ACIAR committed to gender equity, food security and working to eradicate poverty globally

This week ACIAR joins the world in celebrating the International Day of Rural Women (15 October), World Food Day (16 October) and International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October).

Globally, women comprise on average 43% of the agricultural labour force in developing countries, and more than 50% in some parts of Asia and Africa. Research shows giving women access to agricultural resources, training and services helps them increase their farm productivity by 20 to 30%. As women gain increased control of household resources the outcomes for the next generation are improved, and women have a greater role in decision making.

ACIAR recognises the critical role women play in rural economies to grow food and help alleviate poverty. We all know women can be powerful agents of change—this is an important consideration when research and development programs are conceived, structured and delivered. ACIAR’s policy views gender equity as central to its activities. ACIAR assesses gender equity issues during project design, implementation and impact assessment to bring sustained change to women and men by influencing policies and laws, increasing access to services and changing attitudes and beliefs about women’s and men’s roles in our agricultural research projects. By working to better understand access to—and decision-making power over—productive resources such as land, livestock, agricultural equipment, extension knowledge and credit, ACIAR is better able to guide research on agricultural interventions so that benefits are accessible to women, men, girls and boys

Below is a collection of stories that demonstrate ACIAR’s commitment to gender equity, food security and working towards a world where no one lives in poverty.

In Papua New Guinea, a fisheries project has far greater influence thanks to the participation of women 
The aim of the PNG inland aquaculture research project is to improve the practice of fish farming in a region where 80% of the population is unemployed, experiences protein deficiency and is subject to recurring tribal and gang violence. The project has been especially beneficial to women because of an innovative training program managed by Sister Pauline Kagl.

“Every person, whether they are the perpetrator of crime or the victim, can change their lives. Time and time again we have transformed people through the combined action fo fish farming and personal viability training” – Sister Pauline Kagl.

Sister Pauline Kagl (right) in Jiwaka province, Papua New Guinea. Photo: Jes Sammut

Blazing a trail for women in tree breeding in Vietnam
In Vietnam, significant steps towards gender equality have opened up new opportunities for
women. ACIAR is contributing by supporting talented women—such as Dr Nghiem Quyen
Chi—to pursue careers in agricultural research.

With ACIAR support, talented young women in developing countries are building their careers in agricultural research, with benefits that span individual, societal and national levels.

Check out this video about the project. 

Tropical acacias play an important role in Vietnam's forestry systems. Helping to ensure the acacias' performance is Dr Nghiem Quyen Chi of the Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences. Photo: Sally Ingleton

Left behind women find empowerment in the eastern Gangetic Plain
An A$11 million project has been launched to improve the sustainability and resilience of farming systems in a region with the greatest concentration of rural poverty in the world—the eastern Gangetic Plain.

Women-headed households especially stand to benefit, with the project adopting gender-sensitive designs and extension tools.

Out-migration has given rise to a new caste - the so-called 'left behind' women. Photo: Melissa Marion.

A horticulture project is helping women in Lao PDR villages produce and jointly market a surplus of organic vegetables
Women in Lao PDR villages are producing and jointly marketing a surplus of organic vegetables, increasing their family income while improving consumer health and environmental sustainability.
ACIAR support is helping the women’s association spread economic benefit by expanding its
organised marketing from fewer than 30 women to include more than 160.

Mrs Khamdta (right) has turned her garden into a model of integrated organic farming. She is pictured with Ms Buachanh, the president of the board of directors of the organic vegetable growers’ association, which is expanding market opportunities for farmers such as Mrs Khamdta. Photo: Michael Jones 

The women who broke the poultry disease cycle in Africa

A team led by Associate Professor Robyn Alders has pioneered an effective way to treat malnutrition among smallholder farmers through the use of a vaccine that protects poultry from Newcastle disease. First trialled in three African countries, the method is now being adopted in other countries, including Timor-Leste.

