Presenting our conference scholar reflections from NSW
September 15, 2022
The Crawford Fund’s Annual Conference was held last month in Parliament House, Canberra. The event had a special flavour this year celebrating 35 years of the Crawford Fund and the 40th anniversary of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). These milestones provided an opportunity for all those who are a part of Australia’s rich history in agriculture for development to get together and celebrate and, also to reflect and to consider the work yet to be done.
As well as bringing together the world’s leading experts in agricultural science, research, policy, development and industry to address the conference topic, the Crawford Fund is committed to encouraging the next generation in international agriculture for development to the event via scholarships awarded through our State and Territory committees and scholar supporters.
Our conference scholarship program started in 2010 in the hope that by experiencing the Crawford Fund conference and network, our special program of activities around the conference and being mentored by inspirational experienced researchers, young researchers would be inspired and energised to be more involved. The results have been fantastic, with a great mix of youth and experience at our flagship event each August and a growing and enthusiastic conference scholar alumni approaching 400.
Our competitive Conference Scholarships are offered to young people with a genuine interest in international agricultural research and development to attend the conference and a special set of activities that we have developed since the program commenced in 2010.
Our other activities to encourage university students and early career researcher include highlighting opportunities in volunteering for projects overseas through the Australian Volunteers Program; our work with Researchers in Agriculture for International Development (RAID), and our special international student awards to enable students to be involved in overseas projects as part of their university study.
One of the requirements of the scholarship is that each scholar provides us with a reflection on their experience. We will be providing these reflections over the coming weeks, grouped by State.
Once again, we would like to thank our wonderful mentors, mentioned alongside the scholar they supported, who volunteer their time and offer valuable guidance, support and insights to the scholars throughout the conference.
Seven scholars from NSW attended the 2022 Crawford Fund conference. Six were supported by our NSW Committee and one by the University of New England. Highlights of their experiences have been captured below:
NSW CRAWFORD FUND COMMITTEE SUPPORTED SCHOLARS
Mikali Anagnostis, University of Sydney
“As a third-year undergraduate, the pathways into a career in international agriculture have often seemed elusive. The incredible work of researchers and policy makers has deeply inspired me but felt somewhat out of reach. Through the scholars’ program, researchers whose work is making a profound impact in the world took the time to tell their stories and chart their own courses from undergrad to where they are today. As the trajectory was demystified, I was amazed by how diverse and non-linear their pathways have been. I’m so grateful for the generosity of the speakers and mentors involved in the scholars’ program, who were invariably warm and patient, willing to answer my questions and chat about how they have arrived where they are.”
Eleanor Armati, University of Sydney
“Attending the Crawford Fund conference was a wonderful experience to be surrounded by like-minded people in different stages of their career, with a range of agricultural backgrounds. As a current PhD student, the exposure to these people allowed me to see various opportunities available in the agricultural industry. Additionally, it gave me an increased understanding on how to become involved with international agricultural development and highlighted career paths I had not considered or even knew existed.”
Anneliese Austin, Bees for Sustainable Livelihoods, Southern Cross University
“Since attending the conference, I have gained a deeper understanding of how agricultural research for development can change lives and a profound appreciation for all the researchers who have committed their lives to helping others. I also can see how important it is that researchers need to be able to communicate new knowledge and inject a robust, real-world research perspective into the development of policies to drive change at a structural level.”
Ali Bajwa, NSW Department of Primary Industries
“The take-home for me was that international agriculture and development is such a dynamic field that excels with multi-disciplinary collaborations and a lot of passion to ‘do well by doing good’. It was thought provoking to learn about many development projects relevant to sustainable agriculture and biosecurity in the Asia-Pacific region. This conference was unique in that it not only delivered general educational and networking benefits but also provided me several opportunities for two-way knowledge exchange, discussions for collaborations and exposure to innovative, practical research directly benefiting the primary industries in many developing countries.”
Amy Bates, Charles Sturt University
“The three-day experience was incredibly beneficial, simulation and motivating. It offered world-class networking, a broad scope of international research, firsthand experiences, what to expect and the personal and professional benefits of being involved in the international space. My mentor asked stimulating and engaging questions and introduced me to peers and former colleagues and highlighted the importance of self-promotion as an essential component of professional development. An experience, all scholars will agree, was irreplaceable and will remain with us as we move forward in the world of international research and development.”
