A new ACIAR-supported project aims to help Pakistan tackle salinity in agricultural landscapes holistically by engaging with farmers in a different way, using Australia’s experience as a guide. Project leader Dr Michael Mitchell from Charles Sturt University said that Pakistan, like Australia, faces the challenges of developing agriculture within water-scarce, salinity-affected landscapes.
New research will soon get underway on the impact of COVID-19 on tilapia fish and local pearl farming in Fiji. This is welcome news for Fijians in remote coastal areas, many of whom are dependent on the sector for their livelihoods. The collapse of international tourism continues to wreak havoc on Fiji's economy, and the second wave of COVID-19 is contributing to the rapid rise of unemployment.
Over the past thirty years, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam have become some of the fastest-growing market economies in Southeast Asia, with a growing reliance on the private sector to provide human and animal health services. The transition has resulted in private companies delivering about 85% of primary health care in Cambodia and 60% of outpatient care in Vietnam. The Lao PDR government has gone from being the sole provider of veterinary drugs to holding just 33% of that market.
New research will look to chicken genetics to improve the income and nutrition of smallholder farmers in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
Sweetpotato farmers in PNG have gained valuable insight into consumer buying preferences helping to identify new market opportunities.
Providing locally-sourced African leafy vegetables to schools for use in school meals has proven a winning model during a pilot program in Busia County, Kenya.
With 2021 marking the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV) in the middle of a global pandemic, IYFV is dedicated to raising awareness of the important role of fresh produce in human nutrition, food security and health.
An ACIAR-funded project to assist the modernisation of Pakistan’s horticultural sector has resulted in legislative change in the country’s breadbasket state of Punjab and drawn support from the office of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, raising hopes that this could be replicated throughout the rest of the country.
Meryl Williams Fellowship recipient Maria Cecilia Alaban has a passion for mangoes and a desire to make the most of opportunities and contribute in every way she can.
