From 9th to 12th November 2022, the BUFFARM project members from Thailand and Vietnam gathered for a Multidisciplinary Workshop organized in partnership with Hue University.
The BUFFARM project carried out under the One Health Southeast Asia initiative (2021-2023) explores the relationship between farming animals, local knowledge, agricultural systems, and the environment. It is to understand better the interconnection between agriculturally produced manner, biodiversity, animal health, and human health. To rich this goal, the research team, led by Dr. Nicolas Lainé (IRD researcher, Principal Investigator of the project), focused on intensive buffalo farming in Southeast Asia.
Students from the Hue Universities were invited to offer an overview of their disciplinary perspective through the lens of One Health during the first two days. The project members gave various lectures on molecular biology applied to One Health, ecosystem services and livelihoods, the transformation and links between traditional and smart farming, methods of conducting field and tracking animals in the forest, and the humanities (anthropological) perspectives related to One Health.
The last day of the workshop addressed for the project members only. The discussion explored opportunities to prospect for future collaborations and activities with the Department of Biology and the Department of Animal Sciences at Hué University.
The event was conveyed by Dr. Ha Viet Hai, Head of the Office of Science, Technology and International Cooperation at Hué University, in presence of Nguyen Cong Thanh, Scientific Cooperation Officer at the permanent office of IRD in Vietnam, and the Director of the Institut Français at Hué.
Contact: Nicolas Lainé (nicolas.laine@ird.fr)