Elanco: 2015 Scholar
The Crawford Fund wishes to thank Elanco for encouraging our Young Scholar program by supporting Tanapan Sukee to attend the conference.
Elanco Sponsored Scholar
Click on the link below to view the scholar bio and conference report.
Tanapan Sukee, The University of Melbourne
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Jessica Ramsden, conference speaker from Elanco Animal Health ANZ, with Tanapan Sukee
Tanapan Sukee
My name is Tanapan Sukee. I am completing my third and final year of a Bachelor of Agriculture, majoring in Production Animal Health at the University of Melbourne. I hope to continue my studies in an honours degree next year. During my studies which included a placement at a rural livestock research station in Southern Thailand, I have developed an interest in methods of controlling livestock disease to improve livestock productivity and welfare, especially in developing countries where livestock production is crucial to people’s livelihoods. Attending this conference will be a fantastic opportunity for me to expand my knowledge on issues surrounding food security, network with professionals in agriculture and be inspired by like-minded people.
Conference Report
It was a great privilege to be given the opportunity to attend this year’s Crawford Fund Annual Conference. I found the experience engaging and thought provoking, highlighting the need for collaboration between government, private sector and institutions to meet the future demands for food sustainably. The conference opened up a wide range of possibilities that helped me see more clearly the endeavors to pursue a career in international agriculture research.
The Sir John Crawford Memorial address given by Dr Cary Fowler proved an exceptional introduction to a conference titled “Business of Food Security: Profitability, Sustainability, Risks”. Dr Fowler outlined the vast challenges facing agriculture and the detrimental consequences to human society when food production fails to meet our population growth demands.
Her Excellency Gerda Verburg spoke against “Business as Usual” and made excellent arguments for a transition towards sustainability. I found the driven focus of Her Excellency extraordinary. She outlined how governments, private sectors and institutions each have a role to fill in achieving sustainability that will be beneficial to all participants, as sustainability cannot be achieved without profitability.
Jessica Ramsden, Elanco’s Head of Market Access spoke about the essential requirement of animal protein to meet human nutritional needs and the issues surrounding livestock production. It was most interesting however to see from a different perspective, instead of increasing the number of livestock through intensification she argued that food companies should ‘become part of the solution’ through developing innovations such as better animal welfare and genetics to produce high quality protein with less environmental impacts.
The Crawford Scholar’s Day held at the Questacon Centre provided me with good guidance on the pathways to getting a career in international agriculture development. My aspirations to work in developing countries was strengthened by Professor Martin Kropff’s advice that the start of making a big impact in agriculture is by leaving your home and work overseas. The presentation given by the volunteer, trainer, researcher and graduate sharing their experiences from all around the word was very exciting and motivating.
The touching and inspiring “Seeds of Time” documentary was another highlight of the conference. It showed a glimpse of Dr Fowler’s remarkable pioneering journey to save the world’s crop diversity from extinction in the Svalbard Seed Vault. It also prompted awareness to the threats of climate change in the survival of staple crops and how our current farming practices contribute to the loss of crop biodiversity.
Lastly, I found the RAID networking events most beneficial. The scholars and delegates I met were highly encouraging and I’m very happy to take on board the advice that was offered. To meet other students, scientists and professionals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines was an invaluable experience where I made contacts, became inspired by their knowledge and passion to make a difference. I left the conference with many unanswered questions about the challenges we are faced with in food security and ways of how I might go about becoming part of the solutions.
I would like to thank the Crawford Fund for organizing this event and Elanco’s sponsorship for making this opportunity possible for me.
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