ACIAR

This week (13 – 17 January 2015) celebrates India Water Week—a time to reflect on the conservation and utilisation of water resources in a resource-constrained world. Australia is proud to be a partner country in this important campaign in raising awareness and sharing knowledge of Earth’s precious resource. Australian representatives are co-chairing and speaking at various events throughout the week. Australia has a strong track record of water research and management, allowing us the opportunity to share our findings to benefit those around the world. One example is Australia’s expertise in river basin management and development of the SOURCE model (created by e-water) to simulate all aspects of water resource systems to support integrated planning, operations and governance from urban, catchment and river basin scales including human ecological influences.

Source: India Water Week website http://www.indiawaterweek.in

Some stark figures highlighted by the Government of India show:

Over 1.5 billion people do not have access to clean, safe water.
About 82 million hectares of agricultural area is devoid of irrigation support.
In India alone, water borne diseases cost the economy 73 million working days per year.*

*Source: http://indiawaterweek.in/IB1_2015.pdf

The Government of India is engaging stakeholders from across the globe including researchers, decision-makers, politicians and entrepreneurs to tackle local, regional, national and global issues for mutual benefit and goodwill.

The theme for the event, water management for sustainable development, has been decided in line with the Sustainable Development Goals 2015 which are being finalised by the UN after broad stakeholder consultation.

The sub-themes for this year’s event focus on:

Water for sustaining life
Sustainable drinking water supply
Water for sustainable energy development
Sustainable industrial development and water
Water management for sustainable agriculture
Stakeholder cooperation for water sustainability
Sustainable urbanisation and water-related issues
Multi-sectoral and cross-cutting issues in water resources management

Source: Sharda University

These topics are being covered through a series of seminars, panel discussions, brain-storming sessions, case studies and a plenary session in New Delhi. There is also an exhibition running parallel to the main conference based on the same theme of water management for sustainable development. The exhibition is showcasing the technologies, latest developments and solutions for sustainable development in agriculture and irrigation, drinking water supplies in rural and urban areas, and for industrial water use.

ACIAR has a strong interest in land and water resources; current projects include ‘Improved village scale groundwater recharge and management for agriculture and livelihood development in India’, ‘Improved irrigation water management to increase rice productivity in Cambodia’ and ‘Optimising canal and groundwater management to assist water user associations in maximising crop production and managing salinisation’. For further information on ACIAR’s land and water resources programs, please contact Dr Evan Christen or visit ACIAR’s LWR website for a full listing.

By Elise Crabb, External Engagement and Media Presence Officer, ACIAR

On Tuesday (27 January 2015), ACIAR’s own Cecilia Honrado attended a special groundbreaking ceremony in the Philippines for the International Rice Research Institute’s (IRRI) new state-of-the-art facility— the Lloyd T. Evans Plant Growth Facility. The facility is being built at IRRI headquarters in Los Baños with funding from the Australian Government through ACIAR.

Source: IRRI

Lloyd Evans is a fitting name for this facility, after the fundamental research contributions Dr Evans gave to plant and crop science, especially with the establishment of the Ceres phytotron, the artificially controlled environment research facility. Dr Evans’ work at Australia’s CSIRO for nearly 50 years, his Presidency of the Australian Academy of Science and his contributions at IRRI all highlight his dedication to the plant industry and the scientific community more broadly.

The new facility will include 8 controlled environment glasshouses, plant growth chambers, plant processing and potting laboratories, and a seed processing and storage facility. The glasshouses and plant growth chambers will enable researchers to manipulate temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, photoperiod systems, water management systems and atmospheric gases. This controlled environment will lead to a greater understanding of a wide-range of environments and how they impact on plant (particularly rice) growth and survival. This research is important as global climates evolve into the future; as it will ensure rice and other crops survive.

Source: IRRI

Cecilia was a guest speaker on behalf of the Australian Government and ACIAR, and was joined by Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, Cynthia Villar; Laguna Governor, Ramil Hernandez; and Deputy Director General for Research, Dr Matthew Morell. The event was celebrated with the filling and sealing of two time capsules – one to be opened 20 years from now, the second to be opened in 2060 during the 100th anniversary of IRRI’s founding. The event was well-received with a great turnout of local and international researchers and officials. Additional photos from the event can be viewed online here.

By Elise Crabb, External engagement and media presence officer, ACIAR

Further information:

IRRI website: http://irri.org/
All presentations from the ceremony are available through IRRI’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxs-9zQb56L4ZJictrbCojQ
Dr Lloyd Evans biography: https://www.science.org.au/node/328092

Balancing environmental sustainability goals against socio-economic needs is an extremely difficult task in a place like Papua New Guinea (PNG). This was my main take-home message from a visit to Milne Bay in PNG in November 2014. The visit was part of my work on the ACIAR-funded project: ‘Sustainable Management of Shark Resources in PNG: Socio-economic and Biological Characteristics’. The project is being run by the PNG National Fisheries Authority, the CSIRO, James Cook University and doMar Research.

Brooker/Utian Island [Source: Google maps]

Shark catches have risen rapidly in recent years due to the high price paid for shark fin which is used to make shark fin soup. A major problem is that sharks are highly susceptible to overfishing because of their low reproductive rate. Additionally, shark meat is not very valuable, so often the fins of the shark are sliced off and the remaining carcass is wastefully dumped. The ACIAR project looks at the status of shark stocks and technical tools to better manage and conserve the shark population, leading to a more sustainable industry. Protecting the environment and conserving natural resources should always be a high priority. Providing communities with opportunities to protect their own wellbeing so that they don’t have to rely on unsustainable practices is also essential.

As I got to see in Milne Bay, shark fin provides a perfect opportunity for villagers in cash poor communities to access much needed income. Shark can be found in local waters, shark fin can be dried (a big benefit when you don’t have electricity and refrigeration), and the small size of shark fin means that they can be easily transported to market (also a benefit when you are a day and a half boat ride to the main fish market and fuel costs up to A$3 per litre).

I spent my first week in Milne Bay on Brooker Island (also known as Utian Island), while also visiting surrounding islands in the Louisiade Archipelago. I was there with Jeff Kinch, an anthropologist and principal of the PNG National Fisheries College who had previously spent time on Brooker Island doing research. Our aim was to talk to shark fishers, shark fin buyers and other community members to collect information about the socio-economic importance of shark fishing to the community.

Inshore net fishing on Brooker Island [Source: Simon Vieira]

On arrival at Brooker Island, I was blown away by how beautiful it was. Lush green hills, palm tree lined beaches, turquoise blue waters, an abundance of marine life and some of the friendliest and most hospitable people I’ve ever met.

What was immediately evident though, were the difficulties associated with living on the island. There was no running water, electricity or sewerage. Cyclone Ita had hit the island in early 2014, destroying the island’s school, library and coconut supply. Drought has also been an issue in the past, limiting drinking water and food supplies. More recently, an invasive plant species is making farming on the island even more difficult.

Through my discussions, I also learned that shark fin was the most important source of income for the island. The only other income sources included trochus shell, copra (used to produce coconut oil) and fresh fish. Unfortunately, these income sources are far less reliable and profitable. I also learned that beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) had previously been the main source of income for the island. After being heavily overfished across PNG, fishing for sea cucumber was closed by governmental decree in 2009; therefore, preventing shark from becoming the next overfished species is obviously a priority.

Discussion with a family group in their fishing camp on one of the fishing islands and looking at their recently caught shark fin [Source: Simon Vieira]

By heading out to some of the nearby islands where shark fishing takes place, I was able to witness its importance as a family activity. Family groups go out to nearby islands on dinghies or traditional sailing canoes called ‘sailaus’ and camp on the islands for four to five weeks (although one family had set up camp for eleven months!). While the men set and haul lines on a daily basis, the women and children maintain the camp and cook meals.

