News & Announcements

KVASU will facilitate Healthy Food from Healthy Animals with World University Network; WUN Workshop will be held at Wayanad from 27th to 29th May 2013

                               Considering the global concern on “adapting to climate change”, with the immediate strategic objective of safeguarding food security for the growing human population predicted to reach 9 billion by 2050 a network of the following Universities like University of Bristol, UK, Leeds University, UK, Penn State University, USA, University of Western Australia and Zhejiang University, China under the domain Worldwide Universities Network.KVASU is a participating group in this network along with Rothamsted Research North Wyke Farm Platform, UK. As part of the same Worldwide Universities Network workshop on Global Sustainable Farming Systems will be held at Vythiri Village, Wayanad from 27th to 29th May 2013. The WUN workshop will focus issues on clean green and ethical farming, organic farming, food safety and climate change. A precursor workshop was held on 13th May 2013 at KVASU Mannuthy campus to finalize the KVASU strategies in this regard.
                            Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) is a conglomeration of 19 research-intensive institutions spanning 6 continents. Its mission is to be one of the leading international Higher Education network, collaborating to accelerate the creation of knowledge and to develop leaders who will be prepared to address the significant challenges and opportunities of our rapidly changing word. It is a flexible, dynamic organization to create multilateral opportunities for international collaboration in research and education.This network has the programme of “Ensuring Sustainable and Responsible Production of Healthy Food from Healthy Animals” with a main objective of safeguarding food security for the growing human population and to ensure a moderate consumption of high quality animal products by people all over the world by around 2050. It's aim is to study on integrated and sustainable farming systems which incorporate utilization of crop residues by animals, nutrient cycling (i.e utilization of animal wastes) to minimize use of artificial fertilizers and to reduce green house gas emission. Moreover this programme focuses on “One Health”, i.e., interactions among human, animal and ecosystem health. This helps in minimizing metabolic diseases, infertility and zoonotic diseases in animals, which in turn reduces infections and food poisoning outbreaks in man, thus improving the general health. Emphasis will be given to scale down intensive farming and to promote livestock rearing on pastures, which improves the nutritive value and palatability of foods from animals and helps in better management of ecosystem.
                                    The programme will study three farms in disparate locations and ecosystems-Rothamstead Research’s North Wyke Farm to research key issues in beef and sheep production, 1600-hectare farm near Pingelly, Western Australia to develop a mixed enterprise for cropping, animal, environmental footprint and ecosystem and biodiversity management and Thiruvazhamkunnu Farm (Silent Valley Farm) under KVASU to study on the effects of climate change on animal production. Based on the study, researchers will compile a global assemblage of data, analyses and ideas that will ensure the best practice for ensuring sustainable and responsible production of healthy food from healthy animals.