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PR, IFPRI3; ISI; 1 Fostering Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food Supply; CRP4, A4NH, CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), The emergence of COVID-19 has drawn the attention of health researchers sharply back to the role that food systems can play in generating human disease burden. But emerging pandemic threats are just one dimension of the complex relationship between agriculture and infectious disease, which is evolving rapidly, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) that are undergoing rapid food system transformation. We examine this changing relationship through four current disease issues. The first is that greater investment in irrigation to improve national food security raises risks of vector-borne disease, which we illustrate with the case of malaria and rice in Africa. The second is that the intensification of livestock production in LMICs brings risks of zoonotic diseases like cysticercosis, which need to be managed as consumer demand grows. The third is that the nutritional benefits of increasing supply of fresh vegetables, fruit, and animal-sourced foods in markets in LMICs pose new food-borne disease risks, which might undermine supply. The fourth issue is that the potential human health risks of antimicrobial resistance from agriculture are intensified by changing livestock production. For each disease issue, we explore how food system transition is creating unintentional infectious disease risks, and what solutions might exist for these problems. We show that successfully addressing all of these challenges requires a coordinated approach between public health and agricultural sectors, recognising the costs and benefits of disease-reducing interventions to both, and seeking win–win solutions that are most likely to attract broad policy support and uptake by food systems.

[EN] Providing higher education students with opportunities to participate in peer-review feedback activities may facilitate interaction between students and enhance academic skills. Such activities are reported to help students transition from passive to active learners whilst increasing social connectedness and developing employability skills. This research aimed to evaluate student perceptions of a peer-review of assessment process offered in an undergraduate Health Science unit at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, and their subsequent unit satisfaction. Before students began the peer-review process, a sample assignment was used to coach them on how to provide constructive feedback. They subsequently prepared a draft of their assignment for peer-review, and then reviewed the work of another student. Pre- and post-surveys were administered to assess students’ perceptions about the usefulness of the peer-review activity. Thirty-two students completed the pre-survey wherein 94% (n=30) reported the peer-review coaching helped them prepare their own assignment and 85% (n=27) reported learning how to provide constructive written feedback. Twenty-one students completed the post-survey, 76% (n=16), reporting they modified their own assignment as an outcome of their peer-review participation. Many respondents also reported improvements in their critical thinking (76%; n=16) and written communication skills (62%; n=13). Overall unit satisfaction increased exponentially.

© 2020, University of Wollongong. All rights reserved. Communities of Practice are an increasingly common tool used to support novice academics in higher education settings. Initiated in 2015 at a Western Australian University, TLABs is an acronym for ‘Teaching and Learning for Level A and B’ academic staff and was designed to build a community of practice to mentor junior academics; help them develop their teaching skills; and enhance academic careers. The paper describes the nature of TLABs; how it is experienced from the perspective of participants and provides recommendations for implementing a successful teaching and learning community of practice in a higher education setting.

Non-PR, IFPRI1; CRP4; 1 Fostering Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food Supply; 2 Promoting Healthy Diets and Nutrition for all; 3 Building Inclusive and Efficient Markets, Trade Systems, and Food Industry; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economies, A4NH, CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), Human health is a fundamental feature of sustainable agricultural intensification. Agricultural intensification that increases the burden of human disease, however environmentally benign, is not sustainable. Conversely, sustainable agricultural methods provide specific opportunities for improving human health. The intensification of food systems in low- and middle income countries (LMIC), as they transition from subsistence to market-oriented production, is typically associated with human health risks. Some health risks are associated with the initial stages of intensification, for example, concentration of livestock production and animal waste in peri-urban areas. Inputs associated with this intensification, including fertilizers, pesticides, and antibiotics, can have negative effects on farmers’ health, clean water, and resistance in pathogens and vectors. In rapidly intensifying agricultural systems, regulatory processes that limit the use of harmful products and their residues in water and food may not be in place. Therefore, LMIC face a particular challenge to “de-risk” agricultural intensification, through technical and policy-related interventions that reduce health risks in transitioning agricultural systems.