A planning meeting involving all relevant partners for Components 1 and 2 as well as relevant past or finishing ACIAR projects was held in November 2010. The objectives of this meeting were as follows and achieved:
1. To meet, update and align all project partners with the project objectives, scope and integration of Components 1 and 2 as approved by ACIAR.
2. To inform all partners on progress and learnings from existing relevant projects and explore future synergism with other projects, departments.
3. To review and discuss the selection criteria and suggested examples for pilot sites for baseline surveying.
4. To discuss and develop baseline survey methodology with a view to integrated implementation of the survey.
5. To identify gaps and needs for initial training and conduct of the baseline study.
In particular, this meeting involved presentation of the outputs of past projects and key learnings and recommendations to inform this new project. The outputs are detailed in a meeting report and annexes circulated early December 2010. Discussions with various component 1 partners continue towards finalising relevant agreements.
Since November 2010, monthly meetings of the Project Management Committee (PMC) have been held and Terms of Reference agreed and circulated, including defined project responsibilities of all members. The PMC is working effectively to maintain communication, momentum and collaborative efforts towards the selection of pilot sites, detailed planning of baseline questionnaires and workplans, staff performance indicators, budget management and reporting. Minutes for each meeting are available to document discussion and actions. Component 2 has also been able to establish individual contracts with component partners, while component 1 has pursued the approval of the MOU.
In particular, significant care and planning has been undertaken to select initial pilot sites for the project. This was a challenging task to facilitate all aspects of the research project and involved three field trips with excellent Laos partner involvement. Each scoping visit was reported in detail and further discussed amongst the PMC. Finally two pilot districts have been selected and approved in principal by Provincial and District offices: Xayabouli district (in Xayabouli Province NW Laos) and Mai district (in Phongsaly district, NE Laos).
Past baseline surveys, approaches and relevant literature was reviewed to inform objective one during this period. Jamie Conlan was briefly contracted by component 1 to provide specific advice for the context and testing of pig related zoonoses, while SADU project staff have assisted component 2 in the Rapid Market Assessment. Internal partner training for baseline questionnaire development and the use of SurVet was conducted in March 2011, with the help of Peter Durr from AAHL. This will build on the new collaboration with ILRI, Ecohealth project. Laos counterparts of component 1, also involved in the Ecohealth project development (and supported technically by AAHL) will define the provincial prevalence of key pig associated diseases to inform and provide important context to the ACIAR project for baseline survey and later extrapolation and extension. In addition, many of the Ecohealth capacity building activities and field work will assist in delivery of the ACIAR project, while building relationships with ILRI experts.
Component 2 has commenced forage research design and received approval for part of a LARF proposal which will fund the applied research developments of the ACIAR funded fundamental on- station weaner protein and forage trials. Initial implementation of animal and forage experiments have been started. Further more cComponent 2 has finished developing and testing a is in the process of preparing / conducting detailed Participatory Market Chain Surveying to enablefor selecting appropriate villages to be selected within the pilot districts for the full baseline survey. For this purpose a training workshop with local extension staff of both target provinces and from Luang Prabang province was held to discuss and adjust the method and create ownership. The staff also received furthermore practical training in interview techniques and questionnaire use. The full Market Chain Survey is in the planning stage and will be carried out in June 2011. A new and promising NAHC laboratory trainee (Mr Chatuphone) has been appointed and trained, while assistance was provided to an existing Lao staff member applying (but unfortunately declined) for MSc course and their ACIAR related project overview was assisted. Further efforts to facilitate post-graduate study will be explored and there is a potential Lao PhD candidate associated with Kasesart University interested in the production and economics aspects of the project. Human ethics approval has been submitted with the Laos ethics committee via Dr Boualam Khamlone. Dr Boualam and Dr Blaszak attended a cross-cultural training course in Vientiane as well as ILRI and AAHL assistance to attend the Onehealth conference in Melbourne (offered also to others) to strengthen this approach in the project.