Tabita Tan, Charles Sturt University
“I very much enjoyed the scholars’ activities which facilitated networking with mentors and peers in smaller groups and provided sessions targeted towards helping scholars into international work. The speakers discussed their own career pathways, the motivation and challenges for international work and the importance of having a work life balance. A central theme at the conference was the encouragement of emerging scientists to step up and participate in agriculture for development. This bolstered my confidence in approaching those already established in the field for ideas and opportunities.”
UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND SUPPORTED SCHOLAR
Thi Ha Lien Le
“The RAID network with the idea of international agriculture presented during the scholar activities inspired me with out-of-the-box thinking. I am used to working mainly within Vietnam’s agricultural system, however, in the future, I am thinking of leaving my comfort zone to share and contribute more to international agriculture. I may start from the Lower Mekong Basin, which is home to a number of developing countries with a lot of commonalities with Vietnam. The speakers and volunteers also shared the challenges that we should be aware of and get prepared for, which was highly appreciated.”
Read on for the full reflections of each NSW scholar:
Mikali Anagnostis, University of Sydney
Mentor: Anna Mackintosh
Returning from the 2022 Crawford Fund Conference, my head is spinning with all of the opportunities that exist in international agriculture and with the faces of the kind and inspiring people I’ve met over the past three days. The Crawford Fund’s annual conference, “Celebrating Agriculture for Development: Outcomes, Impacts and the Way Ahead”, captured the legacy of Australia’s investment in international agriculture over 40 years. We heard stories of partnerships that have lasted through decades and of the way these relationships have created a more equitable and food secure future. We were also confronted with the impacts of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, which are compounding insecurities in the global food supply. I heard how deeply needed agricultural research for development is and felt the mantle of invitation extended from a welcoming and industrious body of researchers.
As a third-year undergraduate, the pathways into a career in international agriculture have often seemed elusive. The incredible work of researchers and policy makers has deeply inspired me but felt somewhat out of reach. Through the scholars’ program, researchers whose work is making a profound impact in the world took the time to tell their stories and chart their own courses from undergrad to where they are today. As the trajectory was demystified, I was amazed by how diverse and non-linear their pathways have been. I’m so grateful for the generosity of the speakers and mentors involved in the scholars’ program, who were invariably warm and patient, willing to answer my questions and chat about how they have arrived where they are. I’m particularly grateful to my mentor, Anna Mackintosh. My conversations with Anna were invaluable in helping me piece together Australia’s acronym-dense, international agriculture landscape. I also deeply benefited from her zooming around the conference with me, connecting me with people whose careers align with my passions.
Through conversations and the conference proceedings, I began to understand the current movement towards systems thinking, and towards agricultural development that centres the needs and perspective of communities, rather than just yield. We were frequently reminded that development projects exist within complex social and environmental systems, which require us to nurture a dialogue with research participants, as well as with policy makers, the media and whoever else will listen! As an agriculture and sociology student, it was immeasurably affirming to hear the social sciences valued as an integral part of agriculture for development.
I have often felt torn between passions in horticulture and sociology, so I was deeply encouraged by Dr Alison Bentley’s advice to find the value you personally bring to international agricultural. This certainly rang true in the diverse career stories of the presenters at our scholars’ days. I felt hope and a great deal of excitement learning that as people followed their passions and built diverse relationships, they found a career in international agriculture that fitted them, even if it didn’t look how they were expecting it to.
Eleanor Armati, University of Sydney
Mentor: Harry Campbell-Ross
Attending the Crawford Fund conference was a wonderful experience to be surrounded by like-minded people in different stages of their career, with a range of agricultural backgrounds. As a current PhD student, the exposure to these people allowed me to see various opportunities available in the agricultural industry. Additionally, it gave me an increased understanding on how to become involved with international agricultural development and highlighted career paths I had not considered or even knew existed.
