Allen Mchugh Email & Phone Number

Warmun, Western Australia, Australia

Krabi, Krabi, Thailand

I am providing professional consultancy services in agroecological-related and business development throughout Asia (China, Iran, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Bangladesh) An advocate of regenerative agriculture and appropriate business models and products.Performance evaluation of international development projects and staff.We are building agricultural public-private sector partnerships and carbon-positive rural ecosystems.Speaker at international forums, conferences and workshops.Mentor and preceptor to carbon-positive agricultural systems researchers, trainers and farmers.Achievements;2019–2020 Build Back Better Foundation Dhaka, Bangladesh. Scoping study and project development climate-resilient agricultural innovation communities2020–2022 Bangladesh Biochar Initiative. Consulting on agroecology, cookstoves and biochar product development and scalability.2023 Consultant and co-author for FAO's Assessment Report for Climate Resilient Agriculture for Transformative Ecosystem Concept Note for submission to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh

Leading USAID research for development program and managing technical teams of 42 researchers/agronomists, technicians and engineers, plus five partner NGOs and business development entrepreneurs and trainers, to deliver Market system change, Conservation Agriculture (CA), MSME engineering capacity development, access to advanced forms of financing, CA mechanization demand creation, value chain development and stakeholder training, and youth workforce development through capacity building of private sector trainers. I built R&D innovation hubs in 4 major rural centres, created a network of 3700 farm mechanization service providers, and created relevant value chains and jobs, enabling small businesses and market opportunities. I created a refugee host community climate-smart agricultural production development activity, researching the feasibility of alternate crops under CA and local farmer markets. I liaised with the donors, conducted all technical and financial reporting and proposal development, and authorized all internal and external communications. I travelled extensively in China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, building networks and advising on business models and products suited to sustainable agroecological MSMEs and farmers.

Yinchuan City, Ningxia, Pr China

I introduced and delivered R4D of nature-based solutions to resource-poor farmers through technical teams from academies, universities, the private sector, and government organs in the under-developed provinces of western and northeastern China. Building extensive networks, I focused on resource conservation, soil health, halting desertification, and changed agroecological and mechanisation business models and market systems. I led and conducted public-private sector training and farmer field schools on improved farming systems and the design and utilisation of appropriate mechanisation and monitoring systems. Engaged Chinese universities and academies to develop training materials, research capacity and laboratory facilities, and mentored students and researchers in climate-smart farming systems and improved soil health. I conducted and catalysed collaborative research activities with soil scientists and agronomists. I developed proposals and scientific articles involving national and international scientists and public and private sectors across three agroecological zones in China. I participated in partnership and business model development with the private sector and government officials at county, provincial and state levels to promote conservation agriculture, soil health and other nature-based solutions. I presented research and behavioural change concepts at numerous provincial and national events and as a guest lecturer at all major agriculture universities in China, including short-term lecturing in farming system mechanisation at the Nanjing Agricultural University. I am an Honorary Professor at Ningxia Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, China and Tianjin Agricultural Universities and a Foreign Expert and Special Advisor at the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Gansu Agricultural University with considerable networks (including WeChat groups) amongst soil scientists, agronomists and agricultural engineers.

2002 Neighbourhood Catchments NRM Extension - project review – Emerald, Australia.2003 Purga Elders Aboriginal Corporation – Conservation workshop – Purga, Australia2003 Scoping study and workshop for CA Scaling in North-western China.2004 Partner development and site selection for CA Scaling in China2005 ACIAR Conservation and water resources support. Indonesia2006 ACIAR. Conservation and water resources support. Indonesia2008 Institut de l’Agriculture Durable Ltd and Silsoe Research Institute. Introduction to CA - Paris and Bedford, England.2009 ACIAR and USQ - Dubai. Natural Resource project development workshop for Pakistan.2011 ACIAR- Water Resources Management Workshop - Egypt.2012 CA mechanisation development of EMAMI Biotech Farm, ICRISAT Tamal Nadu, India2013 ACIAR-China. Conservation Agriculture Scaling in China - Project Review2014 First Nation People's and Sydney Water Extension Officers - Water Infrastructure Workshop –Toomelah Mission.2015 Ministry of Agriculture Jahad Iran. Assessment of resource conservation, farm machinery manufacturing and workshops.2017 ACIAR-Bangladesh. Overcoming constraints to business development and adoption of CA.2019 Chinthaka Pvt. Consultant. Business case for ecotourism project development. Sri Lanka.2019 Horizon 2020 EU-China. The University of Lapland and Chinese consortium - Concept Note development SFS-40-2020 - Chengdu.August 2019 (90d) Build Back Better Foundation Bangladesh—scoping workshop climate-resilient agricultural innovation communities.December 2020 (210d) Bangladesh Biochar Initiative. Consulting on agroecology, environmental assets, waste streams, and scalability.May 2023 (10d). Pre-feasibility assessment for FAO's Climate Resilient Agriculture for Transformative Ecosystems concept note to GCF in Bangladesh.September 2023 (4d). Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China. Virtual workshop on "Regenerative Agriculture: A Path to Sustainable Agri-Food Systems".

