Australia's food security in a regional context
A hybrid workshop exploring Australia's role and challenges in delivering national and regional food security.
Australia's food security in a regional context— defining the problem, exploring solutions, and strengthening partnerships.
Australia's food security is under growing strategic scrutiny, yet significant gaps remain in understanding its true nature, scale, and the policy options available to address it.
This hybrid workshop, convened by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) Agriculture and Food Forum, and ACT Division, with support from CSIRO, the Crawford Fund and ACIAR (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research) brings together researchers, policymakers, industry and young professionals to examine three critical questions:
- Does Australia have a food security problem, and what is its nature?
- What are Australia's aspirations and role in Australian and regional food security?
- And what politically feasible policy levers exist to address food insecurity?
The workshop will take place over two half-days, with the first day focused on setting the scene and defining the key challenges, followed by a second day dedicated to exploring practical solutions and developing actionable outcomes.
Held immediately following the Crawford Fund's Food Security 2026 Conference (10–11 August), this workshop is designed to build on that momentum, situating Australia's domestic food security within the broader context of regional R&D partnerships and international collaboration.
Register now to secure your place at this timely and important conversation.
Speakers
Chief Research Scientist CSIRO
Dr Andy Sheppard’s scientific and technical reputation and academic achievements are in biosecurity, invasion ecology, biological control and risk analysis. Since 2006 has been a CSIRO Research leader of three different CSIRO programs on plant, animal and environmental biosecurity and terrestrial biodiversity management. He was Research Director in the CSIRO Health & Biosecurity business unit from 2015-2021. He is the non-residential Director of CSIRO’s European Laboratory in Montpellier since 2002. Current primary role is a secondment into the Commonwealth Department Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry as Co-Executive Director of DAFF-CSIRO Catalysing Australia's Biosecurity Initiative after instigating this partnership across both agencies. This $50-$100M Mission launched in early 2024.
He serves on a number of boards/advisory committees including the Governing Board and the Scientific Advisory Body for the OECD Cooperative Research Programme, the Federal Government National Biosecurity Committee, the Federal Government Threatened Species Scientific Committee and the CSIRO Centre of Australian National Biodiversity Research. He has led a portfolio of research projects in weed and pest and invasive species management based on Australia, South Africa and France. He was elected to the Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering in 2019 and International Fellow of the Académie d'Agriculture de France in 2020.
He serves on a number of boards/advisory committees including the Governing Board and the Scientific Advisory Body for the OECD Cooperative Research Programme, the Federal Government National Biosecurity Committee, the Federal Government Threatened Species Scientific Committee and the CSIRO Centre of Australian National Biodiversity Research. He has led a portfolio of research projects in weed and pest and invasive species management based on Australia, South Africa and France. He was elected to the Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering in 2019 and International Fellow of the Académie d'Agriculture de France in 2020.
FTSE
Dr Helen Cleugh is an atmospheric scientist, working in CSIRO until 2020. She is now an Honorary Professor at ANU, and former Vice Chair of the World Climate Research Programme. In 2017, Dr Cleugh became the inaugural Director of CSIRO's Climate Science Centre, after leading CSIRO’s climate and atmospheric research for over a decade. She built collaborations nationally, including national research infrastructure for ecosystem observations (NCRIS TERN and OzFlux) and Earth System Models (ACCESS-NRI). Her research explores the influence of land-air interactions on climate, carbon uptake and water availability – providing data, information and knowledge for resource managers, decision and policymakers.
FTSE
Professor John Dixon is recognised internationally as a leading advocate of international agricultural research and its benefits to developing country farmers, as well as to Australia. For four decades he has worked in the field helping smallholder farmers increase their productivity, quality and sustainability through farming systems research and development, sustainable intensification and diversification and innovation systems, and at the same time being instrumental in policy changes at the highest levels of global agricultural institutions.
Chief Executive, Crawford Fund for Food Security
Shaun Coffey is Chief Executive of the Crawford Fund for Food Security, an Australian non-profit advancing international agricultural research and capacity building to address global food and nutrition challenges. A systems thinker and leadership educator, Shaun brings decades of experience across government, research, and the private sector. He champions co-design, inclusive development, and ethical governance. At the Crawford Fund, he has launched the Global Research Leadership Collective and new advocacy frameworks to strengthen Australia's role in global food systems. Shaun writes regularly on connected leadership, improvisation, and the practice of leading with purpose.
