END HUNGER, ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY AND IMPROVED NUTRITION AND PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
In 2022, AIT’s work to promote SGD2 included offering a Food Innovation, Nutrition, and Health Program, which offers professional and research degrees enabling graduates from diverse backgrounds and nationalities to transfer holistic knowledge in food science, innovation, and nutrition for a healthier and sustainable society in their
own country. Other contributions included a collaboration between Asian and European academic institutions, with the goal of developing specialists in the food industry and promoting research, entrepreneurism, risk management, livestock insurance, disease control, and innovation.
FOODI ERASMUS+ PROJECT LAUNCHES FOOD INNOVATION, NUTRITION, AND HEALTH (FINH) ACADEMIC PROGRAM AT AIT
Duration:
Description of activities in 2022:
The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) has launched the Food Innovation, Nutrition, and Health (FINH) Program under the School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) after receiving endorsement in August 2020. This comprehensive program offers various degrees, including MSc, PhD, MPhil, and Professional Masters to provide holistic knowledge in food science, innovation, and nutrition for a healthier and sustainable society. In its first year, the program received over 150 applications from diverse backgrounds and nationalities, enrolling twelve post-graduate students. The FINH program was developed within the framework of the Erasmus+ Capacity Building- Food Processing and Innovation (FOODI) project, co-funded by the European Union. Prof. Anil Kumar Anal serves as the Principal Investigator (PI) for the project, which involves a consortium of 16 Higher Education Institutes (HEIs).
The program aims to address societal challenges by nurturing innovation in sustainable food processing and nutrition. It focuses on unraveling the food-health nexus and developing higher-level thinking skills in students to enable them to understand the multidimensional nature
of food safety, food security, and nutrition challenges. Graduates will acquire knowledge and competencies in areas such as innovative food product development, policy analysis and implementation, product design and management, and impact assessment. They will be wellequipped to work in various sectors, including research and development, product innovation, public health, regulatory agencies, and the food industry, bringing a nutrition perspective to their work.
The FOODI project, initiated with support from the European Union and ERASMUS+, aims to enhance social and economic growth by integrating innovation management and food processing. It involves collaboration between Asian and EU academic institutions with the goal of developing specialists in the food industry and promoting research and innovation. The project encompasses 16 organizations from EU and Asian countries and aims to support students at local, regional, and national levels through internship programs and academic expertise. The project emphasizes mastering innovation and a disruptive approach to success, fostering creativity, professional
development, and an entrepreneurial mindset in students. The establishment of FOODI centers aims to facilitate research and collaboration within the global academic community, benefiting researchers, stakeholders, experts, and the food industry at large.
FOODI INFO DAY
Duration: 2019 to 2022
Description of activities in 2022:
In 2022, a series of workshops was conducted in partner sites in Asia and Europe funded by Erasmus+ of the EU. In particular, the FOODI Info Day Expert Workshop “Smart and Innovative Processing towards a Safe and Sustainable Food System” was organized by AIT at Novotel, Rangsit from 29 June to 1 July.
Weblink:
� https://www.foodi-project.eu
Weblink: � https://ait.ac.th/2021/10/foodi-erasmus-projectlaunches-food-innovation-nutrition-and-health-finhacademic-program-at-ait
INTERNATIONAL TRAINING AND EXPOSURE VISIT PROGRAM ON “AGRICULTURAL AND LIVESTOCK RISK MITIGATION PRODUCTS”
Duration: 17 – 23 October 2022
Description of activities in 2022:
The international training and exposure visit program “Agricultural and Livestock Risk Mitigation Products (emphasis Insurance Products)” was designed in response to a request from the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), an apex development organization and a financial institution (established by the Government) operating in Bangladesh. This professional training program expanded participants’ knowledge of risk management and mitigation (weather, climate related and other risks) in agricultural and livestock sectors with an emphasis on insurance products. They were exposed to experiences and information on a number of new tools, insurance instruments, and existing as well as newly devised policies and regulations for mitigating risks facing the agriculture
and livestock sectors. The key content of this program covered: (i) Risks in Agriculture and Livestock Sectors; (ii) Managing risks through ex-ante and ex-post strategies; (iii) Key Conditions for Agriculture and Livestock Insurance; (iv) Application of Technology in Agriculture and Livestock Insurance; (v) Innovations in Agriculture and Livestock Insurance; and (vi) Case Studies on Mitigating Agriculture and Livestock Risks through Insurance. The program was designed and implemented by the AIT Extension of Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand.
