Presented by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) Agriculture & Food Forum
Australian agricultural science and technology progress has been propelled by many active international exchanges and networks. Increased farm productivity is underpinned by sound natural resources, including soils and water – in the context of evolving and variable climates which are such major drivers of food and agricultural production in Australia and India. Productivity growth and food security depend on steady progress in science and technology – and the institutional arrangements which foster exchanges and continuing innovation, shaped in turn by the market and policy environments. Sustainable intensification seeks simultaneous improvements in the soil and water resource base and the intensification and diversification of farming systems.
The webinar will draw lessons for enhancing science linkages between Australia, India and more widely with particular attention to water management and sustainable farming methods – and explore mechanisms to strengthen collaboration on climate smart and productive agriculture.
Speakers
Dr Rajendra Paroda FTSE
Chair, Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (Delhi, India)
Dr. Raj S. Paroda FTSE, former Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Secretary DARE, Govt. of India has made significant contributions in the field of agriculture. He had modernised Indian national agricultural research system and created more than 30 new institutions including the National Gene Bank. He was President of Indian Science Congress and the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Beside all Science Academies in India, he is a Foreign Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering, Third World Academy of Sciences, Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Tajikistan and Honorary Member of Crop Science Society and Agronomy Society of America. He was elected Founder Chairman, Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), Chairman, ICRISAT Board of Trustees, and Executive Secretary of Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) for more than two decades. He had also served on ACIAR, CABI WMO and CGIAR-SIMEC Advisory Committees. He is recipient of many national and international awards, including Padma Bhushan. Twenty one universities have awarded him D.Sc. degree, including Ohio State University.
Currently, he is Chairman, Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi and serving on the Board of Directors of International Fertiliser Development Center (IFDC), USA.
Dr Nicholas Austin FTSE
Chief Executive Officer, Watertrust Australia Ltd.
Dr Nick Austin is a hydrologist by training, bridging agriculture and engineering in the critical area of water. From his earliest appointments in water policy reform, Nick has shown an exceptional ability to build partnerships between government, businesses and society for the common good.
In 2021, Nick became the inaugural CEO of Watertrust Australia, an independent policy centre helping improve how water and catchment policy decisions are made in Australia.
He is recognised internationally and domestically for delivering innovative solutions to complex technological and political challenges. He has worked to improve the lives of smallholder farming families, having led the agricultural development program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and, nationally, as CEO of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
Moderator
Su McCluskey
Special Representative for Australian Agriculture
Su is the first Special Representative for Australian Agriculture and travels extensively to strengthen international trade and technology linkages for Australian farming. As a NSW cattle farmer, she has a deep appreciation of the science and technology for sustainable farming and regional development. She is a highly experienced senior executive and non-executive director.
She is a director of Australian Unity Limited, LiveCorp, the Australasian Pork Research Institute and EAWN Rural and a Commissioner for International Agricultural Research.