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The Crawford Fund is a not-for-profit organisation that conducts activities to raise awareness of the benefits to Australia and developing countries from international agricultural research. It commissions studies on research policy and practice, and arranges specialist training activities for developing country agricultural scientists.
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Registration will open soon for our 2016 conference 'Waste Not, Want Not: The Circular Economy to Food Security'. Last month we highlighted this year's Sir John Crawford address presenter, Professor Louise Fresco. This month, we profile our two keynote speakers: Karen Brooks and Daniel Lagger.
 Dr Karen Brooks is Director, CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions and Markets, which is leading a new initiative to enhance global cooperation on measuring and reducing food loss and waste. Prior to joining the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in 2012, Karen worked for more than 20 years for the World Bank on agricultural development in Africa, Europe and Central Asia.
 Mr Daniel Lagger is Technical Director at Nestlé Oceania. Daniel began his Nestlé career in 1984 as a Project Engineer in Switzerland. Throughout his 32 year career, he has held different positions in the Group in the Philippines, Thailand, Switzerland and Japan.
Our keynote speakers will join a distinguished group of international and Australian specialists to discuss issues and solutions around food loss and waste on farm, from the farm to the fork, with consumers, and in the management and reuse of waste. We hope you can join us on 29 and 30 August in Canberra.
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SCHOLAR NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
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The Crawford Fund Board and 2015 ScholarsSupport our Efforts
We are also hoping individuals and sponsors from the public and private sectors will join us in our efforts to encourage young people in agriculture for development by supporting this scholarship program. To learn more about how you can support young people in their knowledge, study, careers and volunteering around food security, we have further information available here.
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Past Crawford Scholar Blog
 To explain the impact of being a Crawford Fund conference scholar, we have been providing reports from or about past scholars. Our most recent scholar report is from a past Crawford Fund Scholar who will be presenting at this year's Annual Conference.
Madaline Healey (pictured here with her Lao colleagues) reports on how she started towards a career in international agricultural development. You can read her blog on our website. Be sure to watch out for more reports and blogs from past Crawford Fund scholars on the Crawford Fund home page.
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Scholar Award Announcements
 The Queensland State Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of the Honours Research Scholarships and Postgraduate Student Awards: Tarni Cooper (pictured right), Aloesi Dakuidreketi, Chloe Jessica English and Tansyn Noble.
The purpose of the annual awards is to encourage active student participation in international agricultural research projects, and to help them gain valuable international experience. The award recipients also attend the 2016 Annual Conference and Scholars' Day. You can learn more about the Queensland scholars' projects on our website.
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PLEASE HELP US SUPPORT LAO FARMERS
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Further to the Crawford Fund's long-term effort to help with plant biosecurity in Laos, with mentor Lester Burgess and a range of volunteers, we are now assisting with an effort to help traditional rice farmers.
 The traditional method of hand planting seedlings is becoming unviable for rice farmers in southern Laos as labour is lost to city employment. The Fund is hoping to help by partnering with Dr Leigh Vial, a NSW farmer and formerly with the International Rice Research Institute.
We are asking for your support to help us provide seeders to farmers in key rice growing areas. Click here to learn more about how you might help rice farmers in Laos obtain better and more reliable yields, and improve their livelihoods.
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Aye Sandar Phyo is a research associate with the Asian Institute of Technology, and is contributing to an ACIAR project focussing on improving rural livelihoods in the Central Dry Zone and Ayeyarwaddy Delta regions of Myanmar.
 Sandar (pictured here with women of Shwebo, Myanmar) has recently completed her Crawford Fund Fellowship in Queensland, to assist with her work on the changing labour dynamics in agricultural production in Myanmar. Her work focusses on understanding household livelihoods and decision making, and how this research can inform methods for improving agricultural productivity.
The aim of the Crawford Fund Fellowship is to provide further training of a scientist in agriculture, fisheries or forestry from a developing country, whose work has shown considerable potential. To read more about Sandar's fellowship, visit our website.
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PLANT BIOSECURITY NETWORK
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 We have reported previously on our involvement in the Australia-Africa Plant Biosecurity Partnership, which is training biosecurity 'champions'. These champions (pictured) are the first members of the Africa Plant Biosecurity Network, a group targeting the improvement of plant protection from pests and disease.
The overall aim is to increase crop yields and enable safe regional trade. The champions have recently met again to share information, provide mentoring and boost training and outreach. For further information about the network, you can read more here. |
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Soils Master Class
International delegates attended a five-day Master Class this month, which explored soil productivity and sustainability skills. Entitled 'Soil Productivity—
Growing Agriculture', the Master Class was convened by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the Crawford Fund.
Dr Colin Chartres, who heads our training and Master Class program, explained the importance of soil training in a Radio Australia interview. To learn more about the Soils Master Class held in NSW, click here. For more information about the Fund's Master Class program, visit our website.
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Managing Water in India
Water and food security across the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia is a considerable challenge given the region hosts 40 per cent of the world’s population. In addition, poor irrigation practices, combined with limited groundwater reserves, represents a major threat to the livelihoods of farmers on small landholdings.
 Agricultural extension specialists from northern and eastern India and Nepal recently participated in a one-week training program titled ‘Participatory irrigation management for maintaining regional food and water security in northern India’. The program was funded through the Crawford Fund, the Australian Water Partnership Program and International Agriculture for Development. Learn more about the applied and practical training program undertaken in India here.
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Weedy Rice in SE Asia
Dr Nghia Nguyen from Cantho University in Vietnam recently participated in training at the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative at the University of Western Australia. Under the supervision of Dr Busi and Professor Powles, Dr Nghia learnt specific methodologies for managing weedy rice, including conducting geographical surveys, seed germination tests, herbicide efficacy tests and herbicide dose-response analyses.
This training forms part of research funded by ACIAR and focuses on the control of weedy rice in South East Asia. The improved knowledge will help Dr Nghia to raise awareness for rice farmers and local agronomists in Vietnam about the damaging effects of weedy rice, the threat of herbicide resistance in rice weeds and illustrate options for effective weed control in rice. Read more about Dr Nghia's training award.
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We would like to highlight some upcoming events that have a food security focus. The following events may be of interest:
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To support Crawford Fund initiatives, you can click here to donate online.
Donations to the Fund are tax deductible.
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