2025 Conference Program
SIR JOHN CRAWFORD MEMORIAL ADDRESS AND NETWORKING DINNER
The Hon Joel Fitzgibbon, Crawford Fund Board Member and Former Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
“Trade-offs and Tough Choices: Lessons in Leadership from the Frontlines of Policy”
Monday 11 August 2025, 6:00pm-9:00pm, The Great Hall, Parliament House.
We are pleased to have the Vote of Thanks presented by Mikayla Hyland-Wood, President, RAID Network.
CRAWFORD FUND CONFERENCE
PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS FOR CLIMATE-RESILIENT AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS:
Actionable Recommendations for Policymakers and Practitioners
Tuesday 12 August 2025, The Great Hall, Parliament House.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL PROGRAM HERE
08.30 REGISTRATION
09.00 OPENING SESSION – WELCOME
The Hon John Anderson AC, FTSE Chair, The Crawford Fund
09.10 A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE HON KATE THWAITES, SPECIAL ENVOY FOR
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE
09.15 CRAWFORD FUND MEDAL PRESENTATION
Presentation of the Crawford Fund Medal to internationally renowned agricultural scientist, educator and collaborator, Professor Kadambot Siddique AM CitWA FTSE
09.30 SESSION 1: KEYNOTE – ACHIEVING UNIVERSAL FOOD SECURITY IN AN
ADVERSELY CHANGING CLIMATE
Chair: Ms Su McCluskey, FCPA FTSE, Member of the Crawford Fund Board of Directors and Former Special Representative for Australian Agriculture
Keynote: Professor Glenn Denning, Professor of Professional Practice, Columbia University
09.55 MODERATED Q&A
10.10 SESSION 2: CAN WE FEED THE WORLD WITH NET ZERO EMISSIONS?
Chair: Ms Jennifer Kelly, Senior Innovation Systems Broker, CSIRO Agriculture and Food Sustainability Research Program
Overview: Prof Richard Eckard, Professor of Carbon Farming at the University of Melbourne and Zero Net Emissions Agriculture CRC Program Leader
10.30 Case studies:
Low emissions solutions for rice, and the way forward
Dr Ando Radanielson, Senior Scientist, International Rice Research Institute
Convergence: The potential legal implications of juggling environmental responsibility with economic ambition
Ms Caitlin McConnel, Australian Farmer & Lawyer
Climate services for agriculture in Australia and the Pacific
Dr Leanne Webb, Science Lead, Asia-Pacific Climate Intelligence, CSIRO
Carbon and financial performance and opportunities of silvopastoral systems
Dr Tyron Venn, Senior Research Fellow, School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, University of Queensland
11.10 MODERATED Q&A SESSION 2
11.25 MORNING TEA
12.00 SESSION 3: ACHIEVING A PATHWAY TO CLIMATE RESILIENCE:
LESSONS FROM THE ASIA, AFRICA & PACIFIC REGIONS
Lessons from Asia and Africa
Dr Aditi Mukherji, Principal Scientist – Climate Action in the Livestock, Climate and Environment Program of the International Livestock Research Institute
Lessons from the Pacific
Prof Graham Sem, Environmental Science & Geography Discipline Lead, University of Papua New Guinea
12.35 GUIDED DISCUSSION BY SHAUN COFFEY, CEO, CRAWFORD FUND
13.00 LUNCH
14.00 SESSION 4: RESILIENCE THROUGH EQUITY, INCLUSION AND COMMUNITY
PARTICIPATION
Chair: Mr Nigel Hart, Managing Director, GRDC
Overview: Dr Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy and Acting Senior Director, Transformation Strategies, IFPRI
14.20 Case studies:
Cultivating Resilience: Feminization as a Pathway to Climate Adaptation in Cambodia’s Agriculture
Dr Sonia Akter, Associate Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU
Including women’s voices in climate and environment governance in Timor Leste
Mr Acacio Sarmento da Silva, Senior Research Analyst, WorldFish
Aka’tika Uira (Realign the Wheel): An analysis of the climate adaptation methods adopted by farmers in Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Ms Selane Tairea, Research Officer, Te Puna Vai Marama – Cook Islands Centre for Research, University of the South Pacific
Empowered or just a metric index? Women in Indonesia’s dairy households
Ms Vyta Hanifah, PhD Candidate, Centre for Global Food and Resources, School of Economics and Public Policy, University of Adelaide and Researcher in National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesia
15.10 MODERATED Q&A
15.25 AFTERNOON TEA
16.05 SESSION 5: CONVERSATION ON RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR POLICYMAKERS AND PRACTITIONERS
Moderator: Professor Wendy Umberger, Chief Executive Officer, ACIAR
Professor Glenn Denning, Professor of Professional Practice, Columbia University
Ms Caitlin McConnel, Australian Farmer & Lawyer
Dr Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy and Acting Senior Director, Transformation Strategies, IFPRI
Dr Aditi Mukherji, Principal Scientist – Climate Action in the Livestock, Climate and Environment Program of ILRI
Prof Graham Sem, Environmental Science & Geography Discipline Lead, University of PNG
16.35 MODERATED Q&A
16.50 SUMMING UP AND THE WAY AHEAD
Shaun Coffey, CEO, Crawford Fund
17.00 CLOSE