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Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground

The Climate Change Research Strategy for Primary Industries (CCRSPI) team is pleased to present the inaugural CCRSPI Conference.

The CCRSPI Conference will bring together some of Australia’s foremost scientists, leading producers and policy makers from the agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries. It is an opportunity to challenge and motivate the research community to deliver the innovation necessary for our primary producers and policy makers to double food and fibre production over the next four decades.

What’s different about the CCRSPI Conference?

The international keynote presentation will be delivered by acclaimed Indian agricultural scientist and philanthropist, Professor M.S. Swaminathan. His address will set the tone for policy makers, producers and scientists from all sectors of our primary industries to focus on the challenges and opportunities of climate change.

This conference will be a unique forum to address those challenges and opportunities by sharing knowledge across the various sectors, scientific disciplines and the industry-policy-science divide. It is a bold attempt to break down the ‘silo mentality’ and link all sectors of primary industry with the strategies that will allow us to achieve the food and fibre production challenges of tomorrow’s climate.

And, we’re not just talking science – we’ll be looking at strategy, research and practical on-farm adoption for facing the climate and food production challenges. If you’re an agriculture, fisheries or forestry scientist, rural policy maker or producer you won’t want to miss this conference.

How do I participate?

Over 110 abstracts have been received and we are currently taking registrations.

Register at http://www.theccrspiconference.com.au/ [1]

The program of speakers

Seakers include:

• MS Swaminthan
• Dennis Mutton – Chair, Council of Research and Development Corporations
• Bruce Kefford – Deputy Secretary, Agriculture Research and Development with the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria
• Andrew Campbell – Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods
• Annette Cowie, UNE – leading the greenhouse gas emissions theme
• Peter Hayman, SARDI – leading the farming systems theme
• Beverley Henry, QUT – leading the animals theme
• Richard Eckard, University of Melbourne – reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture
• Snow Barlow and Mark Howden – leading the transformational adaptation theme
• Margaret Alston AOM, Monash University – leading the socio economic theme
• Jason Alexandra,MDBA – leading landscapes theme
• John Langford, Uniwater – leading the water theme
• Jeff Baldock, CSIRO – leading the soils theme
• Scott Chapman, CSIRO – leading the plants theme
• Lynne Strong, dairy farmer and 2010 National Landcare Primary Producer of the Year

Producers will also be integrated within the program – with a producer to speak within each of the themes sessions over the 3 days.

ABC’s Fran Kelly will facilitate two key events within the program:

• A gathering of climate change politicians – who will be asked to explore the question “How do Australian farmers, fishers and foresters thrive under your climate policy”? and
• A free public forum at Federation Square (5.30pm, 16 February) featuring our keynote speakers that will address the question “How do we feed and clothe the world in 2050?”

Key outcomes and points of difference

This will not be ‘just another conference’. The knowledge shared at the CCRSPI Conference will provide the context for a new strategic plan – a road map for how Australian primary industries face the climate change challenge.

Our framing of themes on a systems basis will bridge the divide between sectors, between reductionist science and on-farm decision making, and between industry, policy and science.

Our philosophy includes involving producers on the speaking program, embedded into each theme – so that we can have a genuine collaboration and integration between science and producer.

We hope to see you there.

Dr Michael Robinson, Conference Chair and CCRSPI Executive Director, together with the Conference Organising Committee:

• Alison Turnbull – University of Melbourne / CCRSPI
• Snow Barlow – University of Melbourne
• Sara Hely – Grains Research Development Corporation
• Sam Nelson – National Farmers’ Federation
• Ron Prestige – Department of Primary Industries, Victoria
• Rob Young – Industry & Investment NSW

» http://www.theccrspiconference.com.au/ [1]