Kurt Hockey
Kurt Hockey is Assistant Secretary of the Agricultural Forecasting and Trade Branch in ABARES. Prior to joining ABARES he has worked in a range of economic and policy roles at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, The Treasury, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Kurt’s work covers global agriculture and trade; agricultural forecasts and market analysis; and analysis of emerging agricultural policy issues.
Kurt has a Masters of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Economics (Hons).
Kurt’s work covers global agriculture and trade; agricultural forecasts and market analysis; and analysis of emerging agricultural policy issues.
Kurt has a Masters of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Economics (Hons).
Dr Rick Llewellyn
Dr Rick Llewellyn is a Senior Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO Agriculture & Food based at the Waite Campus in South Australia.
His research bridges farming systems research, agricultural economics and the adoption of innovations. He has led a range of projects aimed at sustainable crop and land management practice change, including the current Australian grains industry national risk management initiative RiskWi$e.
His awards include the GRDC Seed of Light Award for his contributions to the grains industry and the CSIRO Entrepreneurship Award for his role in the team developing virtual fencing technology for livestock industries. He continues to lead development of the widely used agricultural innovation adoption model ADOPT.
Rick will discuss trends in farm productivity and practice in the face of climate change for major Australian agricultural industries and explore other major multi-level factors shaping our future food production systems.
His research bridges farming systems research, agricultural economics and the adoption of innovations. He has led a range of projects aimed at sustainable crop and land management practice change, including the current Australian grains industry national risk management initiative RiskWi$e.
His awards include the GRDC Seed of Light Award for his contributions to the grains industry and the CSIRO Entrepreneurship Award for his role in the team developing virtual fencing technology for livestock industries. He continues to lead development of the widely used agricultural innovation adoption model ADOPT.
Rick will discuss trends in farm productivity and practice in the face of climate change for major Australian agricultural industries and explore other major multi-level factors shaping our future food production systems.
Director, Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions
Professor Mark Howden is an international force in climate change science. He’s been a member of an extraordinary 20 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change processes since 1991, sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with other IPCC participants and Al Gore.
Mark has been articulating the scale of climate impacts and how to manage them since the 1990s, influencing the global discourse. He helped develop the national and international greenhouse gas inventories that inform the Paris Agreement.
He has a rare capacity to link climate science with food/nutrition security and other threats, connecting these into broader sustainable development pathways.
Mark is passionate about educating the wider community and government, giving a huge number of presentations, briefings and interviews each year.
Mark has been articulating the scale of climate impacts and how to manage them since the 1990s, influencing the global discourse. He helped develop the national and international greenhouse gas inventories that inform the Paris Agreement.
He has a rare capacity to link climate science with food/nutrition security and other threats, connecting these into broader sustainable development pathways.
Mark is passionate about educating the wider community and government, giving a huge number of presentations, briefings and interviews each year.
Leigh Vial
Leigh owned and operated a mixed irrigation and dryland farm with his family in the western Riverina 1993-2022, its primary business being ricegrowing. With his sister they expanded both the farm area and water entitlements over time, and diversified the irrigated farming business, partly in response to Murray Darling Basin water reform.
His international agriculture career includes post-graduate rice systems research in Lao PDR, a stint as Head of the Experiment Station at the International Rice Research Institute, an ACIAR project leader in Timor-Leste, and he is currently Crops Research Program Manager at ACIAR.
He served eight years as a non-executive director of Ricegrowers Limited (SunRice) and is currently serving as a non-executive director of both One Basin CRC and Field Applied Research (FAR).
His international agriculture career includes post-graduate rice systems research in Lao PDR, a stint as Head of the Experiment Station at the International Rice Research Institute, an ACIAR project leader in Timor-Leste, and he is currently Crops Research Program Manager at ACIAR.
He served eight years as a non-executive director of Ricegrowers Limited (SunRice) and is currently serving as a non-executive director of both One Basin CRC and Field Applied Research (FAR).
Sarah Pennell
Sarah Pennell has dedicated over 30 years to food systems and food security across the not-for-profit, food and agriculture sectors. She spent 16 years as a senior executive with Foodbank Australia, most recently leading its research and policy work and developing the Foodbank Hunger Report and Foodbank Hunger Map, two of Australia’s leading sources of evidence on food insecurity. Sarah has worked extensively with government, industry, researchers and the food relief sector on food security, food rescue and sustainable food systems, and has contributed to national initiatives including End Food Waste Australia and CSIRO’s National Food Systems Roadmap.