Our week on Brooker Island soon came to an end. After a farewell feast and some sad farewells, we departed for the three hour boat ride to the local airport. This gave me time to reflect on my time in Milne Bay—an educational and enjoyable trip which provided me greater understanding of the sustainability and socio-economic issues facing PNG fishing communities.

By Simon Vieira, director of doMar Research

John Allwright Fellow, Jonathan Mangmang, is completing his PhD at the University of Sydney under the supervision of Dr Gordon Rogers and Rosalind Deaker. Jonathan is on secondment from Visayas State University, Philippines where he worked on an ACIAR-funded protected vegetable cropping project. He is interested in more efficient and sustainable food production system, particularly in the integration of beneficial microbes in aquaponics vegetable production.

Source: Jonathan Mangmang

Increasing population growth exerts pressure on the food supply, land for housing, water and other resources required for food production. Therefore, new ways must be developed to enahnce food production while at the same time conserving the diminishing natural resources and deteriorating environmental quality to meet the growing demand for food.

Fish farming (aquaculture) and hydroponics are two promising ways that have become increasingly popular as alternative methods to conventional agriculture. The combination of these two sustainable technologies is termed “Aquaponics” and offers a great opportunity to enhance food production with greater water and nutrient efficiencies through recycling of waste water and organic materials. Previous studies on aquaponics have focused on the optimisation of the system design including plant-fish and water/nutrient stabilities within the system. Aquaponics has gained considerable attention to both researchers and growers worldwide due to its practical applications and resources benefits. However, this system is faced with a sustainability question relating to nutrient use efficiency to maximise plant production without chemical fertiliser supplementation.

Source: Jonathan Mangmang

Jonathan is exploring the role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, or PGPR. These bacteria can colonise plant roots and enhance plant productivity by increasing mineral nutrient solubility, fixing atmospheric nitrogen, producing phytohormones, suppressing disease and improving stress tolerance. One prominent genus of PGPR is Azospirillum that can produce phytohormones particularly indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), which alters root morphology leading to improved mineral and water uptake. Azospirillum lessens pathogen attack and damage to plants by competing with pathogens for suitable environment and eventual displacement, enhancing general plant vigor to resist pathogen infection, and possible inhibition of fungal growth through the production of microbial toxic substances and activation of plant defence systems. Thus far, the use of PGPR as bioinoculant has gained worldwide importance and acceptance due to its promising potential for sustainable food production and environmental protection.

Initial results of Jonathan’s work show that strains of Azospirillum brasilense produced an amount of IAA sufficient to alter the morphological, physiological and other plant metabolic activities that led to growth enhancement. For instance, they enhanced chlorophyll and phosphorous content, endogenous plant IAA and peroxidase activity. In addition, PGPR Azospirillum showed substantial colonisation activity and caused little or no disturbance to the existing bacterial community.

The basics of aquaponics and integration of PGPR Azospirillum

It is hoped that this research can assist in a better understanding of the role of PGPR as an agent to further maximise the usefulness of fish effluent for plant production using aquaponic systems and produce quality horticulture products.

Earlier this week on a not-so-sunny-day in the ‘Sunny State’, I listened to stories that could fill what would be a unique travel guide. From quickly lying face flat-down to the ground in order to obtain an import permit for biological samples, to being warned of love potions that would hold you captive in the mountains of Vietnam; the whole group had stories of the lengths they will go to, to ensure the success and impact of projects.

David Hall introduces the panel for the cross-cultural session

I was lucky enough to be at a regional meeting of over 70 project leaders from ACIAR-funded agricultural research projects. Participants represented 24 organisations working on 62 projects across 18 countries. Some participants have been working with ACIAR for nearly 30 years while others are relatively new with less than 3 years. As a young researcher, it was great to be in a room filled with so much experience and knowledge - ACIAR Project Leaders are a dedicated and passionate bunch.

Once every two years this meeting, organised by Michelle Sinn (QDAFF), brings together researchers across all disciplines from Queensland, Northern Territory and New South Wales. The aim of the day is to interact with senior ACIAR staff, including CEO Dr Nick Austin, network with each other and find ways of making more impact through their work in developing countries.

ACIAR CEO Nick Austin presents at the meeting

Topics of discussion included ACIAR in the context of current Australian Government policies and aid program priorities, communications, opportunities for volunteers on projects and an overview of the Crawford Fund. Two panel sessions were of particular interest: engaging with the private sector and working in cross-cultural settings; both looked at the context of how projects do this and how ACIAR can better support and facilitate them.

Private sector engagement in research projects is not a new concept, but it is a particular focus for future ACIAR projects. ACIAR recently held a workshop with researchers, Government and private sector representatives with an aim to develop a policy for private sector engagement in ACIAR projects. The benefits of private sector engagement could be significant but there are risks as well. The project leaders discussed past successes and failures in an attempt to distil ideal models for engagement.

The cross-cultural session is always a favourite. For a new researcher (or even an old one!) it can be very daunting to land in a new country with heavy expectations of success and impact. The reality can hit hard. During this discussion, project leaders shared their unique travel stories along with helpful approaches for improved outcomes. The discussion inevitably included other issues including gender, communication and language that are all affected by different cultures in different ways.

Participants at the meeting actively engaged in discussions throughout the day

The last session was a participatory discussion around what are the success factors and blockers for good international research projects. Participants were asked to write down three key issues from their experience. The most commonly mentioned success factor was the project team and within that the leadership, the people and the relationships. This was a common theme throughout the day whether it was fisheries in the Pacific, livestock in Indonesia or horticulture in Vietnam; it really is about the people.

Unfortunately, there were no silver bullets developed for building a successful team or managing a successful project in another culture. Everyone agreed that it takes time and patience (these were also mentioned as success factors), along with hard work and adaptability. These events are valuable to ACIAR as the interaction and feedback informs our practice in supporting projects and achieving optimum impact.

By Rebecca McBride, Stakeholder Engagement and Communications, ACIAR

ACIAR’s forestry project FST/2011/076, which is undertaking research on enhancing agroforestry and community forestry systems in Nepal, has been conducting its activities for the past 19 months and already we are beginning to see some short term impacts. Many farmers in the project sites have indicated that they need access to better germplasm if they are to improve their agroforestry systems as the preferred tree species are not readily available.

Edwin Cedamon, a project scientist from the University of Adelaide, has been working with his Nepali colleagues to train farmers in how to establish their own small nurseries. Edwin, who originally came from the Philippines, undertook postgraduate study in Australia with the support of ACIAR’s John Allwright Fellowship scheme while he was working on an ASEM project in the Philippines. Edwin has introduced the raised nursery bed technology that was used in the ASEM project in the Philippines to farmers in Nepal. These nursery beds are easy for farmers to construct from locally available materials and they have the advantage over the traditional ground based nursery beds in that the plants don’t become waterlogged and the root systems are “air pruned”.

Edwin Cedamon (centre) with a farmer nursery [Source: Tony Bartlett]

At one of the project sites at Chaubas in Kabhre Palanchok district, the Australian Government supported the establishment of a community sawmill in the mid 1990s. This sawmill draws its timber from five community forests, that were also established with the support of Australian aid. It operated successfully for a number of years and the local community forestry user groups that operated the sawmill used it to generate the funds required to build a new school in the village. However, it closed in 2011 as a result of disputes between the various community forest user groups and bureaucratic problems associated with approvals to harvest timber from the community forests.

