Global Plant Clinic
Encyclopedia
The Global Plant Clinic (GPC) is managed by CABI
in alliance with Rothamsted Research and the Central Science Laboratory
. The GPC provides plant health services and supports over 80 plant health clinics in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The clinic has a diagnostic service, which covers all plants and types of problems, is used by over 80 countries and helps maintain disease vigilance. The clinic also trains plant pathologists, and work with all sectors to improve regular and reliable access to technical support and advice. The clinics main aim is to create durable plant health services for those who need them most by improving access to technical support and advice.
, entomology
, nematodes and later bacteria
. The Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux was later renamed CABI
in 1992.
CABI works predominantly in and with developing countries. In the 1980s, the then Overseas Development Administration (now the Department for International Development
) began funding a diagnostic and advisory service for plant diseases. Jim Waller, Ian Gibson, Dick Pawsey and others became plant pathology 'liaison officers', investigating major problems such as Sumatra Disease of Cloves in Indonesia
and providing technical support to many plant pathology disease projects that were funded by the UK government.
When DFID was created by the Labour Government
in 1997 this also signalled a major change in development policies. The diagnostic and advisory service changed its name in 2002 to the Global Plant Clinic and itself undertook a major change in terms of priorities and activities. The core diagnostic services for fungal, bacterial and nematode diseases were maintained and widened to include viruses
and phytoplasmas. Phil Jones, based at Rothamsted Research, had been jointly funded with IMI to provide such services from the 1990s but it was not until 2005 that Rothamsted Research and the Food and Environment Research Agency
were both formally incorporated in the GPC alliance. FERA was previously known as CSL.
, pioneered by CIAT Bolivia and Proinpa, soon followed by Uganda
and then Bangladesh
. The early experiences led to interest from Nicaragua
, which now has the largest and most extensive network of clinics (called Puestos para Plantas) linked to a revitalised network for diagnostics and plant health management. Other countries which have adopted plant health clinics include Sierra Leone
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
, Rwanda
, India
and Vietnam
. The GPC has carried out pilot clinics in Peru
and Indonesia
.
CAB International
CAB International is a not-for-profit inter-governmental organisation based in the United Kingdom....
in alliance with Rothamsted Research and the Central Science Laboratory
Central Science Laboratory
The Central Science Laboratory was an executive agency of the UK government department the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs . It specialises in the sciences underpinning agriculture for sustainable crop production, environmental management and conservation and in food safety and...
. The GPC provides plant health services and supports over 80 plant health clinics in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The clinic has a diagnostic service, which covers all plants and types of problems, is used by over 80 countries and helps maintain disease vigilance. The clinic also trains plant pathologists, and work with all sectors to improve regular and reliable access to technical support and advice. The clinics main aim is to create durable plant health services for those who need them most by improving access to technical support and advice.
Origins
Identifying plant pathogens was one of the original aims of the Imperial Bureau of Mycology which eventually became part of the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux (CAB) that included scientists with special skills in mycologyMycology
Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans as a source for tinder, medicinals , food and entheogens, as well as their dangers, such as poisoning or...
, entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, nematodes and later bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
. The Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux was later renamed CABI
CABI
CABI is an abbreviation that may refer to:*The California Birth Index database*CAB International , a non-profit enterprise providing information and databases in the Life Sciences...
in 1992.
CABI works predominantly in and with developing countries. In the 1980s, the then Overseas Development Administration (now the Department for International Development
Department for International Development
The Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
) began funding a diagnostic and advisory service for plant diseases. Jim Waller, Ian Gibson, Dick Pawsey and others became plant pathology 'liaison officers', investigating major problems such as Sumatra Disease of Cloves in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and providing technical support to many plant pathology disease projects that were funded by the UK government.
When DFID was created by the Labour Government
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in 1997 this also signalled a major change in development policies. The diagnostic and advisory service changed its name in 2002 to the Global Plant Clinic and itself undertook a major change in terms of priorities and activities. The core diagnostic services for fungal, bacterial and nematode diseases were maintained and widened to include viruses
Plant virus
Plant viruses are viruses that affect plants. Like all other viruses, plant viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that do not have the molecular machinery to replicate without a host. Plant viruses are pathogenic to higher plants...
and phytoplasmas. Phil Jones, based at Rothamsted Research, had been jointly funded with IMI to provide such services from the 1990s but it was not until 2005 that Rothamsted Research and the Food and Environment Research Agency
Food and Environment Research Agency
The Food and Environment Research Agency, a new Defra executive agency was vested on 1 April 2009.-History:The agency was formed by bringing together the Central Science Laboratory at Sand Hutton, the Plant Health Division / Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate in York, the Plant Variety Rights...
were both formally incorporated in the GPC alliance. FERA was previously known as CSL.
Plant Health Services
The GPC created several plant health clinics that could be run independently by organisations in-country. The first country to try these out was BoliviaBolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, pioneered by CIAT Bolivia and Proinpa, soon followed by Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and then Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. The early experiences led to interest from Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, which now has the largest and most extensive network of clinics (called Puestos para Plantas) linked to a revitalised network for diagnostics and plant health management. Other countries which have adopted plant health clinics include Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The GPC has carried out pilot clinics in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.