On 16 October it is World Food Day (WFD). WFD aims to bring together resources and raise awareness of food security issues around the world.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization at the United Nations (FAO) about one billion people in developing countries live in extreme poverty. Seventy-eight percent of them live in rural areas, where agriculture is the main driving force of the rural economy and, in some cases, of the whole economy. The goal of WFD is ultimately to tackle issues around food security and eradicate hunger. The official celebration of World Food Day 2015 at Expo Milano is themed ‘Social protection and agriculture: breaking the cycle of rural poverty’.

AAUN & Food Security Research

AAUN is currently funding 7 food security projects through the Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF), with support from ACIAR.

Associate Professor Robyn Alders from the University of Sydney, and co-principal investigator on a current AAUN food security project, was recently invited to give an AgTalk. AgTalks, sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), presents the latest thinking, trends and research on policies and innovations in small-scale farming.

During her AgTalk, Associate Professor Alders, a renowned Australian veterinarian, tells the story of how heat tolerant vaccinations for Newcastle disease have transformed the lives of farmers. Newcastle disease of village chickens can wipe out much of the benefits small-scale farmers might obtain from their production. Watch the full AgTalk below:

 

Credit: AgTalks