Latest news with #BORG
The Star
27-05-2025
- Science
- The Star
Barn owl nest box project aims to protect padi fields from rat menace
Handle with care: Hasber (right) demonstrating to Abdul Aziz how to hold barn owls correctly, with a nest box seen in the background. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star KEPALA BATAS: Every padi planting season, farmer Abdul Aziz Hashim endures sleepless nights worrying about the crops on his 2ha padi field. Besides the unpredictable weather, thousands of rats have been destroying his crop, slashing his income by nearly 50%. "These rats usually come out at night and feast on the matured padi. It gets worse during harvest time. "I have tried using pesticides and rat poison to try to eliminate the pests. "I spend thousands of ringgit each planting season just to protect my crops," the 43-year-old lamented. However, Abdul Aziz, who has been a farmer for about 20 years, now realises that the use of chemicals is harmful to the environment and health. "Pesticides do not only contaminate the padi fields but also pollute the surroundings and kill other animals," he said. Farmers like Abdul Aziz are now relieved that they can now consider a more friendly form of rat control: using Eastern barn owls to hunt the rats. Native to Peninsular Malaysia, the Eastern barn owl's voracious appetite for rats helps protect crops. This pilot project by Universiti Sains Malaysia's (USM) Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (BORG) will see 20 barn owl nest boxes installed at fields belonging to farmers under the B40 group in Paya Keladi, Kepala Batas. The nest boxes are designed to attract owls to nest in them without additional human intervention, with Abdul Aziz saying the new method will help manage the rodent population effectively. "It will reduce the need for chemical poisons," he explained. "Although the use of barn owls was practised in the past by local farmers, there was little to no monitoring of rodent problems in the fields, which made it harder for farmers to protect their crops." USM's Assoc Prof Dr Hasber Salim said his team initiated the project to help farmers adopt environmentally friendly practices. "Rat damage can reduce yields by up to 60%. With barn owls present, farmers experience less crop loss, which translates to higher income and better quality harvests as one barn owl family can hunt up to 3,000 rats per year,' he said. Under this pilot project carried out in collaboration with Malaysia's national rice agency Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas), each nest box can serve an area of about 5ha to 10ha. Each nest setup costs about RM800, depending on location and logistics, with funding made possible through a RM42,671 (US$10,000) grant from GlobalGiving, a US-based non-governmental organisation. The project will be monitored over a period of three years. Each week, BORG members will collect owl pellets – regurgitated remains of prey – to identify the species of rats consumed and estimate the number of pests removed. 'We will analyse the pellets to get actual data. 'That's how we estimate that a single owl family can eat up to 3,000 rats a year,' he said. Hasber added that the initiative draws on past experience of using barn owls in oil palm plantations under a similar conservation project with the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation. "Although barn owls have been used in padi fields since the 1970s, the practice has been largely neglected in recent years. 'We're bringing back a proven concept but with improved planning and monitoring,' he said. Hasber added that instead of using the outdated density of one nest per 40ha, his team is now using a high-density model of one nest per five to 10ha.
Malaysian Reserve
19-05-2025
- Science
- Malaysian Reserve
Bernas, USM use barn owls to combat paddy field pests
ADIBERAS Nasional Bhd (Bernas) is collaborating with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in the 'Driving Sustainable Agriculture' project which uses barn owls (Tyto alba javanica) as a natural biological control agent to combat paddy field rats — one of the primary threats to the crop yields of smallholder farmers in Malaysia. This collaborative project with USM is driven by the Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (BORG) under the School of Biological Sciences, and is fully funded by GlobalGiving, an international organisation that supports sustainable development worldwide. BORG coordinator and lead researcher Dr Hasber Salim said the project stands as evidence of how ecology-based approaches can replace toxic rat poisons, which pose significant risks to humans, wildlife and the environment. 'We are deeply grateful to GlobalGiving for its trust and full financial support for this project,' he said in a statement. Using barn owls help farmers reduce costs and avoid the risks associated with chemical pesticides He added that the project is specifically focused on paddy-growing regions, particularly supporting bottom 40% income group (B40) farmers in adopting more environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural practices. Bernas plays a crucial role in on-ground implementation, including logistics, the distribution of 20 barn owl nest boxes to selected farmers and the management of community awareness campaigns. Bernas head of the farm management department Mohd Zakri Zulkafli shared that the company is committed to supporting this innovative effort as it aligns with Bernas' role as a key stakeholder in the nation's rice industry. 'In addition to helping farmers reduce costs and the risks associated with chemical pesticides, this initiative also contributes towards a more sustainable and competitive agricultural ecosystem,' he said. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) exchange between Bernas and USM to conduct a pilot study on the use of barn owls as biological control agents is expected to bring significant benefits to paddy farmers. Mohd Zakri added that this pilot programme has the potential to become an alternative eco-friendly and safe pest control model for paddy fields, in line with Bernas' agenda to ensure the sustainability of the nation's rice industry and the well-being of local farmers. — TMR
