The food and agribusiness sector is a significant source of growth for the Australian economy. Currently, the sector contributes around $138 billion to the Australian economy, amounting to 7.6 per cent of the nation’s GDP. Moreover, Australia’s agriculture sector provides employment for more than 500,000 Australians and enriches the economy, society and environment in multiple ways.
That said, the challenges posed by climate change, natural disasters, digital disruption, consumer trends and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, are contributing to significant changes in the way we produce, harvest, distribute and consume food and fibre.
What are the forces likely to impact Australia’s food and agribusiness sectors going forward, and the emerging technologies that will drive improved agricultural productivity in coming decades?
Mirjana Price, Managing Director of Food Innovation Australia Ltd (FIAL); and AgriFutures MD John Harvey will explore these questions in a free, interactive Zoom webinar presented by the Queensland division of ATSE and the Agriculture and Food Forum.
The webinar will be moderated by ATSE Agriculture and Food Forum member Professor Neena Mitter.
It will run for approximately 90 minutes, with each speaker giving a 30-minute presentation followed by a 10-min Q&A session.
Speakers
Mirjana Prica
Dr Mirjana Prica is an enthusiastic visionary, focused on entrepreneurship and innovation that delivers commercial value. Currently, she leads FIAL, a national industry-led organisation established by the Department of Industry to drive innovation and business growth for around 180,000 firms in Australia’s food and agribusiness sector. Dr Prica also sits on various boards and advisory groups for cooperative research centres (including the Future Food Systems CRC) as well as universities, research and industry organisations and businesses. Here, she leverages her two decades’ research and commercial experience in food and agribusiness, including advanced materials and minerals.
John Harvey
John Harvey joined AgriFutures Australia (formerly RIRDC) in May 2016 as Managing Director, charged with setting a new, more commercial direction for the organisation. Since then, he’s helped to make AgriFutures a ‘change agent for transforming existing industries with new technologies and seeding new, high-value industries that ensure Australian agriculture continues to grow’. Prior to this appointment, Mr Harvey was with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) for 18 years, including five years as Managing Director; a Director of Australian Crop Accreditation System Limited; and a Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Value Added Wheat. He has served on the boards of Pulse Breeding Australia, Barley Breeding Australia and the National Soybean Breeding Program. He was also a member of the Australian Winter Cereals Pre-Breeding Alliance and the CRC for Plant Based Management of Dryland Salinity.
Professor Neena Mitter FTSE
Prof. Neena Mitter is Director of the Queensland Alliance of Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) Centre for Horticultural Science at UQ and of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection at University of Queensland (UQ) and an ATSE Fellow. Among her many accolades are a Women in Technology Outstanding Life Sciences Award and the Gates Grand Challenges Explorations Award. Prof. Mitter is globally renowned for her leadership of innovative technology platforms that have influenced agricultural production, environmental sustainability and the socioeconomic dynamics of farming communities: ‘Environmentally sustainable BioClay platform for crop protection’ and ‘Clonal propagation of avocado using plant stem cells’. A current focus is on developing clean technologies for the agriculture of tomorrow.
More information and registration
The webinar will be held online, via the Zoom platform. Attendance is free of charge; however, pre-registration is required.