The Crawford conference provided me with many insights into the challenges that surround improving agriculture and food security. This was displayed by Professor Andrew Campbell who highlighted that agriculture is currently facing the challenges of the 3 C’s: climate, covid and conflict. The importance of reducing the impact of these three C’s was evident as it was illustrated that currently 30% of the global population currently suffers food insecurity. This was further supported by the alarming statistic that around 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, with approximately 25% of people living on less than US$3.20/ day. Dr Philip Pardey illustrated that these challenges will be harder to override with the current decrease in agricultural funding for research and development, with the total overall Global Research and Development budget for agriculture shifting from 7.4% in 1980 to 4.4% in 2016. This displayed how integral it is to place more resources into agricultural research to assist in alleviating the challenges that currently restrict achieving global food security.
Another key takeaway from attending the conference was that agricultural research needs to be conducted with a holistic approach. We cannot just work in our silos of research but must collaborate to have an inter-disciplinary approach from the planning stage such as involving engineers, policy makers and scientists. This was also echoed by Jessica Raneri stating that we need to include nutritionists in studies. This is vital, as Jessica Raneria showed the importance of considering agriculture and nutrition, as 1 in 5 deaths are associated with diet. A collaborative and holistic approach to research was further emphasised by Dr Robert Glasser who gave an example of needing to simultaneously research different climate disasters at the same time. A bushfire often occurs at the same time as a drought and heat wave. Thus, there are often many issues occurring simultaneously within a country. Therefore, people in their respective areas of research, need to work collaboratively as climate impacts do not happen independently. This has encouraged me to adopt more of an interdisciplinary approach with my own research in the future.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to be involved with the Crawford Fund conference and scholar program. I would like to thank the NSW Crawford Fund Committee for allowing me to attend this event and have this experience which has equipped me with enthusiasm to contribute to achieving global food security.
Anneliese Austin, Bees for Sustainable Livelihoods, Southern Cross University
Mentor: Regina Bi Nukundj
The Sir John Crawford Memorial Address, presented by Dr Audrey Aumua, could not have been a better introduction to the theme of the 2022 Crawford Fund conference; ‘Celebrating Agriculture for Development: Outcomes, Impacts and The way ahead.’ Dr Aumua highlighted the importance of harnessing indigenous skills and knowledge to bring forth community-driven, gender equitable, inclusive solutions that recognise and respect Pacific peoples’ interconnectedness to the land and the sea. It was a thought-provoking address, and as I reflect upon her words now, I could not think of a better way to begin the conference.
I couldn’t have prepared myself for the breadth of information, knowledge and insights raised throughout the conference program. From the economics of aid allocation funding to the fiscal and social benefits of investment in agricultural research for development. From the benefits to individuals and communities through to the capacity to influence the development of national and international policies and standards that impact people’s lives worldwide. New technologies and solutions were presented, from climate-resistant wheat strains to RNA pest management technologies that could potentially reduce the use of harmful pesticides in agriculture. We heard of adaptive participatory social science methodologies being integrated with technical programs to understand the individuals and communities who are intrinsically connected to our food production systems.
In particular, I note Dr Jean Baliè’s presentation, which reminded us of both the fragility and interconnectedness of the world’s food systems and the critical importance of transforming these systems to improve livelihood outcomes. Dr Baliè spoke of the need to address gender inequalities and ensure the inclusion of youth and other marginalised minorities. He passionately spoke of women entrepreneurs as future agents of change to lead communities into a more resilient, sustainable, and productive future. These words resonate so strongly against the words of many of the speakers at this year’s conference, who highlighted the critical contributions of women to global nutrition and food security, particularly in low/middle-income nations.
Since attending the conference, I have gained a deeper understanding of how agricultural research for development can change lives and a profound appreciation for all the researchers who have committed their lives to helping others. I also can see how important it is that researchers need to be able to communicate new knowledge and inject a robust, real-world research perspective into the development of policies to drive change at a structural level.
Thank you to the NSW Crawford Fund Committee for sponsoring me to participate in the 2022 Crawford Fund Conference Scholar Program. I was blown away by the extent of work being conducted by many passionate people and their dedication to supporting the Crawford Fund and, in turn, early career researchers like myself. Thank you also to my fellow scholars, all the mentors, the RAID volunteers, Cathy Reade and Larissa Mullot and my supervisor Dr Cooper Schouten for encouraging me to engage with the Crawford Fund.