New Straits Times
14-05-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
Bernas, USM launch eco-friendly barn owl project to combat rice field pest
KUALA LUMPUR: Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) in collaboration with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has launched the "Driving Sustainable Agriculture" project to reduce the threat of rice field rats and lessen dependence on pesticide use. According to Bernas, the initiative introduces the use of barn owls (Tyto alba javanica) as a natural biological control agent to combat paddy field rats — one of the primary threats to the crop yields of smallholder farmers in Malaysia. "This collaborative project with USM is driven by the Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (BORG) under the School of Biological Sciences and is fully funded by GlobalGiving, an international organisation that supports sustainable development worldwide," it said in a statement. BORG Coordinator and lead researcher Dr Hasber Salim said this project stands as evidence of how ecology-based approaches can replace toxic rat poisons, which pose significant risks to humans, wildlife, and the environment. Salim said the project is specifically focused on paddy-growing regions, particularly supporting B40 farmers in adopting more environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural practices. "Bernas plays a crucial role in on-ground implementation, including logistics, the distribution of 20 barn owl nest boxes to selected farmers, and the management of community awareness campaigns," he said. Meanwhile, Bernas head of the farm management department Mohd Zakri Bin Zulkafli said the company is committed to supporting this innovative effort as it aligns with its role as a key stakeholder in the nation's rice industry. In addition to helping farmers reduce costs and the risks associated with chemical pesticides, Mohd Zakri said this initiative also contributes towards a more sustainable and competitive agricultural ecosystem. "This pilot programme has the potential to become an alternative eco-friendly and safe pest control model for paddy fields, in line with Bernas's agenda to ensure the
Malay Mail
13-05-2025
- Science
- Malay Mail
Bye-bye rat poison: USM-Bernas unleash barn owls to help Penang farmers cut costs, boost yields in pilot project
SEBERANG PERAI, May 13 — Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) today launched a pilot project together with Padi Beras Nasional Berhad (Bernas) to introduce barn owls as natural pest control for paddy farms in Kepala Batas, Penang. Banking on the fact that a family of barn owls can kill about 3,000 rats a year, USM's Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (BORG) is pushing for this sustainable pest control method to be introduced nationwide. The pilot project will introduce 20 nest boxes to be placed at the paddy farms of B40 farmers in Paya Keladi, Kepala Batas, said Associate Professor Hasber Salim from BORG. 'Barn owls naturally exist around paddy fields but they don't build their own homes so they are always looking for spots that they can turn into nests such as rooftops of houses or holes in tree trunks,' he said at the launch of the project here with Bernas, in collaboration with Global Giving Grant and Corteva Agriscience. 'We found that they need 'hotels' to stay in any location so we built nest boxes that fit their needs to place at these paddy farms,' he added. He said the nest boxes will attract barn owls and once they set up nests, they will naturally hunt rats in that area. 'One nest of owls can protect an area of up to 500 hectares,' he said. A young barn owl in one of the nest boxes that will be installed in the paddy fields to attract barn owls. — Picture by Opalyn Mok He said BORG will also study the effectiveness of placing the nest boxes in this project especially in how the owls control the rat population. 'This is a way to reduce costs for the farmers as they do not need to invest in chemical pesticides such as rat poison to get rid of rats,' he said. He said rat poison would often cause the death of other animals such as owls and snakes that eat the poisoned rats. 'This is a more sustainable and environmentally safer approach in controlling rats,' he said. Twenty farmers were selected for the barn owl pilot project. — Picture by Opalyn Mok In his speech, Bernas supply management senior manager Haslizan Hashim expressed confidence that the project will reduce the farmers' dependency on chemical pesticides. 'This will not only reduce costs for the farmers but also increase yield as a reduction in pests means higher yields,' he said. He said Bernas is committed to share what it learnt from BORG and to expand this project to all the paddy farms nationwide. 'I believe this project will bring about a significant positive impact to the industry which can protect our food security,' he said.