Weblink: � https://sites.google.com/view/ agricultureandlivestockriskmit/home
REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE ASIAN IRRIGATION GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT NETWORK ON “RESILIENT COMMUNITY IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL RURAL-URBAN WATER USE COMPETITION IN ASIA”
Duration: 2022
Description of activities in 2022:
The 3rd Ostrom Center Workshop was jointly hosted by the OCeAN of the Asian Institute of Technology and the Centre for Civil Society and Governance of the University of Hong Kong from 24 to 27 June 2022. The workshop was organized from 24 to 25 June at the Milton E. Bender Auditorium, AIT. A field visit to Chiang Mai was organized from 26 to 27 June by Chiang Mai University. The field visit was conducted to have direct interactions with farmers and experience the irrigation system adopted from NIIS.
Weblink:
� https://drive.google.com/file/ d/1MdWLacxuQWB4clfDyG7-IjP5anwvwKVm/ view?usp=sharing
OPERATIONS – CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN AGRICULTURE FOR ENHANCED RECOVERY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF HIGHLANDS (ADB-JFPR)
Duration: January 2021–September 2023
Description of activities in 2022:
The Technical Assistance (TA) team visited the project site in Nan province several times to conduct project activities as listed below:
1. Demonstration of mobile-based product traceability technology
2. Capacity building on climate change vulnerability assessment in Highlands
3. Capacity building on gender-conscious climate-smart agriculture in Highlands
Weblink:
� https://www.adb.org/projects/53099-001/main
� http://www.ccaa.ait.ac.th
� http://www.ccaa.ait.ac.th/adb-ta-9993-progressshared-at-the-apec-ppfs-webinar-2022-inbangkok-thailand
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE VALUE CHAIN IN ASIA
Duration: 31 May 2022 / Zoom Conference Platform
Description of activities in 2022:
The symposium is on innovative technologies for the sustainable aquaculture value chain in Asia. It highlights the importance of sustainable practices in the aquaculture industry and showcases cutting-edge technologies that contribute to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and economic viability. The website offers insights into various aspects of the aquaculture value chain such as broodstock management, hatchery operations, feed production, disease control, and waste management. It aims to promote knowledge sharing, collaboration, and the adoption of innovative solutions to support the growth and sustainability of aquaculture in Asia.
Prominent aquaculture leaders from Asia-Pacific region presented the emerging aquaculture technologies and good practices to benefit smallholder farmers and enterprises worldwide.
Network for the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives in Asia and the Pacific (NEDAC), Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences (AHAAS), China and Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, jointly organized the International Symposium on Innovative Technologies for the Sustainable Aquaculture Value Chain in Asia on Tuesday 31 May 2022 at 2 PM Bangkok Time (GMT+7) via Zoom Conference platform, which was live-streamed on the NEDAC YouTube Channel.
The Symposium aimed to highlight existing technologies and good practices of resource-efficient aquaculture to benefit smallholder farmers and cooperative enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region while developing collaborative networks among various stakeholder groups in sustainable aquaculture. The Symposium was attended by over 100 registered participants from 20 countries around the world including Bangladesh,
Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
“The Symposium provides a good communication platform for aquaculture experts to exchange aquaculture technologies/achievements. so I hope that we can cooperate to promote healthy development of the export industries in the region” said Mr. Li Zefu, Vice President of AHAAS, China during his welcome speech.