More DPIRD funding for export-focused WA food producersWA producers of honey, olive oil, free-range pork and seafood were among the latest recipients of DPIRD’s International Competitiveness Co-Investment Fund grants.
Hort Innovation-AUSVEG-QDAF pilot shows fresh produce could be sea-freightedNew controlled-atmosphere tech shown to double the shelf life of sea-freighted fresh veg could give Australia's horticulture exporters an edge amid pandemic-fuelled air-freight price hikes.
Government greenlights phased pilot program to return international students to NSW universities by year’s endA committee led by WSU Vice-Chancellor Barney Glover has helped get NSW Government support for a pilot program that will bring 500 international students to the state's universities by early December.
Coles and Woolworths move to robot warehouses and on-demand labour as home deliveries soarBoth Coles and Woolworths have raced to implement new technology and change labour arrangements to keep pace with a boom in e-commerce, investing in 'smart' warehousing and distribution systems and using app-driven gig workers for grocery picking and delivery.
RDA ACT establishes Canberra Region Food CollaborativeRegional Development Australia ACT calls it ‘a complete re-conception of a City-Region Food System’. The primary objective of the just-launched Canberra Region Food Collaborative is to source more food locally and sustainably.
5 global megatrends set to shape our agrifood futureA new report from ABARES details global megatrends set to shape the future of our nation's agriculture sector – from data-driven disruption to dramatic climate change.
Round 1 of Modern Manufacturing Initiative funding open for food & beverage firmsAustralian food and beverage manufacturing firms have just four weeks to apply for grants under Round 1 of the federal government's Modern Manufacturing Initiative to help them scale up, employ and export. So act fast!
Australia ripe for a regional renaissance, says NFFThe time is right for a coordinated effort to bolster resilience in our regions and invest in their strengths, contends the National Farmers’ Federation, which released its Regionalisation Agenda paper this week.
Meet Wen Hu: IoT expertFor UNSW Associate Professor and networked embedded sensor expert Wen Hu, automated farms supplying ‘smart cities’ with premium fresh food are the way of the future. And IoT systems are paving the way to this new, networked reality.
ANPC and Bruker patent fast new way to detect COVID-19 infectionResearchers at Murdoch University's ANPC and Bruker have filed a patent on a fast new way to detect COVID-19 infection: testing for SARS-covid-2's biological 'fingerprint’.
Ripe for donation: 58-plus tonnes of trial fruit and veg nets NVPCC research team AIH awardResearchers from the National Vegetable Protected Cropping Centre at Western Sydney University have netted an Award of Merit from the Australian Institute for Horticulture for donating their glasshouse-grown produce to those in need.
IoT for indoor cropping project forges ahead after lab lockdown liftsThe ‘IoT for indoor cropping’ project under the CRC’s Research Program 2 has commenced after a months-long delay due to COVID-19-related lab closures. Now, the first trials are underway at WSU’s newly opened experimental glasshouse facility, reports project lead and UNSW Associate Professor Wen Hu. A collaboration between industry partner WBS Tech and researchers at…
UNSW Professor Sami Kara: agrifood supply chains and the ‘bullwhip effect’Inefficiencies in supply chains are exacerbated by disruptions to demand, such as the recent panic buying at supermarkets worldwide following COVID-19-related shutdown announcements. UNSW’s Professor Sami Kara explains how the ‘bullwhip effect’ typically resulting from sudden changes in demand impacts siloed agrifood supply chains – and how taking a systems approach to streamlining supply chains…
Safety, streamlining and scaling up: Sprout Stack pivots to a new normalIt’s business not-quite-as-usual under COVID-19 restrictions, but Sydney-based start-up Sprout Stack is adapting to the new normal with increased hygiene and safety protocols and forward-looking ‘remote’ research.
