WEBINAR
Wednesday 1 September
4.30–6.00pm AEST
What’s on the plate for the Australian food and agribusiness sectors and what are the future forces impacting Australian agriculture?
The food and agribusiness sector is a key source of growth for the nation, and currently contributes approximately $138 billion – or 7.6 per cent of GDP – to the Australian economy. The agriculture sector employs more than 500,000 Australians and enriches our economy, society and environment in diverse ways. The challenges posed by climate change, natural disasters, consumer trends, digital disruption, and most recently the pandemic, will create a significant change in the way we grow, produce, harvest, distribute and consume food and fibre.
Join us at this exciting webinar as we hear from Mirjana Prica (FIAL, Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre) & John Harvey (Agrifutures) who will explore these questions by taking a deep dive into technologies improving agricultural productivity, and discuss the current and emerging risks for the Australian agriculture sector.
This webinar will be moderated by ATSE Agriculture and Food Forum member Professor Neena Mitter, Director of both the Centre for Horticultural Science, QAAFI and the ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection at The University of Queensland. The webinar will run for approximately 90 minutes with each speaker providing a 30-minute presentation to our online audience followed by a 10-min Q&A session with each speaker.
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This webinar was recorded – see below.
SPEAKERS
Mirjana Prica
Managing Director | FIAL (Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre)
Dr Mirjana Prica is an enthusiastic visionary who focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation to deliver commercial value. Mirjana sits on boards and advisory groups for cooperative research centres, universities, research and industry organisations and businesses, where she leverages her 20+ years of research and commercial experience in food and agribusiness, including advanced materials and minerals. Currently, Mirjana is leading FIAL, a national and industry-led organisation, established by the Department of Industry to drive innovation and business growth for the ~180,000 firms in the food and agribusiness sector.
John Harvey
Managing Director | AgriFutures
John Harvey joined AgriFutures Australia (formally RIRDC) in May 2016 as Managing Director. He accepted the challenge to set a new, more commercial direction for the organisation. Mr Harvey aims to make AgriFutures Australia 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 held various positions at the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) spanning 18 years, including five years as Managing Director. A graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Mr Harvey was a Director of Australian Crop Accreditation System Limited and a Director of the Value Added Wheat Cooperative Research Centre. 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.
MODERATOR
Professor Neena Mitter FTSE
Director | Centre for Horticultural Science, QAAFI and ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection at The University of Queensland.
Professor Neena Mitter is the Director of the Centre for Horticultural Science, Queensland Alliance of Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland. She is also the Director of the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection. Neena has received recognitions such as ATSE Fellow, Women in Technology Outstanding Life Sciences Award, and Gates Grand Challenges Explorations Award. Neena is globally renowned for her leadership of innovative platforms namely ‘Environmentally sustainable BioClay platform for crop protection’ and ‘Clonal propagation of avocado using plant stem cells’. These are ground-breaking platform technologies influencing agricultural production, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic dynamics of farming community. With increased scrutiny on use of chemicals as crop and animal disease control agents, Prof Mitter is focussed is on developing clean technologies for the agriculture of tomorrow.
Recording of webinar
1 hour 16 minutes