Announcement: Moderated sessions July 28-30th 2014 from USAID on Animal Science Research Priorities

USAID invites the international research communities and all other interested stakeholders to the online AgExchange on Animal Science Research Priorities Under Feed the Future.

Reducing global poverty and hunger and improving nutrition are core objectives of Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. Harnessing agricultural science and technology is critical to meeting the challenge of increasing production of more nutritious food with fewer natural resources, while adapting to climate change. The Feed the Future Research Strategy supports targeted research on sustainable intensification of plant and animal production systems and on increasing the availability of and access to nutritious foods. Livestock – including goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, poultry and fish – are central to this effort and contribute to smallholder incomes and household nutrition.

The AgExchange will take place during the week of July 28- August 1, 2014, and will explore animal science research priorities to strengthen livestock value chains in developing countries and will inform future USAID livestock research investments.

Moderated sessions will take place Monday through Wednesday, July 28-30th, and topics will include:

• Research priorities for livestock production within different agro-environmental systems such as dryland and mixed livestock-crop systems and intensive production systems
• Capacity building needs related to livestock research in developing countries
• Policy dimensions of livestock production and marketing 
• The role of livestock in global food security and USAID’s technology scaling initiative
• The relationships and coordination between projects and other donors. 

Subtopics during these discussions will include:

• Climate change
• The role of nutrition in human and animal health
• Animal health and disease
• Gender
• Livestock value chains
• Livestock technologies