Tag Archive for: University of Sydney
Robyn Alders launches Veterinary Cold Chain Manual at Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week in Addis Ababa
The Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy (ANH) Academy is a global research network in agriculture and food systems for improved nutrition and health to serve as a platform for learning and sharing.
Last week KYEEMA’s Robyn Alders attended the ANH Academy Week, an annual event organised by the Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH), CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) and Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Action (IMMANA), bringing together the global community of interdisciplinary researchers and research-users working in this area.
The goal of the event is to facilitate participation and engagement of the African research and research-user communities with participants from around the world through a series of ‘Learning Labs’ and Conference of keynote speakers, plenaries and research presentations.
On 21 June, Robyn (University of Sydney) co-facilitated a learning lab plenary workshop on ‘Options for achieving optimal diets in resource-limited settings’ with Delia Grace (International Livestock Research Institute) and Paula Dominguez-Salas (London School of Tropical Health and Medicine and Royal Veterinary College).
The workshop took an ecohealth approach, assessing nutritional and nutrition-sensitive agriculture and value-chain programs at local and national levels and focusing on sustainable systems, process and policy. Topics covered included the impact of agro-ecological zones on food availability, options for quantifying the nutritional content of available food, trade-offs and synergies between nutritional security and other health and wellbeing goals, and establishing processes that promote facilitating policy environments.
From the Learning Lab workshop presentation initially prepared for the International Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Association 2015, Capetown, South Africa. (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, University of Sydney, CGIAR Research Program on Nutrition and Health, Royal Veterinary College London)
In collaboration with the African Union Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Centre (AU-PANVAC) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), KYEEMA Foundation was proud to launch the first veterinary cold chain manual targeting animal health practitioners to improve the effectiveness of animal health vaccination in support of food and nutrition security at this session.
Veterinary Cold Chain Launch Speakers: Jeff Waage (Chair, LCIRAH), Johanna Gregory (1st Secretary, Australian Embassy, Addis Ababa), Robyn Alders (KYEEMA Foundation and USyd), Nick Nwankpa (AU-PANVAC).
Meet our volunteer in Vietnam
My name is Max Barot and I’m a Livestock Veterinarian currently working with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Hanoi, Vietnam.
My aim is: to work in development to increase awareness of the vital role that livestock can play in addressing food security issues in village regions.
I have always enjoyed working with livestock and in the farming environment and after graduating as a Veterinarian from the University of Queensland in 2012, I moved to New Zealand to work with a private practice focusing on cattle, sheep and deer production.
After three years in NZ, I was given an opportunity, through the Australian Volunteers for International Development program, which is an Australian Government initiative with support from the KYEEMA Foundation to undertake a 15 month placement with ILRI. My primary role involves working in a project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) that strives to improve production and food safety in the pork value chain.
Along with a passion for clinical livestock work, I have a strong desire to work in development, aware of the vital role that livestock can play in addressing issues of food security. This passion led me to pursue a Masters in Veterinary Public Health from the University of Sydney, which I hope to complete by 2016. I have only been at ILRI for three months, however in this short period I have gained valuable insights and experiences into some of the challenges of working with value chains and informal markets.
I was fortunate enough to meet with the KYEEMA team in Brisbane, Australia in late 2015 and at that time we discussed KYEEMA’s focus and work on the development of rural livelihoods. The Vietnamese people have been very warm and welcoming. At times, the language can be a barrier and a lot of farmers seem to be very concerned in finding me a suitable Vietnamese wife! Not to mention the fact that I often embark on a culinary adventure with my daily dinner choices.
I have begun to develop an appreciation for some of the unique environmental and cultural challenges that people are facing in Vietnam and I am looking forward to the next 12 months of the assignment to embracing the challenges, opportunities and adventures that it brings.