Dr. Matthias Halwart has been appointed Fishery Resources Officer (Aquaculture) in the Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service (FIRI) at FAO HQ effective 1 September 1999.

Dr. Halwart brings with him many years of experience on aquaculture and farming systems development. From 1990 to 1994, he co-ordinated and implemented a joint research project among the Freshwater Aquaculture Center (FAC), the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM), and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on the potential of fish as biocontrol agents in rice in the Philippines. From 1995 to early 1999, he worked with FIRI, first as Associate Professional Officer with focus on aquaculture in integrated farming systems, and later as consultant on diverse aspects of small-scale aquaculture, including backstopping missions for projects in Malaysia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. To meet the interdisciplinary demands of his work at FAO, Dr. Halwart forged collaborative links and carried out joint activities with colleagues from irrigation, farming systems and integrated pest management, both within and outside FAO. Prior to joining FIRI, he held a teaching position as Visiting Faculty in the School of Environment, Resources and Development at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand.

Dr. Halwart`s technical responsibilities in FIRI will focus largely on small-scale rural aquaculture techniques and systems, and on integrated aquaculture-agriculture production systems, including integrated irrigation and aquaculture activities.