Using a One Health Framework to promote food security in Eastern and Southern Africa

Summary

In search of robust evidence that can be used to maximise poultry and crop value chain efficiency and household food and nutrition security, we are currently in a research partnership funded by the Australian International Food Security Centre.The majority of the world's rural poor rely on raising livestock for their day to day living. Livestock contribute to both poverty alleviation and food security. 70 to 80 percent of rural households in Southern and Eastern Africa raise poultry. Poultry meat and eggs provide high quality protein and micronutrients that are more easily taken up by the human body than plant based nutrients. They also provide cash income to purchase food. These benefits are of notable significance to vulnerable community members such as growing children and people infected with HIV. 
Poor quality agricultural production can be detrimental to human nutrition, for example contaminated meat and crops treated with poorly regulated pesticides can cause human illness and as a result avoidance of vital food resources by family groups or communities. These issues become especially raw in the overarchingly food insecure environments in rural Eastern and Southern Africa.
In search of robust evidence that can be used to maximise poultry and crop value chain efficiency and household food and nutrition security, we are currently in a research partnership funded by the Australian International Food Security Centre.

On the ground participation and partnership are central to the project as are gender and ecologically sustainable production. By harnessing the strength of male and female farmers in Africa, the project is determined to yield beneficial outcomes for their households and their wider communities.

The research seeks to answer the following questions.

• Can deliberate and strategic linkages between family run poultry production and crop farming improve the socio-economic and biological efficiency of both operations?
• Can family poultry production and trade be increased by supplementing the birds' feed intake with by-products from crop farming?
• Can increased efficiency of family poultry production and trade contribute to ecologically sustainable agriculture and improved food security and human nutrition?

Supervisor(s)

Associate Professor Robyn Alders, AO

Research Location

Faculty of Veterinary Science

Program Type

Masters/PHD

Synopsis

Achieving household and community level food security is a complex issue. The One Health framework enables human, animal and crop health professionals to work together with social scientists such as anthropologists and economists to tackle such complex problems. This project seeks to strengthen food security in Eastern and Southern Africa by integrating family poultry and crop value chains in collaboration with regional and in-country partner government and research institutions.
Village poultry production can directly increase nutritional outcomes by providing food and indirectly by providing cash income to purchase food. Poultry meat and eggs provide high quality protein and micronutrients that are more easily taken up by the human body than plant based nutrients. These benefits are of notable significance to vulnerable community members such as growing children, pregnant women and people affected by HIV and can also contribute to wildlife conservation activities. Poor quality agricultural production can be detrimental to human nutrition, for example contaminated meat and crops treated with poorly regulated pesticides can cause human illness and as a result avoidance of vital food resources by family groups or communities.

Additional Information

Further information: The project is based at the Camden Campus.

Eligibility: The successful applicant must apply for and be awarded a scholarship (stipend) for example, an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA).

For intenational students, AusAID scholarships are available for eligible students. Students must have scholarship which covers full tuition fees and living allowance.

Further information: Please contact A/Professor Robyn Alders.

Keywords

food security, village poultry, gender and cultural issues, human nutrition, crop agriculture, Newcastle disease vaccination, Eastern and Southern Africa, One Health

Opportunity ID

The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is: 1618

Other opportunities with Associate Professor Robyn Alders, AO

• Vaccines, poultry and the poor women farmers and reseachers making a difference in Africa