Values 23:477–489

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinstrup-Andersen P (2000) The future world food situation and the role of plant disease. Can J Plant Pathol 22:321–331

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith JJ, Waage J, Woodhall JW, Bishop SJ, Spence NJ (2008) The challenge of providing plant pest diagnostic services for Africa. Eur J Plant Pathol 121:365–375

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strange RN, Scott PR (2005) Plant disease: a threat to global food security. Annu Rev Phytopathol 43:83–116

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Mele P, Hai TV, Thas O, van Huis A (2002) Influence of pesticide information sources on citrus farmers’ knowledge, perception and practices in pest management, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Int J Pest Manag 48:169–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williamson S (2003) Pesticide provision in liberalised Africa: out of control? AgREN Network Paper No. 126

  • World Bank (2008) World development report 2008: agriculture for development. World Bank, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The plant health clinics in Bolivia receive advice and some funding from the GPC, which is managed by CABI in alliance with Rothamsted Research and the Food and Environment Research Agency (previously CSL), and supported by the UK Department for International Development. This support is gratefully acknowledged, although the usual disclaimers apply. The plant health clinics are operated by PROINPA, CIAT and UMSS and we thank Ernesto Montellano, Andrea Porco, Carlos Osinaga, Sandra Muñoz, Dionisio Sosa, Alberto Gutiérrez, Gladys Main for their contributions. Phil Jones, Yaima Arocha, Rob Reeder, Paula Kelly, Yaima Arocha, Jim Waller, Julian Smith, John Bridge and Nigel Harrison are thanked for training and technical support. Two anonymous reviewers for Food Security made helpful comments on a previous version.

Conflict of interest

Eric Boa is head of the Global Plant Clinic and is employed at CABI. Jeff Bentley and Solveig Danielsen are CABI associates, and work on a part-time consulting basis for the GPC.

Pablo Franco, Olivia Antezana, Henry Rodríguez and Bertho Villarroel are employed at CIAT and are actively engaged in managing plant clinics there. Jhon Ferrufino now works for the prefecture of Santa Cruz and operates the plant clinic in Los Negros.

Javier Franco, René Pereira, Jaime Herbas and Oscar Díaz are employed at PROINPA and are actively engaged in managing plant clinics there.

Vladimir Lino is employed at PROINPA and has supported the plant clinics at CIAT.

Juan Villarroel is dean of the Agricultural College (Facultad de Agronomía) at UMSS, and oversees the UMSS plant clinic. Fredy Almendras and Saúl Colque manage the UMSS plant clinic.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric Boa.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bentley, J.W., Boa, E., Danielsen, S. et al. Plant health clinics in Bolivia 2000—2009: operations and preliminary results. Food Sec. 1, 371–386 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-009-0033-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-009-0033-z

Keywords

Navigation