Traditional forestry nursery technologies [Source: Tony Bartlett]

ACIAR’s project has been working with the local community and the staff of the Kabhre District Forest Office in an attempt to revitalise this promising community forestry enterprise. The aim of this research is understand how the local institutions deal with conflict and ultimately to strengthen the institution so that it can continue to operate a commercial enterprise that generates substantial returns to the local communities from better management of their natural resources.

Following the mid-term review of the ACIAR forestry project, Australia’s Ambassador to Nepal – H.E. Glenn White agreed to make a visit to the Chaubas area with the project staff. His visit on 27 January generated high level support from senior government officials from the Department of Forests and demonstrated to the local community that Australia is committed to helping them generate enhanced livelihoods from their community forests.

Australian Ambassador at the Chaubas sawmill [Source: Dr Hemant Ojha]

Long-term impacts and sustainability of project technologies

Between 1978 and 2006, Australia funded the Nepal-Australia Forestry Project (NAFP) which pioneered the development of community forestry approaches in Nepal. In the 1990s, agricultural land was a scarce resource for many farmers in the Middle Hills. While their subsistence agricultural systems depended on inputs from forests (such as leaf material and fuelwood), generally only the land rich farmers grew trees (on outward sloping terraces) and most families relied on collecting forest products from community forests. Consequently, much of landscape was relatively devoid of trees. Twenty-five years on, in many villages more than half the men now work in other countries, so a lot of agricultural land is underutilised and trees are very much more common in the farming landscape.

Agricultural landscapes common. Left: 1990s Right: 2012 [Source: Tony Bartlett]

In 1980, NAFP ran its first training course for nursery workers (naikes). Khadga Bahadur Kharel (from Chaubas) and Tek Bahadur Tamang (from Chautara) both participated in that training, and afterwards, managed tree nurseries in the project area. Khadga became a field assistant with the project and worked for the project until it finished in 2006. Tek continued his naike work at Chautara until he retired. In January 2015, I visited the Chautara nursery with Khadga and we met up with Tek Bahadur, who is now 71 years old. The District Forest Office staff had recently brought Tek back to work at the nursery because the annual production of tree seedlings had dropped substantially. Under his guidance, the local nursery staff improved their work and once again the nursery is producing about one million tree seedlings each year for distribution to local farmers. Now that is a very good example of long-term impact that came from a simple training program conducted 35 years ago.

Chautara forestry nursery [Source: Tony Bartlett]

By Tony Bartlett, Research Program Manager, Forestry

In 2014, ACIAR partnered with the Australia Network to produce a television series called ‘Food Bowl’ to be aired on the Australia Network (now called Australia Plus). The Food Bowl team travelled through Papua New Guinea (PNG), Timor-Leste and Lao PDR to discover how agriculture, science and farming come together to lift lives out of poverty and ensure a safe food future.

The community of Limanak Village (in New Ireland Province) were stars of the PNG episode of Food Bowl and I was excited to show them the finalised show so they could watch themselves on the big screen! On a threateningly wet Wednesday night in early January, I did just that.

Since the Food Bowl film crew came to visit and film the footage in mid-2014, I had been asked several times what had happened with the film. Sadly, it is often the norm for outsiders to come in and do things like this, interviews, films, photographs, but with no follow-up for those that gave their time and energy for it. This gave me pride and pleasure that this video came through and I could show the people of Limanak the PNG Food Bowl, episode, especially with so many of the community having a starring or cameo role.

Source: Cathy Hair

While there was no red carpet for this event, there was a buzz around the community leading up to the screening. The movie theatre consists of a white sheet, which I put up as our projector screen (it works really well but it has to be dark). The audience sits on both sides of the movie screen sheet which allows more people to come and watch, as often they wander in and out through the evening. The movie theatre is used by the village to show educational DVDs, project presentations, cartoons for the kids and action movies for the adults...often into the wee hours of the night.

Despite the threat of unwelcome rain, no-one considered cancelling and many people from the village came. I showed the PNG Food Bowl episode twice in its entirety and then another five times for just the Kavieng segment.

Source: Cathy Hair

Most of the locals are fairly shy and I actually think they were a little shocked to see themselves up on the screen. I suspect they thought the show would not eventuate and so were unsure how to react when it did happen. Not in a bad way, but a kind of shocked silence. There was much muted laughter, pointing, giggling and whispering, but not so much yahooing which might have happened in other places. The mark of approval was in the crowd because every time I asked, "shall I play it again?" a resounding response of "yes, please" emerged from the crowd.

The older members of the community who don't get out too much, especially when the weather is bad, didn’t make it to the "premiere"; however, I visited them personally and showed it on my laptop the next day so they didn’t miss out. They were thrilled to see the efforts of the community being recognised more widely.

Source: Cathy Hair

The show has had many positive effects, in particular, it has raised awareness of the projects and reinforced their awareness of the special role the community has in pioneering the mariculture of the valuable sea cucumber in PNG.

By Cathy Hair, PhD candidate
Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture
College of Marine & Environmental Sciences, James Cook University

Australia produces about 200,000 tonnes of rockmelons, honeydew melons and watermelons each year, an industry worth over A$100 million. The majority of melon production in Australia occurs in Queensland (Qld), New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA).

ACIAR is supporting research in the Philippines that also has benefits here in Australia for our important fruit and vegetable industries, including the melon industry. This work is ensuring the development and sustainability of high-quality Australian melons including rockmelons and watermelons.

Research of melons is part of the ACIAR-funded project ‘Integrated Crop Management to enhance vegetable profitability and food security in the Southern Philippines and Australia’ (HORT/ 2012 / 020) which is providing research solutions to both the Philippines and Australia.

Rockmelons are a delicious, distinctively flaboured fruit that are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium [Source: www.gofor2and5.com.au]

Rockmelons are a delicious, distinctively flavoured fruit that are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium

The ACIAR Australian work is examining ways to ensure the most efficient washing and sanitation practices are conducted prior to shipping melons to markets.

Andrew Watson and Donald Irving (retired) from the Yanco Agricultural Institute of the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), conducted preliminary work in 2014. They are examining the best ways to apply fungicides and how to optimize packing house processes to ensure long shelf life and safe melons for consumers.

They found that the fungus Fusarium was a common potential cause of fruit rot but the fungicides used had no efficacy against the fungus. The fungi regularly isolated from fruit included Fusarium, Alternaria, Rhizopus, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Didymella. In fact fruit going through a chlorine dip followed by a fungicide had minimal reduction of these organisms. The most likely explanation of this is the netted surface of the rock melon and the lack of effective fungicide dips for rockmelons.

Damage which can result from fungal infection of rockmelon which highlights the need for fungicide dipping combined with cool chain handling [Source: Andrew Watson]

Because the melon processing system examined had correct storage temperatures and cool chain handling, there were no major rejections of fruit or safety concerns. Nevertheless, the research team will continue to work with melon producers to ensure cost- effective postharvest handling options are available and melons remain a safe and delicious food.

They are now working closely with a major melon producer to trial a newly released fungicide for rockmelons.

In 2015, Andrew Watson and Dr Singh, a postharvest researcher from NSW DPI Ourimbah, will examine consumer quality attributes of rockmelons such as shelf life, firmness and disease incidence and how these vary with different packing house processes.

By Andrew Watson, NSW Department of Primary Industries

Each year, the Crawford Fund hosts Master Classes across a variety of topics. This past week, I was lucky enough to attend the Master Class in Communicating Research to Stakeholders, held at the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi and run by Jenni Metcalfe from Econnect and Toss Gascoigne from Toss Gascoigne and Associates.

