Our NextGen work gets a boost
September 12, 2019
The Crawford Fund has been working for some years now to encourage the next generation in ag for development. We know there are innovative, rewarding and global careers available for young Australians which are challenging and rewarding personally and professionally, offering opportunities to have a real and much-needed impact on food and nutrition security.
We have a number of existing strategies to do this – our hosting, partnering and training with the Researchers in Agriculture for International Development (RAID) Network; our public events in which we have a ‘nextgen’ focus, such as our State Committee forums; our conference scholar program; the committees’ annual student awards, and the opportunities we provide for volunteering in our mentoring program (explained in this short video).
Our activities have been given an added boost this year with funding from ACIAR to support additional ‘NextgGen’ work. This new boost to our work was launched by our Chairman, The Hon John Anderson, at the opening of our conference scholar activities in August.
He explained that we won’t be reinventing the wheel but adding to the wonderful work already underway by a myriad of organisations and influencers encouraging young Australians into agriculture by raising the profile of study and careers in international agricultural research and management.
“We want to increase awareness of high school students and undergraduates of the varied, meaningful and beneficial outcomes for both Australian students, Australian agriculture and for developing countries where the NextGen is engaged in international agriculture,” said Cathy Reade, the Fund’s Director of Outreach, who will be managing the project.
A recent event as part of these efforts was the involvement of our board member, Prof Tim Reeves in a panel session supported by the Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia at the Geography Teachers’ Association of Victoria’s annual conference. Attended by over 400, Tim joined with Brianna Casey from Foodbank Australia, Prof Ian Nobel from ANU’s Global Change Institute and others (photo below) on “A Climate for Food Security” to explain the impact of climate change for developing countries and the impact that Australian research is having.
We look forward to reporting on further activities from this boosted ‘NextGen’ work!
Or, if you would like to support our next generation initiatives, please do so here.
