Highlights E-Newsletter
In this August issue
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Opinion
Effective farmers confronting climate change
By Ana María Loboguerrero and Bruce Campbell
Dr Bruce Campbell, Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), will be presenting the overview for the session on Weathering and Halting the Perfect Storm: Food System Solutions at the Crawford Fund's Annual Conference on the 13 August in Canberra. In this opinion piece by Bruce and his colleague Ana Maria Loboguerrero, it's argued that recent research points to the importance of “local” in driving climate adaptation, and Australia's Farmers for Climate Action are given as an example of an effective movement of action. Effective is the key!
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Annual Conference - Register Now!
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WEATHERING THE ‘PERFECT STORM’: Addressing the Agriculture, Energy, Water, Climate Change Nexus
The response to this year’s conference topic has given us the largest audience in the event’s near 30 year history. Please register by COB Thursday, 8 August to ensure you are involved to learn, discuss and network at Australia’s key food security event. Is work at the intersections of agriculture, energy and water, in the face of climate change, giving us a more food and nutrition secure world?
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Introducing our 2019 conference scholarship winners
The Crawford Fund is excited to announce our bumper crop of 51 Annual Conference scholarship winners from universities and organisations across Australia. For almost a decade, the Crawford Fund has been supporting the next generation of Australians with an interest in food and nutrition security and agricultural science and development to attend our annual conference and special Scholars’ Days activities through our Conference Scholar Program. A big thank you to those who joined with us to support this year’s group, and to those who are involved in mentoring a scholar this year. And great read about our ' food security scholars'.
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Professor Timothy G. Reeves FTSE
A new element was introduced to our conference last year with a special ‘conference synthesis’ at the end of the day. This year we welcome Professor Timothy G. Reeves FTSE to make the Crawford Fund's Conference Synthesis. Professor Reeves has worked for over 50 years in agricultural research, development and extension, focused on sustainable agriculture in Australia and overseas. He is a member of the Crawford Fund's Board and Professor in residence at the University of Melbourne and former Director General of CIMMYT.
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Conference Overview Speakers
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Introducing our conference overview speakers
Once again we have brought together leading international and Australian thinkers and practitioners and an interactive day for our conference that includes keynote presentations from eminent international public and private sector experts, and a set of examples of impact delivered as case studies in short, rapid-fire presentations by leading Australian and international researchers across industries, global regions and agricultural sectors.
Here we are introducing presenters of the three targeted overview presentations on the status quo and innovative policy and development project options that address a set of significant nexus issues, highlighting where action is needed or underway around agriculture, energy and water under climate change impacts:
Dr Bruce Campbell
Director of the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security ( CCAFS), Dr Bruce Campbell will be giving the overview for the agriculture and climate change focused session on Weathering and Halting the Perfect Storm: Food System Solutions.
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Dr Aditi Mukherji
The International Water Management Institute's ( IWMI) Principal Researcher, Dr Aditi Mukherji, who is the coordinating lead author of the water chapter of the 6th Assessment Report team of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will be giving the water focused session overview on Circular Food Systems and Solutions: Addressing the Nexus Issues.
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Dr Ajay Mathur
Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General of The Energy and Resources Institute ( TERI) and Member of the Indian Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change, has recently joined the Global Commission for Urgent Action on Energy Efficiency. Dr Mathur will be presenting the energy focused session overview Crops, Drops and Climate Challenge: Configuring the Perfect Storm.
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Crawford Fund Mentoring Program grows a weedy focus in the Lao PDR
Professor Deirdre Lemerle visited Lao PDR recently to continue with our capacity building and mentoring work in the rice-based farming systems of Savannakhet Province.
The project's focus is on improving the profitability and sustainability of rice-based production systems in Laos in collaboration with farmers, Lao Provincial and District Governments, the Australian Volunteer Program and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
Continue reading
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Next target for fighting ‘hidden hunger’
While there has been significant progress in scaling up of biofortified crops to improve mineral and vitamin nutrition in Africa and South Asia, we now have to get started in Southeast Asia. High zinc rice in Indonesia and the Philippines are initial target countries, with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs helping to kick things along.
The Fund helped spread this key message during a revent visit to Australia by Dr Howarth (Howdy) Bouis, the Founder of HarvestPlus.
Continue reading
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India and Australia – sharing knowledge for a sustainable future
Another Student Awardee Daniel Cruz, from the University of Queensland, travelled to India between February and April this year to undertake fieldwork and gather information about the history, practices and achievements of Navdanya, a well-known a capacity-building and agro-ecological research organisation working with small and marginal farmers in India.
Daniel's study trip to India was also supported by the Crawford Fund's QLD Committee.
Continue reading
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The Crawford Fund is pleased to have two RAID Network members as our ‘ keynote listeners’ again this year – Madaline Healey and Bec Cotton. Watch out for their report on the conference very sooner after it finishes.
Great to get a good turn up for the mid-July networking event in Adelaide. The next two events to check on the soon-to-be-launched new RAID Network website include the special night with our conference scholars at the Kingston Hotel Canberra from 6pm on 13 August, and an event at University of Tasmania on 16 August.
After successful workshops in Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and Wagga Wagga, the Fund is pleased to again be presenting with RAID another Agricultural Research Leadership and Management Workshop, this time at Charles Darwin University on 9-10 September. Get in quick to register on the RAID website.
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- World Water Week 2019, 25-30 August
- Australian Rangelands Conference 2019, 2-5 September
- 3rd World Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation, Akure, Nigeria, 11-13 September
- The 5th Global Science Conference on Climate-Smart Agriculture 2019, Bali, Indonesia, 8-10 October.
- World Food Prize, Des Moines, United States, 16-18 October
- COP25, Santiago, Chile, 2-13 December
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