THE ATSE CRAWFORD FUND FELLOWSHIP

2007 ATSE CRAWFORD FUND FELLOW – Mrs Pham Thi Kim Dung

Dr Pham Thi Kim Dung
National Institute of Animal
Husbandry
Chem-Tu Liem-Hanoi,
Vietnam

Dr Pham Thi Kim Dung from the National Institute of Animal Husbandry Chem-Tu Liem-Hanoi, Vietnam was awarded the 2007 ATSE Crawford Fund Fellowship.

Dr Dung spent three months at the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit, a joint venture of the Department of Primary Industries, New South Wales and The University of New England, Armidale, NSW. There she received training in strategies to improve the pig breeding program at the Thuy Phuong Pig Research Centre. In particular she received training in the use of the genetic evaluation program and associated programs developed at Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit with a view being able to demonstrate them to Vietnamese pig breeders on her return to Vietnam.

Since graduating Bachelor of Science in 1996 Dr Dung has been involved in a range of pig research, management and extension activities in Vietnam.  She took her PhD at the National Institute of Animal Husbandry in Animal Genetics and Breeding with the thesis topic ‘Factors influencing production and carcass traits in crossbreds of three breeds; Duroc, Landrace and Yorkshire in conditions of North Vietnam'. In total, Dr Dung has 15 Vietnamese publications which present genetic parameters for performance traits and outline performance of purebred and crossbred populations in Northern Vietnam. From 1996 to July 2007, Dr Dung worked at the Thuy Phuong Pig Research Centre, leading the pig breeding program at the centre's Technical and Transfer Division. During that time, Dr Dung participated in a number of international collaborative research projects. She is currently the team leader of the Pig Genetic and Breeding Group at the Animal Genetic and Breeding Department of the National Institute of Animal Husbandry (NIAH) in Hanoi, Vietnam.

2006 ATSE CRAWFORD FUND FELLOW - Mr Havini Vira

Mr Havini Vira

Mr Havini Vira from the Regional Development Department of Ok Tedi Mining Limited, Papua New Guinea was awarded the 2006 ATSE Crawford Fund Fellowship.

Mr Vira spent three months at the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries' Freshwater Firsheries and Aquaculture Centre at Walkamin. There he developed new skills in aquaculture, one of the faster growing rural industries in the highlands of PNG. The Fellowship provided the opportunity to continue his collaborative relationship with the Queensland DPI&F and ACIAR.

In addition to joining the aquaculture team led by Mr Brett Herbert at the Freshwater Fisheries and Aquaculture Centre, Mr Vira also worked with the team at the Northern Fisheries Centre, Cairns, and the Bribie Island Aquaculture Research Centre, near Brisbane, developing his extension skills and broadening his knowledge of aquaculture techniques and technologies employed in Queensland. At the FFAC bred fish and crustacean species common to both PNG and northern Australia, he participated in training workshops on fish fingerling production, and worked on improving barramundi culture techniques. Mr Vira also participated in the Australasian Aquaculture Conference in Adelaide, a unique opportunity to participate in a regional congress of aquaculture operators, researchers and regulators.

Mr Vira worked for seven years as a Fisheries Development Officer in the Eastern Highlands Province, breeding and conducting cage culture trials of tilapia, techniques which have been successfully transferred to local farmers. Mr Vira was also instrumental in development of aquaculture of carp and rainbow trout in PNG. More recently, with Ok Tedi’s Regional Development Department he has been investigating cage culture of barramundi on the Fly River floodplain. The current ACIAR project aims to develop aquaculture techniques for native fish and crustacean species (many of which are shared with Australia) for subsistence aquaculture in PNG, using species familiar to and favoured by the local people. His experience gained through the Crawford Fellowship with the same species in Australia will lead to development of hatchery and growout techniques in PNG for indigenous fishes, and improve protein availability to families throughout PNG.

2004 ATSE CRAWFORD FUND FELLOW - Mr Lal Prasad Amgain

Mr Lal Prasad Amgain

Mr Lal Prasad Amgain, from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Tribhuvan University, Chitwan, Nepal was awarded the 2004 ATSE Crawford Fund Fellowship.

Mr Amgain spent three months at CSIRO Land and Water, Griffith, NSW from September to December, 2004. This provided him with new knowledge and skills on crop modeling and raised bed agriculture that could lead to benefits to Nepal through his research and teaching roles. The traineeship provided the opportunity to initiate a longer-term collaborative relationship with the CSIRO.

Use of crop models is an excellent way to encourage thinking and learning about processes in the plant/soil/atmosphere system, and to investigate the impact of management, climate and site conditions on crop performance and water use requirement.

And it is expected that permanent raised beds could benefit rice-wheat systems of Nepal through improved soil structure and drainage, more timely sowing of crops because the beds are already in place, increased water and nutrient use efficiencies, increased crop diversity and greater flexibility to capture market opportunities.

Mr Amgain joined the cropping systems team of Dr Liz Humphreys, Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Land and Water in Griffith. He also worked closely with Dr Jagadish Timsina and other CSIRO staff involved in the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) project "Permanent beds for irrigated rice-wheat and alternative cropping systems in north west India and south east Australia"

The ACIAR project is particularly relevant to issues facing Nepal, where rice and wheat are also the most important food crops, accounting for 63% of total calorie intake. Increasing the productivity of these crops is the highest priority of the Planning Commission of Nepal for food supply to keep up with population growth. Rice-wheat is a major cropping system, especially in the flat Terai region where Mr Amgain is located.

Mr Amgain has been working with the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Tribhuvan University, Nepal as an Assistant Professor for the past five years, and prior to that with the Nepalese Ministry of Agriculture. He has been involved in a range of teaching, research and extension activities.

Mr Amgain attended the 4th International Crop Science Congress being held in Brisbane from 26 September to 1 October where he had the opportunity to network with the world's leading crop scientists, before proceeding to take up his Fellowship at CSIRO Land and Water.

2002 ATSE CRAWFORD FUND FELLOW - Dr Ha Thuy Hanh

Dr Ha Thuy Hanh

The recipient of the inaugural 2002 Crawford Fund Fellowship was Dr Ha Thuy Hanh of the National Veterinary Diagnostic Centre, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Dr Hanh visited Australia in September 2002. She spent 3 months in Australia at the CSIRO Livestock Industries, Armidale, with Dr Ross Windon and Dr Leo le Jambre where she developed her expertise in aspects of immunoparisitology and protein chemistry underlying diagnostic kit formulation. During her stay she visited other Australian laboratories undertaking work on diagnosis of diseases caused by animal parasites.

The ATSE Crawford Fund
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Parkville 3052
Victoria Australia
T: (03) 9347 8328
F: (03) 9347 3224
E: crawford@mira.net
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