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o r sen i ng g l oba l c l ima t e
change has led to increasing
temperatures and extreme weather,
which have exacerbated the risks of
agricultural disasters resulting from
diseases and pests, impacting food
production and supply stability, and
threatening food security around the
world.
It therefore becomes critical to
consider not only matters midstream,
bu t ups t ream as we l l i n t he
agricultural value chain, to improve
farmers’ agricultural techniques and
better adapt crops to environmental
changes. Seeds form the basis of
agricultural activities. Using seeds
of excellent quality and robust
breeds are necessary to improve
productivity and crop quality while
strengthening resistance against
adverse environments, diseases and
pests. Agricultural projects carried
out by the TaiwanICDF in recent
years have not only focused on
improving productivity, but have also
paid attention to the development of
midstream and upstream processes
such as seed production and
management. In this respect, the
TaiwanICDF explored how to assist
our partners in producing better
seeds, breeding livestock and brood
fish in order to solve the food issue at
its very root.
Restoring seed varieties and
cultivation techniques to
improve quantity and quality
of agricultural products
Recent TaiwanICDF projects in
the Caribbean and Latin America
have involved improvements to
seed varietals in midstream and
upstream sectors of agriculture,
with the TaiwanICDF working with
the agricultural departments of
partner countries to establish good
quality seed breeding systems. For
example, through the three-step or
two-step systems for wet (dry) rice
and potatoes, we jointly produced
qualified and registered basic seeds,
which were then provided to contract
farmers to produce certified seeds.
These certified seeds would then
be marketed to ordinary farmers
for commercial production. The
Rice Seed Production Capacity
Enhancement Project in Haiti and
Healthy Seed Potato Production
Project in Honduras are examples of
such development projects. Tissue
culture was used to produce high-
quality and high-yield vegetables
and flowers to supply farmers with
virus- and disease-free seedlings
and transplants. Examples of such
projects include the Orchid Industry
Development and Tissue Culture
Plantlet Propagation Project in
Paraguay, the Healthy Tropical Fruit
and Vegetable Seedling Propagation
Center Project in El Salvador
,
as
well as the Fruit and Vegetable
Demonstration and Extension Project
in St. Lucia implemented by the
technical mission stationed in St.
Lucia.
Projects that focus on improving
cultivation skills include the Healthy
Trop i ca l Fru i t and Vege t ab l e
Seedling Propagation Center Project
implemented in El Salvador. In
addition to establishing a system
for seedling health inspection, this
project also assisted in improving
field management capabilities as
well as disease and pest prevention
techniques. These covered diagnosis
of diseases and pests affecting crops
of plantains, papayas and potatoes,
and techniques of tissue culture,
rapid propagation and analysis
of plant parasitology. Training of
operational and management staff for
the production of healthy seeds was
also provided.
Furthermore, the TaiwanICDF
also placed great importance on
developing breeding stocks for
aquaculture. We cooperated with
the government of El Salvador
t o i mp l eme n t t wo p r o j e c t s :
S t r e n g t h e n i n g Aq u a c u l t u r e
Development among Rural Families
Project and Establishment of
Mariculture Center Project, which are
intended to increase the consumption
of animal protein for the population
living in rural and remote regions, and
increase their income through the
stable supply of high-quality tilapia
fry and introduction of snapper to
improve local production.
Change 1
Improving cooperation on agriculture projects, projects focusing on
value chain in mid- and upstream management
To strengthen pest prevention and control,
Wu Ping-hu (first left), TaiwanICDF specialist,
gives guidance on PCR detection of citrus
greening disease in a laboratory of the Ministry
of Agriculture, Livestock and Food, Guatemala.