TAS Committee
The Tasmanian program was established in 2011, the last State to do so. With support from the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, the program addresses training needs identified as part of the wide spectrum of research and development undertaken by Tasmanian-based scientists. A particular feature of the program has been the emphasis on sustainable forestry and fisheries, with a concentration of effort in ACIAR and other projects in those areas undertaken by UTAS, CSIRO and the Tasmanian Forest Practices Authority.
Tasmanian agriculture is also characterised by diversity, from intensive horticulture and dairying through to mixed cropping and livestock, and that has also been reflected in the programs supported, from pyrethrum and vegetables in PNG through to beef cattle in Vietnam. The Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture has research interests across the value chain from production to market, with particular expertise in intensive production systems based on irrigation. While the Tasmanian environment is temperate, researchers operate in a wide range of tropical lowland and highland environments in the Pacific Islands, PNG, Indonesia, Vietnam and elsewhere. A brochure summarising our activities is available here.
Crawford Fund Student Awards – Tasmania
As part of our efforts to support and encourage the next generation in study, careers and volunteering in international agricultural research, the Crawford Fund proudly supports our Student Awards. These awards have been developed specifically to enable university students to gain valuable experience and expertise by bringing an international component to their studies and research.
In Tasmania, applications are invited from undergraduate, honours and postgraduate students interested in gaining international agricultural research experience in developing countries, with a maximum of $5,000 awarded.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2024 STUDENT AWARD RECIPIENTS!
Congratulations to the 18 successful applicants from around Australia who received our 2024 awards to experience international agricultural research and development first hand.
The Tasmanian award winners are:
Nicodemus Masila, University of Tasmania
Location/Focus: Kenya
Research: Leveraging Sustainable Local Food Procurement to Support Healthy School Meal Provision among the Urban Poor in Kenya
Other collaborating institutions: Food for Education Foundation, Kenya and Menzies Institute for Medical Research.
Bharath Dinakaran, University of Tasmania
Location/Focus: Vietnam
Research: Project Title: Integrating smallholder households and farm production systems into commercial beef supply chains in Vietnam. ACIAR Project ID AGB/2020/189
Other collaborating institutions: National Institute Of Animal Sciences, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Sarah Fulton, University of Tasmania
Location/Focus: Samoa
Research: Pacific resilient farming systems for climate change adaption and improved resource-use efficiency. ACIAR Project ID SLAM/2020/139.
Other collaborating institutions: CSIRO, Samoan Farmers Association and others.
TAS Crawford Fund Scholars: 2024 Annual Conference
Each year, the Crawford Fund Committees offer Conference Scholarships for students and young researchers to attend the annual conference. The Scholarship provides funds to cover expenses such as travel, accommodation and registration.
In 2024, we had a bumper crop of 40 2024 Annual Conference scholarship winners from universities and organisations across Australia! This took our conference scholar alumni to almost 500 young students and researchers and industry representatives with an interest in reshaping agriculture to better address food security, the nutritional needs of a growing population, and the environment.
Tasmanian Committee in the News
- Supporting acacia and eucalypt breeding in Vietnam
- Building diverse, productive and resilient farming systems in Fiji
- “I learned valuable lessons about engaging with farmers from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds” – Scholar Reflections from Tasmania
- “The most enriching personal and professional experience of my life” with pastoralist communities in Northern Kenya
- Managing Sandalwood in Tonga
Events