The 2018 Sir John Crawford Memorial Address

August 30, 2018

This year’s Sir John Crawford Memorial Address, Food, Climate Change and National Security, was presented by Ms Frances Adamson, Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Ms Adamson said that Sir John Crawford was concerned with how the world would feed a population increase of 3 billion people projected out to 2001, and today, we too have the same concern about how the world will feed a further 3 billion people projected for 2050. Adding to the concerns of addressing food security in the past, in our modern international community the challenges of food security are entwined with the challenges of climate change which is exacerbating factors such as resource competition, health challenges, economic prosperity and humanitarian disaster.

“Australia is doing a great deal to combat this perfect storm, this great knot of interlinked issues – it is a complex problem, but not an impossible one. Yet in 2018, in the very pragmatic and introspective shadow of Sir John Crawford, it is time to ask ourselves again, whether, we, too, need to be doing much more,” concluded Ms Adamson.

The Sir John Crawford Memorial Address has been held annually since 1985 in honour of the remarkable Australian in whose name the Crawford Fund was established. Sir John contributed at the highest levels to the development of Australia and other countries, and passionately supported international agricultural research for development.