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Julien Brewster
Regional Director, Mekong
Julien Brewster is a seasoned market systems and private sector development practitioner with over ten years of experience in offering managerial and technical support to international development programs across various regions such as South East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
His academic background and professional expertise lie in agricultural economics, agribusiness, market systems and value chain development, entrepreneurship, skills development and employment, renewable energy, project management, as well as monitoring and results measurement.
Julien pursued a B.A. in Arts with a focus on Political Science and a Bachelor's degree in Natural Resource Economics with Honours in Economics at The University of Queensland.
During his career, he held key positions such as Country Director and Market Development Expert at HEKS - Hilfswerk der Evangelischen Kirchen Schweiz. Additionally, he served as the Market Systems Advisor and Livelihoods and Environment Programme Manager at People in Need. Julien also contributed as a Consultant for Pact under the USAID-funded Mekong Partnership for the Environment (MPE) Project, and in roles like Natural Resource Management Advisor at Pact, and Agricultural and Environmental Technical Trainer at the Maddox Jolie Pitt Foundation (MJP).
Highlights
I'm pleased to share key recommendations and the report from a recent survey of 180 farmers in Battambang Province, Cambodia, led by Dr. Bob Martin from Agricultural Systems Research, a partner under the Nurturing Climate Resilience Project. The survey offers valuable insights into how climate change is affecting smallholder farmers and suggests measures to enhance their resilience. These insights are timely given this year's excessive heat in the region and are relevant to practitioners working to support climate-resilient agriculture.
🌱Farmers are experiencing the impacts of climate change, yet adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) remains limited: More than 90 percent of farmers feel climate change threatens their crop production and that declining soil fertility is reducing their yields. Although CA practices like reduced tillage, crop residue retention, and crop rotation can help, more than half of the farmer’s surveyed doubt these practices will improve yields. This shows despite over 20 years of successful CA research in Cambodia, trust and adoption amongst farmers remains low.
🌱 Farmers need help understanding rainfall patterns: The survey showed farmers are misjudging rainfall patterns, overestimating rain in January to March and underestimating it from October to December. They also said March, April, and May are hardest hit by rising temperatures. These combined impacts mean January to April is becoming increasingly hostile to crop production. Farmers need guidance to understand changing rainfall patterns.
🌱 Changing climatic patterns impact crop selection and irrigation: It’s crucial to reconsider the use of irrigation water during February to April, due to heightened temperatures, particularly for water intensive crops like rice. Irrigating during this period risks water loss and reduced crop potential. Less water-intensive crops like vegetables should be considered. Strategic irrigation management and empowerment of farmer water user groups is essential to maximize productivity and mitigate climate impacts.
🌱 Demonstrations of CA practices needed to further drive adoption: The survey showed that many farmers are still sceptical about the benefits of CA. Supporting farmer field schools and village-based demonstrations can showcase the tangible benefits of CA, encouraging adoption. Greater integration of CA principles into Cambodia's climate change strategy and policies will further enhance these efforts.
🌱 Input sellers as the main source of technical advice: The survey found farmers rely primarily on input sellers for technical advice, particularly on disease and pest management. This reliance often leads to overuse of chemical pesticides. To promote practices like Integrated Pest Management and biological inputs, that benefit both farmers and the ecosystem, interventions must engage with existing input supply chain actors.
#ClimateResilientAgriculture #ClimateResilience #BattambangProvince
Passionate about combating climate change and empowering communities? We’re seeking a Team Leader for the flagship Nurturing Climate Resilience (Nurture) project in Cambodia. The project, implemented by HEKS/EPER and Caritas CH, focuses on agroecology and improved water governance. Interesting project and a great team! Apply via the link below. Further details on the project also here https://lnkd.in/gp3B8ACB
#ClimateResilience #JobOpening https://lnkd.in/gFH5Q_aM
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Mesh offers several powerful features including:
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Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
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