Ali Bajwa, NSW Department of Primary Industries
Mentor: Deirdre Lemerle
The 2022 Crawford conference was an outstanding event, covering a wide range of contemporary topics in the international agriculture and development space. For me, personally, this was the first major scientific conference in three years, coming out of the COVID-19 restrictions, so it was quite refreshing and rewarding. As an early career scientist, it was a great opportunity for me to meet many people from various sectors of Ag and discuss potential research & development ideas as well as some innovative ways to communicate my research. I really enjoyed all the talks, activities and sessions on the scholar days, especially listening to the perspectives of the experienced and accomplished researchers on day-one as well as those of young (NextGen) stars on the last day.
The conference dinner was a great networking opportunity, and the Crawford Memorial lecture was impressive and motivational. At the conference day, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to all the high-impact scientists from national and international organisations. The take-home for me was that international Ag & development is such a dynamic field that excels with multi-disciplinary collaborations and a lot of passion to ‘do well by doing good’. It was thought provoking to learn about many development projects relevant to sustainable agriculture and biosecurity in the Asia-Pacific region. This conference was unique in that it not only delivered general educational and networking benefits but also provided me several opportunities for two-way knowledge exchange, discussions for collaborations and exposure to innovative, practical research directly benefiting the primary industries in many developing countries.
I was lucky to have one of the best weed scientists around, Prof Deirdre Lemerle, as my mentor who I always benefit from learning from. I intend to continue my involvement with Crawford fund and the RAID network as well as keep many of the professional connections I made at this prestigious event.
Amy Bates, Charles Sturt University
Mentor: Lindsay Falvey
The seamlessness of the three-day event is a sentiment to all parties involved in planning, organising and executing the Scholars’ program and conference, congratulations once again!
The pairing of scholars with mentors was an excellent method of ensuring scholars were able to extrude as much from the program as possible. Meeting our mentors was also a lovely way to settle into what was to be an incredibly inclusive space. The scholars’ days were studded with talks from Dr Alison Bentley and Dr Deirdre Lemerle, leaving scholars in awe of the possibilities. This was heightened by an in-country perspective from Ms Regina Bi Nukundj a Livestock Officer from PNG, and Dr Anika Molesworth. Prof Andrew Campbell introduced us to ACIAR and encouraged us to get involved. Christine Munzer and Cathy Reade endowed their wisdom surrounding volunteering and capacity building, and the perspectives from RAID network were the cherry on top of a fantastic scholar program, filling us with motivation and a sense of heading in the right direction (comforted to know this looks different for everyone!). The inclusion of personal tales alongside professional was a refreshing highlight.
The audience at the conference were at the mercy of a star-studded program. The highlights that sung through almost every session were those of sustainability, environment, policy and economy, access and collaboration and to ensure all relevant parties are at the table when discussing potential projects. An undertone of the conference was the concept of time. As in almost everything we do, time rules the roost, and the conference was not immune. A lot of questions around time; “what can we do now?”, “what can we do in the future?”, were raised. Session panellists often succumbed to the pressures of time and we possibly didn’t hear all they had to offer, but were able to catch up while sharing a bite to eat and drink. Encouraged by the Hon John Anderson to think critically, I found myself asking in the race against so many obstacles, how can I best contribute and use time to my advantage in the face of a changing climate, political unrest, and the food crisis that is currently gripping the world. These questions will remain with me as motivation as I work through the final phase of my PhD and into the future.
The three-day experience was incredibly beneficial, simulation and motivating. It offered world-class networking, a broad scope of international research, firsthand experiences, what to expect and the personal and professional benefits of being involved in the international space. My mentor, Lindsay, asked stimulating and engaging questions and introduced me to peers and former colleagues and highlighted the importance of self-promotion as an essential component of professional development. An experience, all scholars will agree, was irreplaceable and will remain with us as we move forward in the world of international research and development.
Tabita Tan, Charles Sturt University
Mentor: Peter Wynn
Following two years of COVID related travel restrictions, state lockdowns and endless online meetings, it was wonderfully refreshing to finally attend the Crawford Fund Conference in person and interact face-to-face with mentors and peers.