Toowoomba, Australia

I led several R&D projects and managed technical teams, extension officers, and public-private sector partners within climate change adaptation, natural resource management, and agricultural bio-systems engineering thematic areas. I deliver projects related to production efficiencies, monitoring systems and behavioural change in horticultural and agricultural farming systems. Internationally, I presented at conferences and conducted training and implementation of nature-based solutions for food production systems in the UK, France, China, Egypt, India and Indonesia. My work in Australia primarily focused on strategy for innovation and design of digital tools for the private sector, followed by piloting and market development of tools for the Cotton, Horticulture, Dairy and Mining Industries. I had a long association as a project leader, scientist and research engineer with the Australian Cotton Industry, the China Agricultural University's MOA Conservation Tillage Research Center, the Queensland Government's Rural Water Use Efficiency Extension program, the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Irrigation Futures and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. I trained and supervised staff and assessed performance in training and knowledge delivery. I delivered lectures and tutoring in soil sciences, instrumentation and project design. I remain a Senior Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Southern Queensland, where I have strong networks with domestic and international soil scientists.

Gansu Province, Pr China

Project Director of the ACIAR R&D project "Promotion of Conservation Agriculture" in the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, PR China. This project was based on applying a nature-based solution such as conservation agriculture (CA) to save water, improve soil health, and reduce potential desertification and climate change impacts. It was also designed to R&D appropriate conservation machinery and change private sector business models in machinery manufacturing and marketing. Social behavioural change through community engagement and capacity building included supporting manufacturers and farmers, farmer field schools, researcher mentoring, demonstrations of monitoring and measurement of CA responses (soil assessments, water balance, field monitoring systems design), participatory activities in machinery design and comparative field operations. I designed and delivered Train of Trainer courses (CA, soils, ag machinery design and management) to over 160 technicians, 45 researchers, civil society and government officials. Course elements were conducted in Australia, in various Chinese provinces, and in major cities and demonstration sites in Gansu Province. The RD&E resulted in 2000 farmers with advanced water and soil conservation skills and available farm machinery many years ahead of current practices. Key achievements included the establishment of an alternate farming system to adapt to climate change which contributed to China's environmental policy changes, a network of CA extensionists, joint research facilities, collaborative private sector partnerships and market system, and an effective working relationship between government bureaus, universities, academies and the private sector (manufacturers, suppliers and farmers), which at the time was rare.

Emerald, Central Queensland

In partnership with the private sector (irrigation products) and local farmers, I conducted research, development and extension on water use efficiency, off-site movement of soil and groundwater impacts in irrigated cotton production on heavy clay soils. I designed, built and installed a vast array of automated soil, water, runoff, and weather monitoring systems to demonstrate the effectiveness of subsurface irrigation technology and develop the product market system. I managed technical teams, conducted training of technicians, farmers, and extension officers, and mentored post-graduate students in soil measurements, irrigation scheduling, and sub-surface drip irrigation. I established soil measurement facilities and tested equipment, mathematical models and methodologies related to soil drainage and water loss. Collaborated with area-wide management teams on ecological-based adaption (EbA) and farmer adaption and conducted joint intra-government and private-sector natural resource management extension activities and training events. I also promoted the irrigation product widely in eastern Australia and presented research and marketing results to colleagues at state and international conferences in Yangling, PR China.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Regeneration Of Agricultural Soils

After implementing conservation agriculture under a controlled traffic farming system, I researched the regeneration of degraded.

B. App. Sc., Horticultural Technology, First Class Honours

I majored in horticultural mechanization and production systems. I was a manager at an extensive mango orchard, a horticulturist.

Associate Diploma In Engineering (Maintenance), Mechanical Engineering/Vehicles