GAHP's Participation At DEFRA EPP End Of Year Two Annual Conference

From 14th-16th May, GAHP joined the Environmental Pollution Programme (EPP) End of Year Two Conference organized by DEFRA in York. The event showcased notable progress within the program across Vietnam and South Africa projects.

Three mornings were dedicated to insightful presentations, lively discussions, and networking opportunities. Over 50 attendees from various organizations participated throughout the week, from across the UK government, GAHP, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, in-country partners and others.

Sixteen presentations were shared, covering various topics from delivery partners and in-country collaborators.

The conference commenced with opening remarks from Gabrielle Edwards, the Environmental Quality Director at Defra, with facilitation led by Becky Stephenson - ODA Environmental Pollution Programme Responsible Owner.

The conference commenced with opening remarks from Gabrielle Edwards, the Environmental Quality Director at Defra, with facilitation led by Becky Stephenson - ODA Environmental Pollution Programme Responsible Owner.

The conference then started with an overview of the Vietnam and South Africa projects. GAHP Senior Program Manager Lucile Okio and GAHP Regional Coordinator Dr Petr Sharov presented the project updates on Vietnam. By the end of the second year, the project team had completed the national assessment of open burning in the field.

Such an assessment was carried out for the first time using remote sensing methods. The assessment confirmed that the problem of burning rice straw in the fields remains significant and has not decreased over time despite existing bans on open burning practices. Over 500 thousand hectares are burned in Vietnam every year.

The assessment results showed that remote sensing methods could be used to monitor open burning and assess its impacts on health and climate. GAHP partners - Rainforest Alliance and VACNE shared some more project details about monitoring the use of pesticides by farmers in Vietnam, ongoing education and training of farmers and students, and field studies of some alternatives to open burning.