Technology Transfer of Alternative Plant Medicines for Livestockhealthcare in the Western Pacific

Technology Transfer of Alternative Plant Medicines for Livestockhealthcare in the Western Pacific

Summary

Technology transfer of alternative plant medicine for livestock healthcare promises to provide solutions to some of the western pacific problems such as limited knowledge and access to commercial medicine. Livestock producers in the Pacific deal with a lack of veterinarians. They also face rising costs of prescription drugs, food safety concerns with drug residues and other cross-industry problems of weak economic conditions and a growing population. Historically, many producers in the Pacific have used herbal medicines to treat livestock. However, western Pacific producers through the generations lost most of the knowledge of medicinal plants and their uses. Today, producers generally do not seek that knowledge on the Internet. This Professional Development Program Grant will take a group of professionals to the Philippines to gather knowledge of medicinal plants. The information will be interpreted into the native languages of the Pacific and then a trainer’s program will be implemented to teach producers from mixed Asian cultures the indications and applications of medicinal treatments. Paravets of the western pacific will be strengthened, empowered, and technically-equipped. This project will show the Pacific that abundant, unused, medicinal plants are a promising solution for treating livestock. Results from the tour will be published, along with surveys and interviews of local senior producers. Workshops will follow to share the information with the community.

• Cross Pollination of Researchers, Extension and paravets of the Western Pacific with Asian herbal technology
• Reason for the project
• Herbal Plants and its Significant Uses
• More herbal plants

Objectives/Performance Targets

• Obtained basal data reference about herbal plants in each island was the initial step of the project. Extension staff and the community specifically the elders have performed survey through questionnaires. The surveys were performed on-island in Pohnpei, Marshall Islands, Palau, Yap and the CNMI in 2009.

• Identified, gathered, and collected all resource information with regards to herbal plant utilization. We determined that lack of good resource book for alternative herbal medicine limits extension educators. We addressed this by sponsoring an awareness workshops and the enhancements and utilization existing resource books from each islands;

• Determined the numbers of natural healers present and currently practicing their craft. How extent this were utilized. We found out that every island is unique. Some have access, some with limited or No Access to elders such as the suruhanos, herbalist, natural healers etc.

• Documentations of herbal medicine application to livestock healthcare. Existing practices were and will be documented by extension staff in each island. This will be noted and included in the publications

• Trained local extension staff. Technology transfer training in the Philippines – 20 participants

• Train-the –Trainers Program

o Pohnpei 20 participants
o Palau- 24
o Yap 11
o Rota 13
o Tinian 11
o Saipan

Building capacity for animal health workers such as the paravets in each island in the western region was the major goal of this project. In addition to the 21 certified paravets in the western pacific, Twenty (20) extension staff have attended the technology transfer training from the Philippines and we have created awareness of the project to a minimum of 90 participants in our initial community workshops in the islands of Pohnpei, /Marshall Islands , Palau, Yap, Rota and Tinian. in adopting alternative plant medicine

• Upcoming activities: To create a publication such as a booklet or manual that will include herbal plants, its application and significance towards animal health; and a short video clip to show and create awareness for herbal plant utilization for livestock healthcare.

• Lecture regarding Current herbal Research Trends in the Philippines at UP Institute of Biotechnology
• PDP Workshop in Pohnpei- EW08-017
• Extension agents getting aware of herbal plants at UP Botanical Graden
• Welcome Message for the Participants at UP-IRRI
• Field Tour to Herbal plantation
• Paravet drying the herbal plant after washing- Herbal processing
• Hebal processing
• Round Table Disucssion with UP College of Medicine regarding herbal research
• PDP Workshop in Palau- EW08-017
• herbal plants and its indication
• Herbolario from the Philippines sharing medicinal plants
• local extension staff from the Island of Tinian receiving Ceertificate of Attendance
• Palau local herbalist in PDP Workshop Rosania Ngiraikelau
• PDP Workshop in Rota- EW08-017
• Lecture at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Philippines regarding Indications of herbal plants towards ruminant parasites
• Paravets and Extension staff investigates on plant medicinals
• Rota’s suruhano- Julita Calvo

Accomplishments/Milestones

Several news articles in local news paper/ website regarding alternative herbal medicine

Saipan Tribune
http://saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=95376
http://saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=94596
http://saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=8&newsID=95319
http://saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=96490
http://saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=49587

Marianas Variety
http://www.mvarietynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15929:betelnut-project-gets-97k-grant&catid=1:local-news&Itemid=2

NMC website (www.nmcnet.edu)

Documentation of workshops and field tours through video. Video copies were disseminated throughout the the region during the sub-regional conference in Saipan. Video copies will be forwarded to SARE Office.

Participation of additional 10 participants to the Technology transfer Training program in the Philippines sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Tinian;

Publications: Inclusion of the project in the 2010 Western SARE calendar-1000 copies distributed throughout the CNMI and the neighboring islands;

Additional training skills and experience imparted to certified paravets and local extension staff;

Sub-Regional Conference workshops with University of Guam and Northern Marianas College last January 25-28, 2010;

Increasing inquiry from producers about herbal plant listing that can be utilized as medicine for common livestock diseases;

Utilization of local herbal healers as speakers and made demonstrations in the workshops in the islands of Rota, Saipan, Palau, andPohnpei.

• Workshop Satisfaction Survey

• Publication Western SARE Calendar 2010
• Workshop Agenda- Sub regional Conference Workshop
• PDP Presentation for Palau
• PDP Presentation for CNMI
• Overview of the project
• Julita Calvo- local herbal healer from the Island of Rota
• Survey results
• Latest Research on plant medicinal for livestock healthcare
• Research trends
• Rota Herbal Graden by Rota DCCA
• Palau Workshop Survey Results
• Pohnpei Workshop Survey Results
• Yap Workshop Survey Results

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Demonstrable Impact:

Involvement of elders, youth, producers and paravets in the project
Willingness of elders to share herbal information in each islands
Participation of elders in Workshops
Creation of idea to engage in value added marketing
Proposal to create or to establish a herbal botanical garden

Cultural enhancement of native herbal practices-revitalize

Short-term outcomes-tremendous insights were provided to at least 20 participants for the technology transfer of herbal medicine training in the Philippines represented by paravets, scientists, plant experts, healers, ag extension agent, etc

Increase community awareness regarding utilization of herbal plants for medicine

Medium Term: 10 major participants were empowered to manage the survey (questionnaire and on-site) and training workshop

More expected Outcome:

Short video of herbal prep to livestock
Creation of a Manual- herbal list for livestock healthcare
Brochure/poster
Increase savings by replacement of herbal medicine against commercial medicine
Integration to Organic Farming- livestock plus herbal plants operation
More coolaborations between producers, animal health staff such as paravets and local herbalist

Long-term

Paravets sustains the project as being the advocates for herbal medicine for livestock

Improved animal health care
Minimal concerns or zero health risks brought by natural herbs

Collaborators: