Melanie Bateman, PhD
CAS 2 - Topic 1: Policy Considerations
CAS 2 - Topic 2: Agricultural Systems Implementation
CAS 2 - Topic 4: Gender in Agriculture Programs and Rural Advisory Services
Crop Health Advisor, CABI-Switzerland
Scientific background and interests : My job as an Integrated Crop Management Advisor entails working with farmers, extension workers, researchers, policy-makers in national governments and inter-governmental organizations and other plant protection stakeholders to develop and implement sustainable solutions to agricultural problems. I am trained as an entomologist. My research has addressed topics such as herbivore host selection, integrated pest management, insect behavior, chemical ecology, biogeography, and quantitative genetics. I have used my scientific background to aid in the development of technical responses to problems affecting agriculture and the environment. I have carried out studies and supported capacity building activities in more than 30 countries in Africa, Eastern and Central Asia, Central Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. I also have experience with policy-making at a national and international level. I have worked for the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention as well as the US government. I was involved in the development and implementation of the Masters of Advanced Studies programme on Integrated Crop Management which was jointly organised by CABI, the University of Neuchatel and the Canton of Jura. As a lecturer, I covered policy considerations related to ICM. I have also been an adviser for masters theses on policy analysis.