Carolina Mwaluko (right) works as a “community vaccinator” in her village in central Tanzania, administering a thermotolerant vaccine as an eye drop to chickens in exchange for a small fee from farmers. Vaccination programs against Newcastle disease, a key production constraint in many developing countries, allow chicken flocks to increase in size and households to benefit from the sale or consumption of poultry products. Since Carolina was trained in May 2014, local traders have noticed the greater availability of chickens for sale and the reduced risk of disease among birds in transit to regional markets. Sustainable Newcastle disease control programs are part of an integrated approach to increasing income and improving nutrition for households in Tanzania and Zambia. Photo: Robyn Alders

In Pakistan’s dairy sector, women and children proved instrumental in the adoption of productivity-improving know-how, both as farmers and extension officers
Innovation in the way extension services are delivered to Pakistan’s subsistence dairy farmers is raising productivity. Women and children proved instrumental to the rollout of productivity-enhancing extension services to Pakistan’s dairy sector. Women have helped raise productivity both as farmers

Sobia Majeed (centre) with some of the female dairy farmers she worked with in Sindh, Pakistan, over the four projects in which extension services were innovated and tested in partnership with ACIAR. Photo: ACIAR

Women farmers in Vietnam’s impoverished north-western highlands are the essential ingredient needed to solve a set of inter-related nutrition, poverty and marketing problems involving vegetables
Vietnam’s north-west provinces face a dual need for improved vegetable production systems and access to markets. An ACIAR project working to achieve both goals in ways that reduce poverty and malnutrition has found that the key to success is women.

This video will tell you more.

Mother and child in Vietnam's north-western highlands. Photo: Phan Thuy Hien

Women in the Philippines take the lead
In 2015, the Philippines climbed to ninth in the World Economic Forum’s report measuring gender equality among 145 countries, the highest rank in the Asia–Pacific region. The strength of women is on display in an ACIAR project that is helping smallholder vegetable producers in the southern Philippines overcome low yields, pests and diseases so as to meet local market demand and improve nutrition and livelihoods.

(From left) Dr Zenaida Gonzaga, Dr Lucia Borines and Dr Reny Gerona. Photo: ACIAR.

Australian volunteer assists in development of an ornamental fish hatchery in Indonesia

Alexander Basford was a volunteer at Mars Symboscience in Indonesia from May 2015 to February 2016 under the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program. Below he shares his recent experience traveling to several aquaculture production and research facilities in Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The final stage of microalgae culture at BBPBL Lampung - 30 tonne tanks that are the base of the food supply of the entire hatchery. Photo: Alex Basford

This is way two MAD!

At the beginning of June a group of Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) project teams and other interested groups were brought together at a three-day Masterclass in Canberra to learn more about the powerful features of apps and how to harness them for best use in the agriculture sector.

Conor Ashleigh (left) sharing his tips-of-the-trade of story capture with Keith Antfalo, Simon Quigley and Cherise Addinsall (right). Photo: ACIAR

The class occurred as part of the second phase of the Mobile Acquired Data (MAD) evaluation, which began last year and is being commissioned by ACIAR.

Australia’s longest running agricultural aid project in Timor-Leste comes to an end

The TimorAg2016 Conference was held in Timor-Leste in April 2016 and was a great celebration of the conclusion of the 16-year Seeds of Life (SoL) project.

The theme for the conference was ‘food security in Timor-Leste through crop production’ and discussions were held around factors affecting crop production in Timor-Leste and the success technical advances have made to improving productivity. Two days of oral papers and posters were delivered across a number of sessions focusing on food security, elements for agricultural development in Timor-Leste, crops and their environments, reaching a food surplus, and communication of agricultural innovations. There were 260 registered participants and the conference was conducted in both English and Tetum, with simultaneous translation.

Day two ended with local farmer Francisca Pinto sharing her story of success. Francisca became involved with the SoL project in 2009, initially as an on-farm-demonstration-trial (OFDT) farmer testing sweet potato and cassava varieties. She then became a Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) contract grower of certified seed and is now an active member of a commercial seed producer group named ‘Unidade Sameklot’. Francisca spoke of the direct impacts the project has had on her family and her life: they now have enough food to eat and enough corn to last them the whole year, sometimes they can’t even sell it all; her and her family no longer get sick for no reason; she has been able to fix up her house and cover the cost of education for her five children; and she is now able to cover the cost of cultural ceremonies, which can be very expensive. It was amazing to hear the impacts the project has had on this family’s life and how excited Francisca was to be contributing to her family’s income.

