Dr Brett Nietschke, Agricultural scientist - Vietnam

Inspecting test plants in the experimental screen-house Dr Brett Nietschke, with a doctorate in Agricultural Science and several years of practical experience in weed management, volunteered to go to Vietnam as an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development. Brett and his Vietnamese colleagues at the National Institute of Plant Protection in the village of Tu Liem are developing a weed-eating fungus to destroy the insidious weed known as barnyard grass. If the project is successful, the environmentally friendly solution to a difficult problem will assist not only Vietnamese farmers but also Australian farmers affected by the weed. There will be less reliance on chemicals and a higher production of rice, thereby reducing poverty and the country's reliance on overseas aid. "In general the quality of the facilities are very different to what we've got at home. In the department I'm in, for example, there are 25 people, but we've only got one computer and one email address for the 25 staff. The equipment we've received through Australian funding has certainly been valuable, particularly the laboratory equipment and data loggers. I've grown professionally and personally. For me it's been an absolutely magnificent experience - I would recommend it to anyone."