In September, 2003, Langelihle Simela, who holds a M.Sc in Animal Science from the University of Zimbabwe, began a four-month assignment at FAO headquarters as a young professional with the Agricultural Department's Animal Production Service. She is a member of a team preparing a manual on good practices in the meat industry. Ms Simela recounts her experiences: "My assignment at FAO is to contribute to the preparation of a manual on good practices in the meat industry. I'm doing research into nearly every aspect of food safety in the meat industry, from the farm to the slaughterhouse to the retailer. For example, I'm reviewing international and national standards for animal feed additives, such as hormones, antibiotics and animal proteins, and compiling recommendations on what farmers should be doing to make sure these standards are met. "I'm gathering data from as many sources as possible including Codex Alimentarius, the International Office of Epizootics, FAO divisions, industry, country reports, national regulatory bodies and universities. I'm also writing a chapter on good hygienic practices at farm level for the manual. It's a very big project. "The ultimate goal of our work is to protect consumer health by giving everyone involved in the meat industry the information they need to keep meat safe. "Much of our research concerns intensive livestock production - systems that are highly industrialized and geared to mass markets. Because these systems can be closely monitored, it's possible to establish and enforce very specific meat safety standards. But our work also deals with smallholder farmers in rural areas of developing countries, where it's not possible to apply the same strict standards of control. We can only document good agricultural practices in general and recommend blanket measures to help ensure food safety. "Working on this assignment with international specialists from many fields has given me a much broader perspective on livestock production. In Zimbabwe and South Africa, my research focused on meat yield and the eating quality of meat; its taste and tenderness. Food safety is a different field, but it's certainly complementary. "For young professionals, this exposure to many different aspects of rural development can help them find out what they really want to do in their career. My training at FAO has shown me there's a lot of room for exploring the linkages between the different aspects of livestock production and improving production systems. Working in an international environment gives one hope that something can be done to help the rural poor. "From personal experience, I can see that there are many options for rural development that can be based on traditional farm practices. For example, in southern Africa, farmers often preserve meat by drying it in the sun. This process has been commercialized and dried meat, called biltong, is a popular product from the region. "In many African countries, the urban poor often can't afford to buy fresh meat at the supermarket. They buy it from vendors off the street. In the future, I'd like to investigate ways of supplying clean meat and meat products from the small-scale local producers to the urban consumers. This could help bring more money into rural communities and make meat safer and more affordable for those who are most vulnerable to hunger. Being able to apply my education and my training at FAO in this way is my dream."