Training award to build ties between Deakin and Bangladesh

Associate Professor Abu Noman Faruq Ahmmed from the Department of Plant Pathology at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in Bangladesh is the recipient of a highly regarded Crawford Fund Training Award and will be working within Deakin’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences.

Supervised by Professor David Cahill from the school, Professor Ahmmed’s training program at the Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus will span over 5 weeks and will be focussed on the isolation and molecular analysis of seed borne rice pathogens.

Rice is the staple food for the 170 million people of Bangladesh. In the last decade, high yielding hybrid rice was introduced to fulfil an increasing demand for nutritious food. Seed borne fungal and bacterial pathogens are present which threaten both food security and sustainable agriculture. The early and accurate identification of these pathogens in imported hybrid rice is extremely important for farmers and food security in general.

After successful completion of the training program, Professor Ahmmed will have obtained high-level knowledge of advanced approaches for the identification of seed borne pathogens. The program will also enhance his practical knowledge and research skills which will be used for the benefit of undergraduate and postgraduate students at his home university.

The Crawford Fund Fellowship was established in 2002 with the aim to provide further training of a scientist in agriculture, fisheries or forestry from a selected group of developing countries. The Fund believes that international agricultural research delivers a wide range of benefits to Australian agriculture and holds the key to alleviating rural poverty in developing countries.

In future, the School of Life and Environmental sciences has plans for further collaborative research between Deakin and Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Bangladesh.