I was excited about the opportunity to attend to:

Meet fellow agricultural researchers and science communicators from the Africa region
Learn about ACIAR stakeholders located in Africa and the best way to communicate with them and how this differs from stakeholders in Australia
Learn how to improve my own communication style with stakeholders – both external and internal, using a variety of channels

After leaving Canberra, I boarded three flights, crossed eight time zones and landed 30 hours later. After my first sleep under a mosquito net (with an ominous buzzing noise that I could hear but not see), I was ready to take on the five day workshop.

Twenty-three participants from 11 countries came together to learn about communicating research to stakeholders, to teach each other about their experiences, and to share knowledge on agricultural research.

23 participants from 11 countries. [Source: Elise Crabb]

Each day of the workshop was divided into various sessions, but the broad structure was:
• Day 1 - communications planning and a stakeholder panel
• Day 2 - social media
• Day 3 - presentation skills
• Day 4 - communication planning and writing skills
• Day 5 - media skills with a journalist panel

Each of us took something different away from the workshop – myself, I had to get over my fear of being filmed. Each of us were filmed presenting, which was then played back to the whole audience with (constructive) feedback. Daunting to say the least! As much as I disliked this part of the workshop, it really was effective. Being able to watch yourself speak gives you great insight into what you do well, and what you don’t do so well.
What was great though, was as the week went on, you could see everyone gaining confidence and taking on board the suggestions given earlier in the week. Needless to say, by Day 5, I was convinced of everyone’s projects!

Practicing our presentation skills [Source: Jenni Metcalfe]

On Friday, we had a stakeholder panel consisting of agricultural science journalists from Nairobi who provided useful insight into what journalists want in a story and what they seek from the researchers who are sharing their projects. The key take-away from this – MAKE YOUR KEY POINT FIRST. Engage people straight away by telling them about the great work you are doing and how it will benefit them, then go in to more details of the project itself. True advice, as too often a key message gets lost in details.

Journalist stakeholder panel on Friday [Source: Elise Crabb]

What I found revitalising was the positive vibe of the whole group – there was encouragement of peers, constructive feedback, and well-deserved congratulations for great presentations and discussions. We had a lovely awards ceremony to receive our certificates of completion from the Australian High Commissioner of Kenya, John Feakes and Director General of ICIPE, Dr Segenet Kelemu.

At the end of the workshop, I walked away feeling a sense of accomplishment, it was an intense week with early starts, but I felt I learnt new things about myself, particularly how I actually communicate with others and not just how I think I communicate. In particular, I have found I need to be more concise with my audience, and remember to speak more slowly (as sometimes I get a bit too enthusiastic and talk too fast!).

Australian High Commissioner and Director General of ICIPE present certificates [Source: Elise Crabb]

I learnt about the best ways to communicate with farmers, who are often the key beneficiaries of research, yet, often mis-informed or don’t have the time to find out about new agricultural techniques and technologies that could provide them many benefits including time and resource savings. Far too often, we don’t think about our target audience for our brochures, newsletters, fact sheets and pamphlets – if we are trying to teach farmers about our work, we have to make sure it is accessible to them, otherwise – what is the point in doing great research in the lab if it doesn’t lead to practical implementation?! We tackled this throughout the week as we all had to develop a communications plan, which identified key stakeholders, communications messages and channels. This plan will provide the groundwork for ensuring we are sharing our fantastic research to the right people, in the right way. At the end of the day, isn't that what communications is all about?

By Elise Crabb, External Engagement and Media Presence Officer, ACIAR

Mr Andrew Barr MLA, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory hosted an event welcoming His Excellency Mr Nguyen Tan Dung Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Madame Tran Thanh Kiem to the National Arboretum in Canberra. While visiting the Arboretum the Prime Minister and Madame Tran Thanh Kiem took part in the ceremonial planting of an Acacia implexa (Hickory tree), a variety native to the Canberra location. The Acacia was chosen not only for it suitability to the site, but also to highlight the linkages between Canberra and the forestry industry in Vietnam which has been achieved through the support of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and many Australian scientists.

His Excellency Mr Nguyen Tan Dung Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Madame Tran Thanh Kiem planting an Acacia implexa (Hickory tree) at The National Arboretum.

The National Arboretum is principally a collection of small forests (100 in total) with each one representing an important but often threatened tree species from around the world. The Arboretum was establish in the wake of a devastating bushfire in 2003 which destroyed native forest and pine plantations on the outskirts of Canberra along with 500 houses in Canberra. Since its establishment it has become practice for visiting dignitaries to plant commemorative trees during their stay in Canberra.

On this occasion the ceremony was attended by, amongst others, the Vietnamese Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat, Nick Austin, CEO of Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and Tony Bartlett Manager of ACIAR’s Forestry Research Programs. Two former CSIRO forest scientists, Sadanandan Nambiar and Stephen Midgley, both of whom have worked on ACIAR forestry projects in Vietnam for over 20 years and who in 2012 were awarded medals for the cause of Agriculture and Rural Development, were introduced to the Prime Minister of Vietnam. Their attendance was fitting, not only due to the achievements that have been made in developing Acacia plantation forestry in Vietnam, but also in light of the bonds that exist between Australian and Vietnamese forest scientists as a result of these research collaborations. The variety of Acacia being planted was chosen by Tony Bartlett because it resembles the appearance of the tropical acacias that are grown in Vietnam.

For more than 20 years ACIAR has played an important role in Vietnam, supporting forestry projects, facilitating research partnership and helping to build capacity. Projects funded by ACIAR have involved numerous scientific researchers, universities, forestry research institutes, industry and all levels of government. These projects have delivered substantial impacts, including supporting more than 250,000 smallholder farmers growing acacia trees, and other meaningful outcomes that benefit the forestry sector, Vietnam and Australia. Capacity building is an important goal for ACIAR. This is evident throughout the projects and there outcomes but also through ACIAR’s commitment to scholarships to enable Masters and PhD students excel in their field study. Fifteen scholarships have been awarded to staff from forestry research institutes in recent time.

A large proportion of ACIAR’s forestry work in Vietnam is focused on improving germplasm and silviculture of Australian Acacias and Eucalypts and more recently the processing of veneer products from plantation forests (acacia and eucalyptus). In collaboration with the CSIRO and the Vietnam Academy for Forestry Sciences (VAFS), ACIAR has undertaken important research leading to the introduction of Australian tree species, particularly eucalypts and acacias which has been key to the establishment of plantation resources, diversity of varieties and improved yields. In Vietnam each year over 10 million cubic metres of Acacia logs are harvested to supply the paper industries, furniture manufacturing and fibre board production. The Vietnamese government aims to increase output and expand the existing plantation estate available for sawlog and fibre production.

Vietnamese and Australian scientists are working to improve the genetic quality of the planting stock available to growers, but new varieties are needed with adaptation to a wider range of climatic and site conditions. A number of ACIAR’s forestry projects in Vietnam are designed to underpin the sustainability of, and add value to, the countries acacia and eucalypt plantation estates, and the processing industries based on them.

ACIAR’s commitment to agricultural research and development to overcome poverty and gain sustainability in Vietnam is strong and will be an ongoing focus into the future.
For information about the work ACIAR are doing in Vietnam see www.aciar.gov.au

While recently visiting Australia, Ms Freda Wantum, ACIAR John Dillon Fellow from Papua New Guinea and Canberra’s own Dr Barbara Pamphilon, project leader of the ‘liklik bisnis thinking’ women’s project in PNG visited the Wiradjuri Preschool Centre at the University of Canberra.

The visit was just one of the many activities that took place as part of the John Dillon fellowship tour of Canberra in March and was a chance to share the ‘Maria’s Family’ book series with a group of Australian kids.

Freda reading to the pre-school students. Source: Andy Heaney

While at the centre, Freda spent time talking with the children about life in Papua New Guinea and the way that families work together to grow and sell produce to support their communities. She also talked about how important education is for both kids and their parents in PNG.

