Researchers from the Griffith Asia Institute (GAI) have teamed up with the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to pilot the Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) Framework in Indonesia.
GBADs is a global health initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which aims to create a standardised platform for collecting and sharing epidemiological and economic data that will be used to assess the overall societal cost of livestock diseases in different production systems around the world.
The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has supported the Indonesian case study with the intention of gathering information to assist improved prioritisation of resource allocation for animal health, centred on the needs of small holder farmers in Indonesia.
Dominic Smith receiving a commemorative plaque from Dr Indi Dharmayanti of the Organisation of Health.
GAI members will lead a needs assessment for GBADs products, an analysis of current livestock and animal health policies in Indonesia, and an assessment of social and cultural impacts of animal disease in production systems.
Griffith University’s Associate Professor Dominic Smith is the Australian team lead for policy and social analysis on the project.
“Livestock health plays a fundamental role in societal wellbeing,” Associate Professor Smith said.
“Diseased livestock are not just a burden on the economy, they also have hugely negative impacts on the natural environment and on human health.
“The GBADs framework provides us with a method of undertaking more accurate impact assessments that will directly inform policy makers on where their resources would be best allocated.”
Associate Professor Smith travelled to Indonesia with project leader, Dr Dianne Mayberry from CSIRO, to meet with research partners and conduct pilot activities for the project.
“We were able to successfully test our key informant interviews for our upcoming animal health policy analysis and GBADs needs assessment,” Associate Professor Smith said.
“The whole process was incredibly valuable in helping us redesign our interviews and refine our interviewee list, prior to implementation.”
The team have been busy preparing for the analysis and will begin conducting activities in January 2023.
