More Conference Scholar Reflections
December 12, 2022
The Crawford Fund’s Annual Conference was held recently 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.
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.
Two scholars attended the 2022 Crawford Fund conference supported by the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society (AARES). Highlights of their experiences have been captured below:
Tshering Samdrup, University of Western Australia
“There are three most important benefits I derived from this conference. First is networking…the second is networking among RAIDers, sharing the experience of some former Crawford scholars and RAID members from their field work was so enticing… Finally, the mentoring program. I cannot elaborate enough about how important mentoring is. Having a mentor, as a “sounding board” in the words of my mentor, makes a lot of difference and this is a very recent realisation. I never had access to such facilities before. I am glad that I have been paired with a wonderful mentor whom I will continue to bother hereafter!”
Sarah Smith, University of California, Davis
“The biggest takeaway for me was seeing the value of collaboration in practice. As an agricultural economist, I will benefit greatly from working more with scientists and researchers in other disciplines. Moreover, the presenters crystalised the value of early and frequent discussions with the beneficiaries of our research to avoid writing research destined to sit unused on a dusty shelf. I am inspired to pursue greater collaboration in my future research.”
Read on for the full reflections of each scholar:
Tshering Samdrup, University of Western Australia
Mentor: Mike Taylor
The conference was themed ‘Celebrating Agriculture for Development – Outcomes, Impacts and the Way Ahead’ to celebrate the 35th founding year of Crawford Fund and the 40th anniversary of Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Both these renowned institutions have contributed immensely to mankind especially in developing country agriculture for decades and they continue to foster international research and development partnerships aimed at addressing the challenges facing agricultural sector in the Indo-Pacific region and in developing countries across the globe.
It couldn’t have been better timed given the three Cs: COVID-19, climate change, and conflicts, continue to cripple global economies. The conference was lively, reinvigorating, and fruitful with seasoned experts, diplomats, scientists, and development practitioners taking stock of what worked and didn’t work on the ground, how to reposition efforts, and take-off again with full throttle to fight hunger and food insecurity situations induced by natural calamities and man-made disasters.
Unlike other conferences which are often overwhelming and at times tiring, the Crawford Fund conference was a unique experience. This was because the program was blended with exciting networking, mentoring sessions, and separate sessions for young researchers. I thoroughly enjoyed being amongst those highly motivated professionals, emerging researchers, and those who aspire to pursue their careers in development- particularly in agriculture and the natural resource sector. I would love to come back to the Crawford Fund conference several times in the future!
There are three most important benefits I derived from this conference. First is networking. The size of the conference encouraged effective networking among those industry experts, decision makers, and academics. I opened up to many people, talked about common research interests, highlighted my passion to work in the development sector, and connected with over a dozen people and still counting. Second is networking among RAIDers. The experience sharing of some former Crawford scholars and RAID members from their field work was so enticing. The simple reason is all of us shared a common passion to work in agriculture in developing countries. Third is the mentoring program. I cannot elaborate enough of how important mentoring is. Having a mentor, as a “sounding board” in the words of my mentor, makes a lot of difference and this is a very recent realization. I never had access to such facilities before. I am glad that I have been paired with a wonderful mentor whom I will continue to bother hereafter!
The conference highlighted several interesting issues. One was the suggestions to take an inclusive approach right from the project design phase to (i) engage policy officers so field research translates into appropriate policy changes at the institution level, and (ii) engage farmers and other stakeholders so an effective collaboration entails long term sustainability and fosters a sense of ownership when the project is phased out. The other highlight was to focus on delivering nutritious and diversified food by placing sustainable ecosystem at the centre.
The need for more, better, and sustained investment was a recurring theme among the speakers and experts. This has also stood out as a key message from the conference. The call-to-action for an increased investment in agricultural R&D was justified given that there was consistent return on investment over many years to the tune of US$10 in social benefit for every dollar invested.
I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the Crawford Fund organisers, the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society (AARES) for providing the financial support to attend this wonderful event and all others associated in making this event a success.
Sarah Smith, University of California, Davis
Mentor: Mike Taylor
I really enjoyed attending the 2022 Crawford Fund Conference as a Conference Scholar. I felt very fortunate to attend a gathering of many passionate researchers dedicated to improving agriculture.
The biggest takeaway for me was seeing the value of collaboration in practice. As an agricultural economist, I will benefit greatly from working more with scientists and researchers in other disciplines. Moreover, the presenters crystalised the value of early and frequent discussions with the beneficiaries of our research to avoid writing research destined to sit unused on a dusty shelf. I am inspired to pursue greater collaboration in my future research.
One perk of being a Conference Scholar was being matched with a mentor. My mentor showed a genuine interest in my research, and I really appreciated his advice on my career aspirations. I also enjoyed hearing about his interesting career, including working with one of my dissertation committee members back in the 70s!
Finally, I’d like to thank the speakers, event organisers, and mentors for giving their time to such a great conference, as well as AARES for sponsoring my attendance.
