Reflecting on 2025 – a year of surprises and uncertainty

December 16, 2025

By Shaun Coffey FTSE FAIA CRSNZ FAICD

As we come to the final newsletter of the year, it feels right to pause for a moment and take stock.

2025 has been a year full of surprises and uncertainty. The global context has shifted more than once, assumptions have been challenged, and familiar reference points have not always held. Yet through all of this, the Crawford Fund for Food Security has continued to play a steady role in supporting international agricultural research and in building the capability Australia needs to remain engaged, credible, and useful in this space.

As the year closes, many parts of the food and research system are still searching for a reset button for the future now emerging. There is also a sobering reality sitting behind rising food prices around the world. A major driver has been the long-term failure to invest adequately in agricultural research and development. The irony is hard to ignore. Australia is embarking on the development of a domestic food security policy at the same time as we see significant reductions in the capacity of our national research provider, CSIRO. Meanwhile, one in eight Australian households cannot afford enough food, and forty-one per cent of First Nations households are food insecure.

These are not abstract issues. They go to the heart of why international agricultural research matters, and why Australia’s engagement in this work remains so important.

None of what the Crawford Fund for Food Security has achieved this year would have been possible without the many people who have contributed their time, expertise, and goodwill. Our Board and State & Territory Committees continue to step up to the challenge of helping the world feed itself. Our friends, collaborators and alumni across the globe continue to inspire us with their commitment and generosity. I want to make special mention of the staff of the Crawford Fund for Food Security, whose quiet professionalism and persistence keep the organisation moving forward, often in challenging conditions.

As we head into the close of the year, I wish you all a safe and restorative break. We look ahead to 2026 with a clear sense that it will be an interesting year, and with renewed intent to strengthen our role as a connector and convenor of the diverse voices needed to achieve global food security.

Thank you for being part of this work.