Freda and Barbara then read Maria’s Family goes to market, to a group of enthusiastic preschool girls and boys, both in English and also in Pidgin. The kids were very interested to hear Freda speaking in Pidgin and also to find out about the different way of life for children living in rural villages in PNG.

Lots of questions were asked about the types of vegetables described in the story, raising quite a discussion amongst the group about the kinds of things you might find growing in the average Canberra veggie patch. One little girl even offered the comment of the day “On the weekend I patted two dogs”.

Freda Wantum and Barbara Pamphilon read to Maria book to eager pre-school students in Canberra. Source: Andy Heaney

The “Maria’s Family” books were developed as part of an ACIAR-funded project on women’s business acumen in Papua New Guinea. Initial research found women farmers in the highlands and East New Britain were making simple mistakes in marketing their produce, and almost all were not budgeting for their agricultural and families’ futures.

Maria's family book cover

Rural women also identified a lack of basic literacy was limiting their economic and social opportunities (including stopping them from engaging in training). These were the drivers of the creation of the “Maria’s Family” books. Their aim is to teach key agricultural messages to women smallholders; help mothers engage in reading activities with their children; and develop literacy skills for both mothers and children.

By Andy Heaney, External Engagement and Media Presence Manager, ACIAR

Researchers at the Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research(EIAR) are taking on the latest technologies in plant breeding including electronic data capture using Android devices (mobile phones and tablets). The technology is being used as part of a project jointly funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and ACIAR to improve their sorghum breeding program.

Every year plant breeders and plant scientists record tens of thousands of pieces of information (called datapoints) about the lines in their breeding and research trials. The datapoints correspond to measurements regularly taken on the growing plants for example plant height, date of flowering, disease symptoms, grain yield etc. Traditionally this collection of data has been recorded by hand on hard copy field books with the information being then manually entered into computers at a later stage. Both the initial data recording in the books and the subsequent transcription on computers are labour intensive and subject to human error. The need to manually enter the data into computers also delayed data analysis, and the actions taken as a result of the analysis, by several months.

Mr Michael Hassall, a programmer from Q-DAF, training the Ethiopian sorghum researchers in data management at the EIAR research station. Photo: Q-DAF

To improve data capture processes, researchers from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) have been developing the Fieldscorer™ App over the past 5 years. This software works on Android devices, can be coupled to barcode readers to automate further the collection of data, and has been rapidly adopted in Australia. The Australian research team are now supplying training software and devices to enable Ethiopian sorghum researchers to use the technology.

This Australian technology, available freely to all researchers, has “gone viral” in the Ethiopian research system, with EIAR sorghum researchers training their colleagues in other breeding programs and institutes, as well as many students in local universities.

Mr Abdalla Ebro (left) and Sintayehu Hailu (right) recording sorghum plants height using the Fieldscorer™ App. Photo: EIAR

In 2014 the Ethiopian researchers recorded more than 160,000 sorghum datapoints using the system: this is five times more information than was typically being recorded in the sorghum breeding program. The information is also available for analysis immediately. Increased data and early availability will accelerate the breeding program.

University of Queensland’s David Jordan, leader of the project says: “Fieldscorer is a world leading data capture system for plant scientists and it is pleasing to see how quickly it has been adopted by Ethiopian scientists. This is the first large scale adoption of the system in a developing country, and will increase the productivity of their breeding program.”

Written by Eric Huttner
RPM Crop Improvement
ACIAR

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research is working with ICRAF to test new agroforestry systems in Northwest Viet Nam, explains Nguyen Thi Thanh An.

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has a mission to bring Australian scientists to Viet Nam and engage in collaborative research to help smallholder farmers.

‘We focus on the Northwest, South-central Coast and part of the Mekong Delta’, said Ms Nguyen Thi Thanh An, ACIAR’s Country Manager for Viet Nam.

Vietnam. Source: Google Maps

These are among the poorest areas in Viet Nam and are home to farmers from ethnic minorities who don’t have good access to markets or the other opportunities enjoyed by farmers closer to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. ACIAR supports projects in all three regions, including the Agroforestry for Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Viet Nam (AFLI) project, which is led by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).

‘For example, we have several projects in the Northwest’, elaborated Ms Nguyen. ‘Apart from the AFLI project, we have one project on counter-seasonal vegetables in Son La; we have a beef-cattle project in Son La and Dien Bien provinces; and we recently had a maize and fruit on sloping land project in Son La and Lai Chau. If you count Lao Cai as part of the Northwest, then we have vegetable projects in that area, as well’.

AFLI, which began in 2011, has research sites in Son La, Dien Bien and Yen Bai provinces. ICRAF facilitates trial plots of new agroforestry systems on farmers’ land in close collaboration with the three provincial Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), Northwest University, Northwest Centre for Forestry Sciences and Production, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute, National Institute for Animal Husbandry and Xuan Mai Forestry University. Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is also a partner organisation, providing specialist scientific expertise, along with the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry.

‘I think AFLI is a good project’, said Ms Nguyen, ‘because ACIAR is really interested in agroforestry systems for smallholders. The most impressive aspect of my recent field trip to the sites was that the partnerships are very strong and the local DARDs are very active in the project. For example, Madam Liu from Yen Bai DARD brought two vice-directors along on the field trip: one from DARD and another from Science and Technology. They were particularly interested in the project and wanted to learn from it’.

AFLI has only 18 months to run and this period is very important. It’s when the research bears fruit, literally, and the project team focuses on sharing the results more widely so that a greater number of farmers will be able to benefit.

‘I saw from the trip that the organisers had already informed a large number of different audiences’, said Ms Nguyen, ‘such as potential next-users, like a totally new district in Dien Bien, and some NGOs, namely Agricultural Development Denmark Asia and Pan Nature, who haven’t worked with the project before but can take the results and do some trials on new systems for their districts or projects’.

Nguyen Thi Thanh An (right) with Delia C. Catacutan, ICRAF Viet Nam country coordinator, on a recent field trip in the Northwest. Photo: World Agroforestry Centre/Duc Pham Thanh

In 2015, ACIAR has 16 active projects in Viet Nam and around seven new ones in development, most of which have components in different countries: for example, sites in Viet Nam plus a site in Myanmar, Lao or another ASEAN country. One reason for the cross-border focus is to maximise use of research resources while another is to support Mekong sub-regional connectivity.

‘It makes sense when we have a project in different parts of the region: they can supplement each other’, said Ms Nguyen. ‘For example, with maize on sloping land we work in Viet Nam, Lao and Myanmar because the issues are complementary. Another project still under development is forestry policy for plantations, in which we would work across the borders of Lao and Viet Nam’.

Another important part of ACIAR projects is human resource development. Each project focuses on building the capacity of researchers, of farmers who are involved in trials and also of traders who are involved in the agricultural value chains. Occasionally, the project work is supported by external courses such as agribusiness master classes.

In the past, ACIAR has determined its priorities in consultation with the Government of Viet Nam and through sectoral and regional workshops, for example, in 2008 for the Northwest and the South-central Coast, in 2011 for the fisheries sector, and in 2013 for forestry.

‘But this year’, said Ms Nguyen, ‘we will hold a country consultation so that we can get an overview of all the sectors and regions’ needs. We very much look forward to hearing from ICRAF given its global expertise, good partner network, experience in the field and close working relationship with ACIAR’.

By Rob Finlayson, ICRAF

This blog first appeared on the Agroforestry World Blog.