Francisca Pinto addresses the conference. Photo: Laura Carew, ACIAR

Developing the future of agriculture in the north of Australia

Opportunities and challenges for the future development of agriculture in Northern Australian were discussed at the recent Northern Australian Food Futures Conference 2016. The conference, held in Darwin on 12-13 April, had a strong focus on agricultural investment in northern Australia and effective partnerships between the public and private sectors. The Food Futures Conference brought together a range of domestic and international participants from government, industry and farming groups and provided an ideal environment to learn lessons from past experience and discuss the future of agriculture in northern Australia. 

The two-day conference was a high profile event. It began with an address by Senator Matt Canavan, Federal Minister for Northern Australia, who spoke about the government’s investment in northern Australia and the importance of agricultural to the development of the area. 

Panel Session: A perspective from the top. L-R Matt Brann, ABC Country Hour (facilitator); The Hon Gary Higgins, Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries (NT); The Hon Leanne Donaldson, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries (QLD); The Hon Brendan Grylls, member for Pilbara (WA). Photo: ACIAR

ACIAR Commission engages with key partners during a five day visit to Pakistan

The Commission for International Agricultural Research visited Pakistan from 29 February to
4 March 2016 where they undertook a five day study tour as part of familiarisation with ACIAR activities and to build relationships with key government stakeholders, research partners and research teams to better understand the management and implementation of ACIAR work.

During the five day visit Commissioners travelled to Islamabad, Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore to meet with representatives from government departments and universities, as well as a number of local growers, and were impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment of ACIAR’s Pakistani partners.

Commissioner Catherine Marriott observing the work of a small machine used to make bales of fodder for preservation. Photo: Munawar Kazmi, ACIAR

Safe vegetables for the benefit of all stakeholders along the supply chain

By Nguyen Thi Sau, Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, Vietnam

During a recent visit to Vietnam, Dr Nick Austin, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), spent some time on project-related activities in the country.

On 8 July, he visited a Fivimart supermarket on Chuong Duong Do Street with ACIAR country staff to see the sales point of certified safe vegetables from Moc Chau District, Son La Province. These vegetables have been produced under the ACIAR project ‘Improved market engagement for counter-seasonal vegetable producers in north-western Vietnam’ (AGB/2009/053). While there, ACIAR met with the distributors, collectors, farmers and market researchers who are directly involved in the Moc Chau safe vegetable supply chain.

Successful connection between safe vegetable producers in Moc Chau and Fivimart in Hanoi through the ACIAR project has led to the consumption of about 737 tons of vegetables since 2012 with an increase in volume and vegetable types from year to year.


Dr Nick Austin, ACIAR’s Chief Executive Officer (fourth from left) join farmers from Moc Chau and ACIAR Vietnam staff in the visit to a Fivimart outlet in Hanoi on 8 July 2015. Photo by Nguyen Phuc Dinh

Family farming feeding the world: World Food Day 2014

Today is World Food Day. While we acknowledge the number of people worldwide who go hungry everyday, we should not lose sight of the fact that the only acceptable number of hungry people is zero.

Volunteering in Vanuatu

A year in Vanuatu as an Australian Volunteer for International Development (AVID) is a great opportunity to learn more about food security issues in the Pacific, meet unforgettable people, learn Bislama and climb many volcanoes.

I had the privilege of working with several NGOs, most notably Care International in Vanuatu and Adventist Development and Relief Agency Vanuatu, on food security projects across four islands—Araki, Efate, Futuna and Malakula.
 

Fitu, a gardener and weaver from Mission Bay, Futuna, presented me with a beautiful basket that she made as a farewell gift. Photo: Bronnie Anderson-Smith

Leaving on a high

I feel that ACIAR achieves what they set out to do in their graduate program, which is to encourage and support more young agriculturalists into a research career.

Hi, I am Bonnie, a young researcher in agriculture for international development, founding member of RAID, and soon to be PhD student and ACIAR graduate program alumnus. This is my valedictory and fond farewell…

My previous jobs, pre ACIAR, included work as a farm hand on several different livestock and cropping properties, a pearl boat deckhand and a casual oat/ wheat breeding employee. For those who haven’t had to harvest oats, on an open cab trial harvester on a 40 degree day, or clean oat samples – this is less than desirable. I must say, it has been nice to get a taste of a job with air conditioning and a comfortable chair.

