Universitas Andalas Strengthens Sustainable Poultry Innovation and Global Food Security through ICPS 2026 under the EQUITY Program

Padang — Universitas Andalas, through the Faculty of Animal Science, successfully organized the International Conference of Poultry Sciences (ICPS) 2026 as part of the Enhancing Quality Education for International University Impacts and Recognition (EQUITY) Program. The international conference brought together academics, researchers, students, industry representatives, practitioners, and policymakers to strengthen scientific collaboration and explore innovative solutions for the future of sustainable poultry production.

Held on 12–13 May 2026 at the Universitas Andalas Convention Hall in Padang, ICPS 2026 carried the theme “Sustainable Poultry Development and Future Research: Integrating Science, Technology, and Policy for Global Food Security.” The conference was conducted in a hybrid format, combining onsite activities with online participation through Zoom, enabling broader engagement from national and international participants.

The conference addressed the increasingly complex challenges facing the global poultry sector, including climate change, production efficiency, animal welfare, food security, food safety, international trade, and policy development. It also highlighted the importance of integrating scientific research, technological innovation, and policy to develop poultry systems that are adaptive, efficient, competitive, and sustainable.

Particular attention was given to the potential of local poultry genetic resources in West Sumatra. The region is home to valuable indigenous poultry resources such as Kokok Balenggek chickens and several local duck breeds, including Pitalah, Bayang, Kamang, and Sikumbang Jonti ducks. These genetic resources have important adaptive, economic, and socio-cultural value and provide considerable opportunities for research in nutrition, genetics, reproduction, animal health, production management, and value-added product development.

ICPS 2026 involved participants, presenters, and speakers from 10 countries: Indonesia, Germany, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, India, Yemen, Kenya, and Iraq. The conference featured 80 scientific contributions, consisting of 43 onsite presentations and 37 online presentations, while approximately 300 onsite participants attended the event, including lecturers, students, researchers, and industry partners.

The international scientific program featured speakers from academic institutions and industry, including Prof. Dr. Ir. James Hellyward from Universitas Andalas; Dr. Temitope Alex Aloba from Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition GmbH, Germany; Faizan Rashid from Poulta Inc., Pakistan; Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Dong from Tay Do University, Vietnam; Dr. Phem Menghak from the Royal University of Agriculture, Cambodia; and Prof. Dr. Ir. Firda Arlina from Universitas Andalas.

Scientific discussions covered a wide range of topics, including poultry nutrition, genetics and breeding, animal health, feed technology, animal welfare, food safety, digital technology, precision poultry farming, poultry economics, supply chains, livestock policy, and sustainable development of local poultry resources.

The implementation of ICPS 2026 also demonstrated strong collaboration between academic institutions, government research organizations, and industry. Participating institutions included Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition GmbH & Co. KG in Germany, Poulta Inc. in Pakistan, Tay Do University in Vietnam, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, institutions from Yemen, Kenya, Iraq, and India, the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), as well as numerous Indonesian universities.

Prof. Henmaidi, S.T., M.Eng.Sc., Ph.D., Vice Rector IV of Universitas Andalas and Person in Charge of the EQUITY Program, participated in the opening of the conference together with the Faculty leadership, organizing committee, and invited speakers.

Prof. Henmaidi emphasized that the conference represents an important example of how international academic collaboration can be connected directly with sustainable development and real-world challenges.

“Through the EQUITY Program, Universitas Andalas aims to ensure that internationalization generates tangible academic and societal impact. ICPS 2026 connects research, technology, industry, and international partnerships with one of the world’s fundamental challenges: sustainable food security. For the next EQUITY period, international activities should increasingly produce measurable follow-up outcomes, including collaborative research, international publications, academic mobility, innovation, and partnerships that continue beyond the activity itself.”

He added that strengthening international networks should be accompanied by stronger mechanisms for translating academic research into solutions that can benefit communities, industries, and policymakers.

Dr. Eng. Muhammad Makky, Chair of the EQUITY Program at Universitas Andalas, highlighted the importance of viewing international conferences as starting points for long-term collaboration rather than as stand-alone activities.

