The impacts of climate change on agriculture the focus of the PAC’s visit to Australia

Another successful meeting of ACIAR’s Policy Advisory Council (PAC) was held in Australia last week, with a strong focus on the strategic issues related to climate change, specifically its impact on agriculture in the Indo-Pacific Region.

Members of the Policy Advisory Council outside ACIAR House in Canberra. Photo: ACIAR

Leading Australian agricultural scientists brought together at Climate Smart Agriculture Workshop in Canberra

With an expanding population and a changing climate how can we begin to unravel some of the world’s greatest production problems? Growing more food on less land with an increasingly variable climate will present a suite of challenges to both urban and rural populations worldwide. It’s clear that farmers are already adapting to what is a shifting climate both here in Australia and abroad, but there is more to be done. Science has a critical role to play in brokering knowledge on past trends, future predictions and possible tools for mitigating and adapting to this scenario.

Participants introduce themselves at the Climate Smart Agriculture Workshop in Canberra. Photo: ACIAR

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

New films showcase ACIAR’s work in Cambodia

Researchers tell their story about helping vegetable, livestock and rice smallholder farmers in Cambodia through ACIAR projects in three short films just released.

Dr Suzie Newman with Mrs Sarong who has had great
success with some of the technologies that she’s introduced
in her cucumber crop (photo: Sally Ingleton)

Vegetables provide a new future for Cambodia
Dr Suzie Newman has been working with vegetable researchers and producers in an effort to build up the vegetable industry in Cambodia, which imports 40-60% of its vegetables.

The ACIAR project has been helping farmers overcome production constraints through simple techniques including pest, disease and weed control, irrigation and reducing post-harvest losses. 
Farmers can earn 3-4 times the income of growing rice through producing vegetables. A number of farmers who are benefiting from this work are featured in the film.

The importance of sweetpotatoes

"Did you know the humble sweetpotato is a member of the morning glory family and is not related to the common potato?"

...asks Elick Guaf. Elick is a senior scientist and agronomist at the Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) and is involved in an ACIAR project to improve sweetpotato production.

Sweetpotato is one of the world's most important food crops and an important staple food in PNG. It is valuable in the diet of its 6.3 million people, with more than 60% producing this low-input crop.