Managing risk in emerging pork markets: an international South-South symposium

On 23-25 April 2012, researchers and development actors from the pig sectors of Southeast Asia and East Africa gathered in Hanoi, Vietnam for an international South-South symposium on managing risk in emerging pork markets. The meeting also discussed new developments in managing food safety and biosecurity in the informal pig sector.The workshop, organized by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in conjunction with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), saw government ministry representatives, scientists and specialists in pig health, animal health, public health, economics and ecology, discuss their research on public health innovations and how they can be best implemented through the CGIAR Research Programs on livestock and fish and agriculture for improved nutrition and health.These two programs have identified improvements in pork production, productivity and safety in the smallholder-dominated pig markets of Vietnam, Uganda and the northeast Indian state of Nagaland as initial areas of focus. With pig markets in the three locations heavily weighted towards smallholder producers, the workshop paid particular attention to the challenges facing the informal pig sector.