Just prior to my ACIAR employment, I was lucky enough to work as a crop and livestock project officer in Tibet, for 6 months as part of the Australian volunteer program. In Tibet, I got my first real experience in agricultural research (post honours) when managing a trial on dual-purpose crops. I was hooked and wanted more of this action.

It was also in Tibet, that I met ACIAR CEO Nick Austin and Research Program Manager Peter Horne, and learned about the ACIAR graduate program. I somehow managed to mention, tactfully, that this was the program for me, upon my returned to Australia…

The first day I walked into ACIAR, I understood I was privileged to get a desk and laptop here. Experienced scientists who had important networks and advice to share surrounded me. It took a while to get accustomed to sitting and looking at a screen all day, but accompanying the computer work were amazing opportunities to travel and visit international projects. 

During my time with ACIAR, I worked with banana and soil scientists to develop a project proposal for banana production in the Philippines. Originally from sheep/ wheat farm in the Mallee South Australia, my experience in tropical agriculture was somewhat limited. The furthest north I had been was Brisbane and heaven forbid I should know how to grow bananas! However, 14 months later I can now really empathise with Australian and Philippine banana growers and the threat they face from the destructive disease Fusarium Wilt.  

The other major task in which I have been involved, is talking with Australian scientists who work on ACIAR projects – discussing the importance of international research work for Australian industry and Australian scientists. This was a highlight of my graduate program. I observed what their job entailed, and could witness their passion and job satisfaction. Ultimately, this is what aided my decision to take the plunge, and embark upon my PhD in agronomy and farming systems – so that I too will have a career doing interesting, rewarding and important work. 

Finally, my association with ACIAR enabled me to work with my peers to establish a network called Researchers in Agriculture for International Development (RAID). The network aims to connect, engage and support early to mid career research scientists, and importantly share the knowledge and opportunities available in this sphere. 

The RAID core group have been busy! Last week, we launched our new website, had our annual meeting, attended the Crawford Fund Conference and hosted our first official RAID networking event. It has been a productive week, and we are proud that our hard work over the past few months has paid off. 

It is also a great note to finish my graduate role with ACIAR, before going on to pursue my PhD. As I walk out the door of ACIAR, my feeling is that the future is bright for young, enthusiastic agriculturalists seeking a satisfying job in agricultural research!

Researchers in Agriculture for International Development: A new network for young Ag scientists

Jack Koci discusses ‘Researchers in Agriculture for International Development (RAID)’ – a new Australian-based network of early-mid career agricultural scientists working in international development. 

RAID was established in late 2013 by a group of young scientists from around Australia. The group saw a need to promote international agricultural research for development, as part of an Australian career in agricultural research.

As Jack explains, “I grew up in a farming community on the Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, and always knew I wanted to be involved in agriculture, but I had no idea in what capacity. Going through uni, I gained a keen interest in agricultural research to improve productivity and reduce environmental degradation, but was unaware of the amazing opportunities to apply my research skills in developing countries.”

Visiting an ACIAR funded rice trial in the Ayerwady Delta, Burma.

Working at ACIAR, over the past year, has opened Jack’s eyes to the rewarding opportunities that a career in international agricultural research for development can provide.

“Travel to developing countries and seeing, first-hand, the daily struggle faced by millions of smallholder farmers and their families, while also witnessing the amazing positive impact agricultural research can have on livelihoods and food security, has provided me with the motivation to dedicate my career to this cause. If it wasn’t for my time at ACIAR, I probably wouldn’t have even thought about this as a career pathway.”

Remembering General Vo Nguyen Giap

This story is extracted from the Australian Embassy in Vietnam's facebook post acknowledging General Vo Nguyen Giap's contribution to the Vietnamese people. General Vo Nguyen Giap was a strong supporter of Australia-Vietnam cooperation in agriculture. He passed away earlier this month at age 102. Here is the original post.

General Giap with former ACIAR Director, Dr Rothschild

Sowing the seeds in 2013 and beyond

Prof. Jessica Fanzo

Agriculture provides livelihood for more than 80% of the population of East Timor (Timor-Leste). The specific focus of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in East Timor is increasing food security. 

This blog post has been authored by Professor Jessica Fanzo, Renewed Effort Against Child Hunger and undernutrition (REACH), World Food Programme and Assistant Professor of Nutrition at Columbia University.