Further information:
This work is linked to the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry

To a foreign visitor on a sunny day in springtime, a mandarin farm in Bhutan’s mountains looks pretty close to heaven. The loudest sound is birdsong, and the only man-made noises are the chime of turning prayer wheels and the quiet snapping of hundreds of prayer flags, flapping in the breeze. However, this is no easy life. “Maintaining the farm was just too hard for me by myself,” recalls Mrs Mackum, a citrus farmer in Dagana district; “three years ago, I was ready to give up”.

Close to heaven, Mrs Mackum's citrus farm. [Source: Richard Markham, ACIAR]

Perhaps some of the prayers from all those flags and wheels were answered because, in 2013, Mackum’s farm was chosen as a demonstration site for ACIAR’s citrus project. “We were looking for farms with a permanent spring nearby, so that we could set up drip irrigation and evaluate its benefits” explains Project Leader Graeme Sanderson of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW-DPI). This farm was ideal because it was also close to a road junction where people gather to load their produce onto trucks, catch a bus into town or just pass the time of day. “They could look over the fence and see the improvements that our integrated approach to orchard management could offer.” In addition to installing storage tanks, pipes and drippers, the project team have encouraged Mackum to prune her trees, form and maintain weed-free ‘basins’ around each tree to catch water and nutrients, apply manure and other organic matter, and collect up and bury any fallen fruits, to reduce populations of the highly destructive Chinese citrus fruitfly, which can otherwise take 70-80% of the production.

Phuntsho turns the prayer wheel. [Source: Richard Markham, ACIAR]

Initially this intensive management involved even harder work for hard-pressed Mackum. However, her efforts paid off. “We reckon that, in the first year, she more than doubled the income from her 300 trees, from around Ngultrum 70,000 to Ngultrum 150,000” (equivalent to about Aus$ 3,000), reports Bhutanese project leader Mr Lakey. “Once the trader recognizes the quality of her fruit, she should be able to get Ngultrum 200,000 or more” adds his tireless and ever-enthusiastic field supervisor, Mr Phuntsho Wangdi.

Demonstration of the irrigation with Sonam Dechen (extension officer), Mrs Mackum and Phuntsho (L-R). [Source: Richard Markham, ACIAR]

But Mackum herself does not emphasize the increased income. Speaking through Ms. Sonam Dechen, the extension agent who supports and encourages all the farmers in this area and now serves as my interpreter, she tells me forcefully: “The best thing is that my daughter has returned from town, with her husband, to help me with all the work on the farm”. In addition to the mandarins, they keep a couple of cows (for milk, butter and cheese) and grow potatoes, maize, chillies and bananas. Now, with the irrigation, they are planting an even wider range of vegetables, for home consumption and sale. At the end of our visit they prepare a delicious meal for us: red rice, with chilli-and-cheese, and locally collected fungi and fern-leaves.

All has not been as harmonious in the community of Drujegang as Buddhist ideals would perhaps prescribe: neighbours were initially jealous of the irrigation equipment provided by the project and so challenged Mackum’s access to water, which is regarded here as a precious communal resource. However, this issue now seems to have been amicably resolved and the neighbours are now signing up for their own irrigation kits to be supplied, on a cost-sharing basis, by the engineering division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.

Extension officer Sonam Dechen, standing with Bhutanese mural of the 'Four Harmonious Friends'. [Source: Richard Markham, ACIAR]

Over the table where Mackum’s daughter and son-in-law served us our lunch was a classic Bhutanese mural of the Four Harmonious Friends: an elephant, a monkey, a rabbit and a bird, who cooperate to harvest fruits from a tall tree. It looked to me like a good metaphor for an ACIAR project team, where researchers and extensionists from different countries and different disciplines work together to achieve a goal that would otherwise have been beyond their reach.

For further information about this project, please visit: HORT/2010/089 - Adapting integrated crop management technologies to commercial citrus enterprises in Bhutan and Australia

By Richard Markham, RPM Horticulture, ACIAR

After the devastating earthquake and after-shocks that hit Nepal on 25 April, ACIAR’s thoughts are with the Nepalese people.

Dr John Dixon from ACIAR recently spoke to ABC Rural about the anticipated impacts the earthquake will have on agricultural communities which employ up to 70% of the country’s population and accounts for 38% of GDP.

Hillside farms in Nepal are expected to have sustained extensive damage from the earthquake. Source: Conor Ashleigh & ACIAR

Dr Dixon highlights “Nepal has three sets of agricultural systems, but the most heavily and severely affected will be the hill farming systems where most of the population lives," he said.

"It runs across the hilly mountainous areas from east to western Nepal, where they grow rice in the bottom of the valleys, and on the sides of the slopes where they typically grow corn, millet, forages for livestock, potatoes and legumes."

Farms in mountainous areas from eastern to western Nepal could be damaged. Source: Conor Ashleigh and ACIAR

Dr Dixon said up to 11 million people who live in these mountainous parts of Nepal were dependent on small farms of between one and two hectares to grow their own food and generate income.

ACIAR has projects in Nepal including Enhancing livelihoods and food security from agroforestry and community forestry in Nepal; Sustainable and resilient farming systems intensification in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (SRFSI); and Improving dry season agriculture for marginal and tenant farmers in the Eastern Gangetic Plains and we are deeply concerned for project partners, families and communities.

Communications with Nepal have been severely affected and only limited information is coming through. Initial updates have indicated the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) staff are safe and SRFSI partners are physically fine. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been affected through this terrible event.

By Elise Crabb, Communications, ACIAR

A few weeks ago, ACIAR’s Canberra office played host to a number of partners from Indonesia and Burma (Myanmar) to participate and provide feedback in the Mobile Acquired Data (MAD) small research activity (SRA) we are engaged in.

Source: agricultures network

The MAD SRA aims to assess existing products mobile software packages in their ability to capture data in the field providing quicker and better quality data for researchers and project teams. The greatest benefit this technology has to offer is to researchers and field staff whose current job using paper systems requires the additional step of entering in the data to a computer, which may be a number of days or even weeks after the data is collected. This gives rise for the opportunity of additional mistakes to be made as this may not be same person who collected the data.

MAD technology will provide research teams a central platform which data can be directly uploaded to in a digital and real-time fashion. This technology also has the ability to scan livestock RFID tags, give GPS location, capture & annotate videos and photographs, and play audio files. It will not only benefit the research teams but it will also allow ACIAR to monitor and evaluate projects it has invested in with faster access to project data and information.

A farmer using his phone. Source: ICRISAT

The workshop held earlier this month presented the desktop analysis of these technologies by Stuart Higgins of Collings Higgins Consulting (a private firm based in Indonesia) and Tomohiro Hamakawa from Kopernik (an NGO aimed at sourcing, connecting and reinvesting the best technology for the developing world) to ACIAR. The findings of the workshop narrowed down the list of mobile applications to two- CommCare and SurveyCTO.

The pilot, to be run in Indonesia, is in its final stages of design and will assess the technology on the ground. The findings from this will feed into a complementary pilot in Burma (Myanmar) aiming to assess the analytical capability of the software and look at how this technology will benefit project teams.

By Jack Hetherington, Social Science and Economics Cluster, ACIAR

This article was written by Georgina Smith and was first published on the CIAT blogsite.

Lao PDR’s northern-most province lies among cloud-covered peaks between China to the west and Vietnam to the east. The mountains here, along the eastern edge of Phongsaly province, are cut by a narrow winding pass – a trade route with Vietnam becoming more popular amid rising demand for pig meat.

Lao PDR's northern province of Phongsaly. Source: Georina Smith/CIAT

Fuelled by affluent regional populations and population growth, demand for pig meat during some festival periods in Vietnam and Laos can jump 20-40% according to locals, sparking a steady trickle of trade between countries.

