Myanmar received international recognition this week for its work implementing the CABI-led food security programme, Plantwise. The 2017 Bond Award for Innovation was awarded to the Plantwise plant health initiative, which helps farmers lose less of what they grow.
Plantwise has operated in Myanmar since 2014, with 45 trained plant doctors supporting Myanmar’s smallholder farmers with practical plant health information. The award is testament to the important contribution that partners make to the programme – partners including the Plant Protection Division (PPD) at the Department of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MoAI).
The Bond Innovation Award, which was presented in London on 20th March, showcases organisations that are taking inventive approaches as they chart a course through a complex and changing environment in international development, according to a statement. This prestigious award recognises the efforts of Plantwise’s supporters and implementation partners who make its innovative approach a reality in policy and practice.
Plantwise helps increase food security and improve rural livelihoods by reducing crop losses. It achieves this by establishing sustainable networks of local plant clinics, run by trained plant doctors, where farmers can find practical plant health advice. Plant clinics are reinforced by the Plantwise Knowledge Bank: a gateway to actionable online and offline plant health information, including diagnostic resources, pest management advice and front-line pest data.