The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) funds agricultural research projects in developing countries to help solve problems and build research capacity. ACIAR works in livestock systems, cropping systems, natural resource management, and agricultural policy across Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. Its livestock research focuses on animal health, fisheries, and livestock production systems. Example projects study diseases like avian influenza, improve smallholder aquaculture in Indonesia, and benchmark beef supply chains.
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Livestock Research Profile
1. Australian Centre for
International
Agricultural Research
(ACIAR)
Livestock Research Profile
Peter Horne
ACIAR
2. RESEARCH THAT WORKS FOR
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ACIAR’s mission
To achieve more productive and
sustainable agricultural systems, for the
benefit of developing countries and
Australia, through international
agricultural research partnerships.
ACIAR
3. ACIAR is
A research management agency within
the Australian Government’s Foreign
Affairs and Trade portfolio.
Research funded by ACIAR aims to help
developing countries to help themselves,
by contributing to solving agricultural
problems and building research capacity.
ACIAR
4. What we do
Link developing country partners with
international R&D expertise in
• Economics/Farming Systems
• Cropping Systems
• Livestock Systems
• Natural Resource Management
• Agricultural Policy
ACIAR
5. Where we work
• Papua New Guinea and South Pacific
• Southeast Asia
• South Asia and the Middle East
• Sub-Saharan Africa
ACIAR
6. Budget
•$A64 million (2009–2010) rising to $A87
million (2012–2013)
•184 active projects (Bilateral)
•27 active projects (CGIAR)
•relatively small, longer term, research
focused, partnerships and increasingly
private sector co-investment, NGO
networks.
•Typical projects $1-2million over 3-5
years but programs typically longer
ACIAR
8. Animal Health Program
Focus on diseases of regional
significance, trans-boundary diseases,
zoonotic diseases, diseases affecting
production and those affecting trade
and market access.
14 active projects in Cambodia, Lao,
Philippines, PNG and Indonesia
ACIAR
9. Animal Health Program
Examples:
•National surveillance system for
classical swine fever, avian influenza,
and foot and mouth disease –
Indonesia
•Understanding livestock movement
and the risk of spread of transboundary
animal diseases
•Best practice health and husbandry of
cattle –Cambodia
•Epidemiology, pathogenesis and
control of highly pathogenic avian
influenza (HPAI) in ducks - Indonesia
and Vietnam
10. Fisheries Program
Focus on improving productivity and
sustainability of fisheries and aquatic farming
systems through
•innovative resource management
approaches
•the elimination of serious adverse
environmental impacts arising from fishing or
farming practices
•better utilisation of existing harvests
•the development of productive and
sustainable aquatic farming systems.
28 active projects in Lao, Philippines, PNG,
Pacific and Indonesia
11. Fisheries Program
Examples:
•Improving resilience and adaptive
capacity of fisheries-dependent
communities -Solomon Islands
•Improving productivity and profitability
of smallholder shrimp aquaculture and
related agribusiness - Indonesia
•Developing new assessment and
policy frameworks for Indonesia's
marine fisheries, including the control
and management of Illegal,
Unregulated and Unreported (IUU)
fishing
12. Livestock Production
Systems Program
Focuses on enabling more-equitable crop-
livestock systems and livestock production
through
•Improvements to productivity
•Enabling market access
•Better environmental outcomes
•Livestock and food safety
14 active projects in East Timor, Indonesia,
Vietnam, China, Pakistan and South Africa
ACIAR
13. Livestock Production
Systems Program
Examples:
•Benchmarking the beef supply chain in
eastern Indonesia
•Segmenting the South African market
for beef palatability
•Improving reproductive performance of
cows and performance of fattening
cattle in low input systems of Indonesia
•Improving the competitiveness of pig
producers in an adjusting Vietnam
market
14. Other activities
Research capacity building – formal
and informal
Active publications program
Developing new research approaches
Assessment of impacts from investment
in agricultural research
www.aciar.gov.au
ACIAR
15. Challenges
Expand livestock research
geographically
Remain focused on key challenges in
each country over longer term
Better integrate research programs
across disciplines
Create broader research partnerships
where contextually necessary
ACIAR