Yet a human-health concern has prompted investigations into high incidences of the tapeworm parasite Taenia solium. The larval stage of Taenia solium - cysticercosis – causes cysts in humans and pigs. In the human brain, cysts – neurocysticercosis – can lead to seizures or even death.

The adult tapeworm is spread by eating raw or undercooked pork contaminated with larval cysts, and the cycle of infection is closed by roaming pigs which consume infected human faeces.

In some villages in northern Laos, incidence rates of human taeniasis are as high as 25%, up from 4% – still considered endemic – in areas. A One Health joint approach has been launched into pig and human health by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), ACIAR, and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and local partners including the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI).

Anna Okello, ACIAR Country Project Coordinator for human and animal health, said: “We’re optimistic that current medical and educational efforts can be successful in controlling the disease. However, more work is required to raise awareness of this disease and roll out control interventions where they are most required.”

At the same time, better pig management led by CIAT is expected to improve pig production – with positive impacts on human health, smallholder profits and more efficient natural resource use, for a more robust farming system.

Ammaly Phengvilaysouk distributes pig feed. Source: Georgina Smith/CIAT

Four-pronged approach to healthier pigs

In the last of the fading light before thick mist settles, Ammaly Phengvilaysouk is busy talking with a group of farmers in a small hamlet of Phongsaly, noting down how many sacks of pig feed each has received. He’s a familiar face here.

Head of the Pig Research Station at the Lao NAFRI’s Livestock Research Center, he explains: “More than 85% of farmers in Laos keep pigs. When farmers need money for school fees, health problems or rice shortages they sell the pigs, and they are eaten during festivals.”

Since 2011, Phengvilaysouk and his team have implemented a four-pronged approach to improving pig production, training around 40 volunteer champion farmers in four basic steps: penning, fattening, vaccinations and forage feeding.

Penning pigs can contain disease spread, and feeding them high-quality forages like Stylosanthes guianensis or Aeschynomene histrix increases their survival rate. Pigs fed low-quality wild fodder don’t grow fast enough or fetch good prices.

Tassilo Tiemann, CIAT’s forage and livestock systems specialist leading the research, explained: “Investing in feed concentrate is more expensive – but ten pigs can bring in a US$200-300 profit: a considerable amount for smallholders.”

“Initially, farmers didn’t understand well-functioning pig production systems,” he added. “Farmers couldn’t justify the work involved in growing forages. So we provided animals and feed under contractual agreement, and farmers pay back the initial costs.”

Local pork snacks at the market. Source: Georgina Smith/CIAT

Pigs to market...

Not long ago, Mrs. Seng, a smallholder pig farmer, kept a few pigs in case she needed emergency cash. But they were left to roam around the village to find feed, and most died of disease.

“I improved my pig pens using my own wood and labor,” she said. “I learned how to set up a water system; install a separate feeding trough to avoid contamination with waste, and percentages for mixing pig feed at different stages of pig growth”.

She has bought and fattened 14 pigs in total, doubling her US$1,100 annual income from coffee, rice, bamboo shoots and cardamom to around US$2,300, feeding her pigs concentrate feed mixed with high-quality forages.

Although she reinvests some 80% of her profits in feed, she has more money for household items. “Now it takes five months to fatten pigs instead of three years,” she said. She has also learned de-worming, vaccination, piglet care and sale strategies.

Farmers were trained in irrigation systems for improved pig production. Source: Georgina Smith/CIAT

Rocky road ahead

Significant challenges remain in market and drug supply chains in Laos and farmers need better information about improved pig management on a larger scale to meet growing demand, say researchers.

Jonathan Newby, CIAT’s regional rural resource economist, notes: “Farmers have to decide how much time and resources to invest in pigs relative to other opportunities. At the same time, traders will only come looking for pigs if a reliable supply is available.”

But already around 14 pigs are traded daily with Vietnam – up from two in the local market through new links with the Vietnamese Department for Agriculture and Rural Technology. Some local trade restrictions in Laos have also been removed, with improved profits expected to improve long-term pig management.

Demand for meat in Asia is on the rise. Source: Georgina Smith/CIAT

Further information:

ACIAR project pages:

Download CIAT’s brief on forages work here

Download One Health papers:

A series of case studies to assess farmers' attitudes to different farming practices will be published soon through the CIAT blogsite

Seed production is an important component contributing to the lowland rice production and food security in Lao PDR and its neighbouring countries. Most farmers use their own seed, and after a few generations the seed quality often becomes poor. Farmers then purchase high quality seed from seed producer specialists if they are available and affordable.

Weed can be removed with rotary weeder from row crops established with transplanter. Hatkhamhien village, Khammouan. Source: Shu Fukai, Project Leader

Rice seed producers in Khammouan Province in central Laos commonly form an association within their village, and work together to improve their operations. They may be considered to belong to the private sector, as their main activities are selling seed to millers. Farmers also grow rice for grain to consume at home, and may sell to other lowland farmers.

Due to the purity and the high quality of seed required for planting the next generation of rice in the field, seed producers commonly use transplanting. They remove weeds and off-type rice manually during the growth periods. However, recent increases in farm labour costs and the lack of labourers is causing difficulty in maintaining the practice of hand transplanting in central Laos.

An alternative method is the use of a mechanical transplanter to replace the labour-intensive, manual transplanting by hand. The mechanical transplanter is being evaluated by the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute in Laos, and the University of Queensland in Australia, with funding from ACIAR. The project team has collaborated with seed producer associations in three villages in the Khammouan and neighbouring Bolikhamxay Provinces. This has resulted in field sizes doubling and has levelled the land for easy introduction of mechanised rice seed production.

Rice transplanter producing four rows of seedlings; Pakpung village, Bolikhamxay. Source: Shu Fukai, Project Leader

The seed producers were satisfied with the results after they established good crops through transplanting in the dry season of 2014/15. Resources to feed the transplanter for seedling preparation were a concern to the team. However, farmers realised mechanical preparation was much less physically demanding compared with the labour-intensive work of pulling seedlings and transplanting in the field. This also benefits women as they commonly look after the work. Another benefit of mechanical transplanting is the ease of weed control using rotary weeder as the transplanter forms seedlings in rows in contrast to hand transplanting.

Rice crops have recently been harvested by combine harvester. The team are now evaluating the labour productivity gains and economic benefits due to modification of the rice fields, use of transplanters and combine harvesters. The results are looking promising.

By Professor Shu Fukai, Project Leader

Further information
Details about this project can be found through the ACIAR website:
CSE2012/077 - Mechanization and value adding for diversification of lowland cropping systems in Lao PDR and Cambodia
http://aciar.gov.au/project/cse/2012/077

From 11 to 15 May, the Commission for International Agricultural Research (the Commission) travelled to Papua New Guinea (PNG) for their 31st meeting. While there, they also met with local stakeholders and visited project sites in Port Moresby, Goroka and Lae. I had the opportunity to travel with them to Goroka and Lae and show them my beautiful country.

The Commission for International Agricultural Research in PNG. Source: John Cook

On the first two days, the Commission met with stakeholders in Port Moresby including H.E. Ms Deborah Stokes, the Australian High Commissioner to PNG, Sir Brown Bai (ACIAR’s Policy Advisory Committee representative of PNG) and ACIAR fellowship alumni.

On the third day, I joined the Commissioners on a blissful Wednesday morning to depart the Grand Papua Hotel in Port Moresby at a yawn-inducing 4am. The flight from Port Moresby to Lae took about 45 minutes and we landed at 7am with a beautiful outlay of the Markham River and plains across the runway as we were greeted with the warm smile of Dr Sergie Bang, Director General of the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) when we came off the plane. The day was warming up as we loaded our bags into the vehicle and out we drove to NARI headquarters for a meet and greet with the staff, in addition to a welcome hot breakfast of omelettes and cereal.