“The next phase of EQUITY should focus even more strongly on sustainability of impact. International conferences such as ICPS should become platforms for creating new research consortia, joint publications, academic exchanges, innovation projects, and partnerships with industry and government. We need to be able to follow each activity beyond the event itself and demonstrate what new collaborations, knowledge, technologies, and societal benefits are generated.”

Makky noted that the subject of ICPS is strongly aligned with several Sustainable Development Goals. Research and innovation in poultry production can contribute directly to SDG 2 on Zero Hunger by strengthening food and nutrition security, while food safety and animal health research support SDG 3 on Good Health and Well-being. International scientific exchange and researcher development reinforce SDG 4 on Quality Education, while technological innovation and collaboration with industry contribute to SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

Sustainable feed development, efficient use of agricultural by-products, waste valorization, and improved production efficiency can also contribute to SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production. Research addressing heat stress, climate-resilient poultry systems, and resource efficiency supports SDG 13 on Climate Action, while international research and industry networks reinforce SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ir. Kusnadidi Subekti, S.Pt., M.P., IPM, Chair of the ICPS 2026 Organizing Committee, highlighted the importance of maintaining the scientific networks established during the conference. The final activity report identifies Kusnadidi Subekti as the Chair of the Organizing Committee.

“ICPS 2026 demonstrated that poultry science requires increasingly interdisciplinary and international collaboration. The participation of researchers, universities, research institutions, and industry from different countries created valuable opportunities to exchange knowledge and identify common research interests. The next challenge is to ensure that these discussions are followed by concrete collaboration in research, scientific publications, academic exchange, and innovation.”

He added that the conference also provided an important opportunity to bring local poultry resources into international scientific discussions, allowing indigenous genetic resources from West Sumatra to be explored through modern approaches in genetics, nutrition, reproduction, animal health, and production technology.

The conference’s parallel sessions demonstrated the breadth of contemporary poultry research. Scientific contributions included studies on natural and alternative feed additives, fermented agricultural by-products, poultry genetics, local chicken and duck breeds, food safety, disease and biosecurity, precision nutrition, supply-chain resilience, climate adaptation, and sustainable poultry production. The sessions also included research specifically related to Kokok Balenggek chickens and other Indonesian poultry genetic resources.

ICPS 2026 also created opportunities for international research and institutional cooperation. The activity report notes that the conference successfully strengthened academic networks and provided opportunities for future collaboration in research, international publications, academic exchange, and poultry innovation.

Looking toward a future EQUITY period, several areas can be further strengthened. First, international conferences could include measurable SDG indicators and follow-up targets from the proposal stage. Rather than evaluating activities primarily through participation figures, future programs could also track joint publications, new international research proposals, visiting researchers, student mobility, industry collaborations, technologies developed, policy recommendations, and partnerships that remain active six to twelve months after the activity.

Second, the involvement of industry and government could be expanded so that research findings are more systematically translated into practical solutions. In the context of poultry science, this could include collaborative development of alternative feeds, animal health technologies, precision farming systems, local poultry breeding programs, climate-resilient production models, food safety systems, and technologies for processing livestock products.

Third, future EQUITY-supported conferences could strengthen publication management through early selection of publication partners, structured manuscript mentoring, internal scientific review, and clear post-conference publication timelines. This would help translate conference presentations into internationally visible research outputs.

Fourth, greater attention could be given to research that links scientific innovation with local communities and smallholder farmers. This would allow international collaboration to contribute more directly to household income, rural livelihoods, food affordability, local genetic-resource conservation, and resilient agricultural systems, thereby broadening the contribution of EQUITY to SDGs 1, 2, 8, 10, 12, and 13.

Through ICPS 2026, Universitas Andalas has demonstrated how international scientific collaboration can contribute to the transformation of the poultry sector while supporting food security, research excellence, innovation, and sustainable development. By strengthening long-term research partnerships, international publications, technology transfer, industry engagement, and measurable SDG-oriented impact, future EQUITY initiatives have the potential to extend these benefits from academic forums into meaningful solutions for communities, industry, and society.

This activity is funded by the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) on behalf of the Indonesian Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology and managed under the EQUITY Program (Contract No.4304/B3/DT.03.08/2025).