Future directions

GrainThe Crawford Fund has an ongoing interest in food security. It encourages national attention through policy work and media efforts to issues related to food security. The three key areas of our work, providing reputable sources of information and discussion of issues related to agricultural research and food security are:

Our international development conferences, held annually and usually in Parliament House Canberra, and bi-annually in a State location, provide an opportunity to highlight needed action in relation to key issues to improve global food security, and particularly in relation to what Australia does or could do.

Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture

Our new Doing Well by Doing Good Task Force makes an assessment of a range of published studies of broad issues around investments in agricultural research for development to build a comprehensive picture of the costs and benefits and their distribution.

Emerging trends in world food security have implications for international agricultural research. A Crawford Fund study is underway to analyse the effect of these emerging trends on the future research agenda and potential new funding streams for such research. The study “A Wider Canvas for International Agricultural Research” will also seek to demonstrate the benefits of investments in international agricultural research.

In May 2008, a time when high world food prices had attracted policy and media interest, the Fund responded to a need for more Australian focus and attention by establishing a Task Force on world food security, with eminent thinkers from Australia and partners from other overseas organisations active in the area of food policy. The recommendations from the task force were accepted almost in full and hold currency into the future when considering the way ahead for policy makers.

A crop farmer and her child on a farm near Mt Kenya (photo: ACIAR)
A crop farmer and her child on a farm near Mt Kenya (photo: ACIAR)