The backgrounds of the conference speakers were diverse and included science, sociology, economics, and policy. Agriculture for development is multi-faceted, and it was reiterated by speakers that a holistic approach encompassing several disciplines was necessary for success. Elements of high impact projects include quality collaboration between researchers and local people as well as ownership of the work by the beneficiaries. Policy, technical implementation, and the capacity to scale up should be considered at the design phase of the project so that many in the community may benefit from the research rather than a few individuals. Another point that stood out for me was the excellent economic value of continued investment in agriculture but that there are difficulties in securing long term funding and the risks have become greater. Peppered throughout the presentations were examples of the positive changes that real-life projects were able to achieve. Altogether the conference has inspired in me that agriculture for development is a worthwhile pursuit and that problems should be approached with a broad perspective.
I very much enjoyed the scholars’ activities which facilitated networking with mentors and peers in smaller groups and provided sessions targeted towards helping scholars into international work. The speakers discussed their own career pathways, the motivation and challenges for international work and the importance of having a work life balance. A central theme at the conference was the encouragement of emerging scientists to step up and participate in agriculture for development. This bolstered my confidence in approaching those already established in the field for ideas and opportunities.
I am particularly grateful to my mentor Dr Peter Wynn who took the time to get to know my scientific interests and personal situation, providing suggestions on who to connect with and avenues to explore prospects. Peter also tasked me to ask questions of conference speakers, offering to buy me a cup of coffee if I asked at least three questions. I took on that challenge and now appreciate the wisdom of his advice. It has taught me to be attentive and inquisitive during the sessions and helped me overcome my shyness. Having already made myself known it was then easier to talk with the speakers during the breaks.
I have been immersed in my own domestic concerns since starting maternity leave last year, so it was exciting to be at the Crawford Fund conference engaging with global issues such as food security and climate change. I am feeling motivated to get back to work and being involved with the wider world!
UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND SUPPORTED SCHOLAR
Thi Ha Lien Le
Mentor: Anika Molesworth
After two years of restrictions due to COVID-19, the Crawford Fund conference was the first in-person event that I have had the pleasure to join. It was such a great opportunity for us all to gather, network and celebrate Agriculture for Development – Outcomes, Impacts and the Way Ahead with a focus on food and nutrition security. It was particularly inspiring for me – a third-year PhD student at the regional University of New England, who comes from an agriculture-based economy in Vietnam and is transitioning to early-career researcher in agriculture economics and social science. Leaving the conference and scholar events, I brought back a number of highlights and key messages.
Firstly, there was compelling evidence on the high rewards of agricultural research and development (R&D) from the presentation by Dr Philip Pardey. With a Benefit-Cost Ratio of 10:1, agricultural R&D was pro-poor and more profitable than many other government investments. This message encouraged me a lot to be more determined to pursue a future career as an agricultural researcher. However, the decreasing trend of investment in agricultural R&D was disappointing, which was the situation in many countries including Vietnam. This made me more aware of the important role of government’ policies and private sector in promoting diverse investment schemes in “Slow Magic” agricultural R&D.
Secondly, it was interesting that agriculture was seen from multi-disciplined perspectives in the keynote address by Professor Andrew Campbell and from the panellists in the conversation: From outside agriculture – Looking to the future. The agricultural innovation system in the future would be the integration of research, technology development, private sector value chains, finance, extension, education and governance. It would be also the combination between technical and social science, and between research and policy that goes beyond production-focused and farm-based scale. This confirmed what I am doing and strive to follow in the future in my research career.
Thirdly, the RAID network with the idea of international agriculture presented during the scholar activities inspired me with out-of-the-box thinking. I am used to working mainly within Vietnam’s agricultural system, however, in the future, I am thinking of leaving my comfort zone to share and contribute more to international agriculture. I may start from the Lower Mekong Basin, which is home to a number of developing countries with a lot of commonalities with Vietnam. The speakers and volunteers also shared the challenges that we should be aware of and get prepared for, which was highly appreciated.
To sum up, the Crawford Fund conference provided me with updates on current and future agricultural development, and with inspiring messages for my future career. As importantly, I can take away a broader network of scholars, mentors and other actors who share the same interest in agricultural R&D. For future conferences, I would like to hear more from the farmers as key beneficiaries and join discussion from social perspectives on inclusive and just agricultural transformation in developing countries.