NARI is one of ACIAR’s major research partner agencies in PNG, with a partnership spanning over 20 years. Currently, NARI is leading 12 projects and most of their staff have directly benefited from training benefits. Training benefits were either through projects or directly through ACIAR’s John Allwright and John Dillon Fellowships. At the moment, there are two staff members who are studying abroad, one completing a Masters, the other a Doctoral degree in Australia.

Meeting with ACIAR Fellows. Source: Catherine Marriott

For most of the Commissioners, it was their first trip to PNG, so they were keen to take on the challenge of the rough PNG terrain of the Highlands Highway. As we left the meeting at 9.30am, we then headed out onto the main Highlands Highway for the road trip to Goroka.

Along the way, we had a quick stopover at Ramu Agri Industries Limited (RAIL) where we were welcomed by the General Manager Jamie Graham and his divisional managers. The Commissioners enjoyed the cool calm scenery of endless rows of oil palm and sugar cane with a splash of beef. RAIL is currently involved in ACIAR’s Community Forest project (ACIAR project FST/2011/057) and the Bogia Coconut Syndrome project (ACIAR project HORT/2012/087) and has had a strong relationship with ACIAR, exemplifying private partnerships in research.

We left RAIL feeling full and satisfied after a good dose of Ramu Beef (and I’m sure the Commissioners were impressed at the quality of the steak as well). It then took us an hour and half to reach Aiyura around 3.45pm to meet NARI’s research team and Dr Mark Kenny and Mr Tom Kukhang of PNG Coffee Industry Corporation (PNG CIC) research team.

Commissioners at PNG CIC. Source: Catherine Marriott

PNG CIC is major research partner working in the coffee industry which ACIAR has had a strong partnership with projects relating to socioeconomics, biosecurity, soil nutrition and other areas relating to coffee. There are currently two projects, one just ended and another currently underway for inception. Their staff has also benefited from the ongoing collaboration. Two of the female officers have been successful John Allwright Fellows who are now undergoing their Master’s degree in Australia whilst another male staff will soon join them in June to start on his Master’s degree. Matilda Hamago who was a John Dillon Fellow in 2014 was there to meet us on arrival. This highlights how ACIAR’s long-term commitment also contributes to capacity building in the organisations’ human resource development. We then left Aiyura at 5.20pm and arrived in Goroka at 7pm with a waiting crowd for a dinner function with stakeholders.

Thursday morning welcomed us in Goroka with a warm and refreshing breakfast meeting with this year’s John Dillon Fellow Fredah Wantum. At 9am, we walked into the PNG CIC head office to a rousing smell of freshly roasted beans lined up for the team. We had the Senior Inspector John explain the production process of coffee and what the industry was doing to help its farmers. We were later joined by the Acting CEO, Mr Anton Benjamin for further discussions on the coffee industry. Time was caught up quickly so we left PNG CIC, but not before loading up on coffee beans and hats.

Goroka markets. Source: Catherine Marriott

We then drove over to the Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) and were welcomed by the newly appointed General Manager Mark Worinu. ACIAR’s research partnership with FPDA involves various areas including soil nutrition, sweet potato value chain and women’s business acumen. There are five ongoing projects including partnerships with EU, NZAid and the International Finance Corporation, which working to reduce crop losses in post-harvest production. We then visited the Goroka market looking at the variety of fresh produce in abundance and at a much lower price than you could find in most urban centres like Port Moresby.

With a quick lunch at the Bird of Paradise hotel, we then visited the Book Bilong Pikini library and then headed off to Moxy’s farm to an inland aquaculture fish pond initiated by National Fisheries Authority (NFA) and Eastern Highlands Provincial DAL. The concept started as ‘Fish for Prisons’ program to rehabilitate prisoners at Bihute Jail in the Eastern Highlands Province. Moxy at that time was a prisoner and took part in the training program. When Moxy was released from prison, there was an ACIAR project underway, so he got involved – he dug up fish ponds on his land and the rest is history.

Asaro mudmen greet the Commissioners. Source: Catherine Marriott

What a rousing welcome! The ACIAR Commissioners were met by local Asaro mudmen with bows and arrows welcoming the team into the fish pond site. Shouting and making tribal warfare chants, the group was led to the fish ponds. Moxy fed the tilapia and carp fingerlings which he sells to farmers. He also grows out the fish to sell to locals for cooking. He gave a thank you speech while I interpreted for him. The Commissioners were handed bilums and a good taste of hot tilapia. It was time to leave and as we exchanged handshakes, we were sad to say goodbye. What an exciting trip we had, after the long road trip it was worth the visit to Moxy’s fish farm. Thanks to Joe, Silas, Tony and everyone for making the visit a highlight of the trip!

Blog by Rebecca Bogosia, Assistant Manager, PNG Country Office

This morning I went to my field of bean and maize
I was worried because it had not rained for days
I asked The Chameleon ‘Madam, what do you think?
Do my plants at this time need a drink?’

The Chameleon changed colour, she turned red
And then she looked at me and quickly said
‘Your plants today are thirsty my friend
If you don’t give water urgently that might be their end’

So I flooded my field, I let the water flow and flow
After a long time I thought to myself, ‘Bravo!
Now every part of my field is completely wet
From top to bottom, no need to fret’

But now The Chameleon, She turned blue
She said, ‘Oh my friend what did you do?!
Now you are wasting water, washing away plant food
More water will not do you any good’

So I stopped watering, quickly turned off the taps
I sat concerned, my face tucked in between my laps
But later that day The Chameleon turned green
‘Now your maize should be fine’, she said, ‘and your bean’

ACIAR would like to congratulate Dr Ikenna Mbakwe for his prize-winning poem (above) on the Chameleon soil monitor. Dr Mbakwe submitted the poem as part of the South African National Research Foundation’s Young Science Communicators Competition 2015 and won the Open Category.

The pre-commercial Chameleon reader. Source: ACIAR

The Chameleon has been developed as part of an ACIAR project titled ‘A traffic light soil water sensor for resource poor farmers: proof of concept’ (FSC/2013/002) as a tool to assist farmers in developing countries to know much water is in the soil for successful irrigation management. The purpose of the project is to build literacy around soil water among researchers, extension workers and farmers, through a simple sensor with a visual colour display. The ability to know how much water is in the soil is vital for irrigation management, to avoid plant stress on the one hand, and over-irrigation, loss of nutrients and waterlogging on the other. Testing and development of the Chameleon sensor is ongoing, with testing continuing in Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Farmers in Tanzania who are using it are already reporting that it has helped them cut down on irrigation and achieve higher yields.

Installation of Chameleon sensors and learning how to take readings. Source: ACIAR

The original analogy of a ‘traffic light’ (green, orange and red), reflected in the title of the project was found unsuitable due to technical (orange is too close to red in sunlight) and sociological (orange means warning) reasons, and so the sensor was given a new name by African co-workers. That new name ‘Chameleon’ was chosen because it changes colour to reflect its surroundings blue (wet), green (moist) and red (dry).

First prototype of the Chameleon reader. Source: ACIAR

Further information:

The final report on ‘A traffic light soil water sensor for resource poor farmers: proof of concept’ (FSC/2013/002) is available through the ACIAR website: http://aciar.gov.au/publication/fr2014-18
Information on the National Research Foundation and the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement can be found here: http://www.saasta.ac.za/

By Elise Crabb (ACIAR Communications and Stakeholder Engagement), with contributions from Dr Ikenna Mbawke (Chameleon project) and Dr Evan Christen (ACIAR RPM for Land and Water Resources).

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