2026 Conference Program
CONFERENCE NETWORKING DINNER KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Monday 10 August 2026, 6:00pm-9:00pm, The Great Hall, Parliament House
Keynote Address by The Hon Julie Collins MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
CRAWFORD FUND FOR FOOD SECURITY ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Emerging Voices Shaping Regional Integration for a Food Secure World
Tuesday 11 August 2026, The Great Hall, Parliament House
08.00 REGISTRATION
08.30 OPENING SESSION – WELCOME
Ms Su McClusky FCPA FTSE, Chair of the Crawford Fund for Food Security and Former Special Representative for Australian Agriculture
08.40 Ms Victoria Anderson, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Fisheries
and Forestry
09.00 SESSION 1
Keynote: Dr Sandra Milach, Chief Scientist, CGIAR
Chair: Ms Su McCluskey, FCPA FTSE, Chair of the Crawford Fund for Food Security and Former Special Representative for Australian Agriculture
09.20 MODERATED Q&A
9.45 ‘EMERGING VOICES’ poster presentations
10.00 MORNING TEA
10.30 SESSION 2
‘From Talanoa to action: with Pacific Pre-COP ahead what does implementation of agri-climate solutions look like?’
Chair: Dr George Carter, Senior Fellow and Dep Head of Department of Pacific Affairs, Director of ANU Pacific Institute
Tekini Nakidakida, Pacific policy action representative and Deputy Secretary Agriculture Department, Fiji, lead UNFCCC COP agriculture negotiator
Ms Sally Higgins, Youth Climate Champion for COP31
Imelda ‘Dada’ Bacudo, FAO convenor for regional momentum on agri-climate action & contribution to NDCs
Dr Sally Box, Division Head International Climate Negotiations, Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
11.30 GUIDED DISCUSSION and Q&A
12.15 ‘EMERGING VOICES’ poster presentations
12.30 LUNCH
13.15 SESSION 3
Agriculture as a driver of climate adaptation, economic stability, and regional peace. Case studies showcasing research that delivers practical solutions for nutrition, sustainability, and community resilience
Sunrice/UQ/ACIAR climate-smart rice project in Mekong Delta – Professor Jaquie Mitchell, Discipline Lead – Crop Science of School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability & Director of Research of School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, University of Queensland
Cropping System intensification in the salt-affected coastal zone of the Ganges Delta – Dr Mohammed Mainuddin, Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Environment
Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Circular Economy project in partnership with ICIPE – Dr Dennis Beesigamukama, Postdoctoral Fellow, ICIPE
Panama disease / Fusarium wilt Tropical Race 4 – Dr Tony Pattison, Senior-Principal Researcher with the Queensland Department of Primary Industries
14.15 GUIDED DISCUSSION and Q&A
14.45 ‘EMERGING VOICES’ poster presentations
15.00 AFTERNOON TEA
15.30 SESSION 4
Exploring multi-country research platforms, shared adaptation strategies, trilateral partnerships, and cross-border innovation that strengthen food-system resilience
Keynote: Dr Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director, Crop Trust
15.50 SHIFTS IN REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND THE WAY FORWARD
Himanshu Pathak, Director General , ICRISAT
Dr Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director, Crop Trust
16.40 Discussion / Q&A
17.00 SUMMING UP AND RECOMMENDATIONS
17.30 CLOSE