9-10 AUGUST 2022
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Preliminary Program
8 AUGUST 2022
Pre-Event Activities
Farmers Market Convivium
Farmers markets have become the ubiquitous face of quality farm produce direct to the consumer in Australia. This by invitation only pre-FIC event brings together many of Australia’s founders and leaders in the sector for the first time. An opportunity to share experiences and look ahead.
'Welcome to Canberra" Networking Event
9 AUGUST 2022
MORNING SESSION
Vision and Strategy
INTRODUCTION - Mr Ross MacDiarmid – Chair, Regional Development Australia ACT
OPENING - Minister, ACT Agriculture and Food Policy
KEYNOTE - The RUAF Global Partnership on sustainable Urban Agriculture & Food Systems
The RUAF Global Partnership on Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Food Systems is a consortium of expert institutions and individuals that includes cities, research institutes and NGOs, with a recognised track record in urban and peri-urban agriculture and urban food system solutions. The partnership is a platform for learning and knowledge brokering between science, policy and practice.
PANEL - City-Region Food models – Panel 1 (Facilitator Henry Gordon-Smith - Agritecture)
PRESENTATION - Canberra Region food Collaborative Q&A
The ACT is developing its own agrifood sector strategy for creating a Canberra Region Food Bowl setting directions for the next decade or more. Realising the vision of a fully integrated City-Region food system will need strong governance, a trusted intermediary working between Government and enterprises and a participatory co-design process involving all stakeholders to help shape our food future.
PANEL - Food and Farm Business Incubation
The Canberra Region Food Collaborative will support all manner of food enterprises and initiatives. Food business incubation will take pride of place. We need to assist both small food producers and farmers to build their businesses and for some to scale-up. A younger generation are keen to get involved but they need training, financial support, and good advice to do so. The rewards are there as this panel will show.
AFTERNOON SESSION
Skills and Information
SCENE SETTER - The economic impact of local food systems
PRESENTATION - William Angliss Institute - Training needs for Urban & Regional food production
Research shows that barely 50% of urban farmer start-ups have any prior experience or training. Our food system will need to boost formal training, workshops, master classes and mentoring. This panel will identify what is needed, how it can be funded and explore what is needed to encourage people to consider jobs and careers in agrifood.
PANEL - Food Skills & Training – WAI, CIT, Spark, UWS
SCENE SETTER - Food for Social Impact - Disability
PRESENTATION - Food Agility CRC – Solving the Information Challenge
PANEL - Data & Digitisation (research and region focused) Facilitator: David Eyres, Future Food Systems CRC
Information is everything. The digitisation of the agricultural and food sector is proceeding apace – helping support and optimise provenance, food safety, transport efficiency and production. A significant gap exists around bringing some of these technologies to bare on local food systems and linking regional and smaller volume produce into the larger national system. We will hear about what’s going on in this space and what we might need to examine to help our local and regional enterprises get more visibility and get their product to Canberra consumers more easily and cheaply.
PARALLEL SESSION - Food E-Commence Platforms Presentations
Seafood diets – see it and eat it! Visibility is everything – the trust inherent in local food networks needs to have an infrastructure. This parallel session will feature presentations by Australia’s leading local food e-commerce platforms as well as discussions of results from the trials of related transport and logistics solutions. Take this opportunity to meet the providers and consider registering your business on their platforms.
OPTIONAL DINNER
Chefs, Food Service & Safety
10 AUGUST 2022
MORNING SESSION
Design for Beautiful Food
KEYNOTE - Flavia Fayet-Moore – Nutrition Research Australia
Nutritionists point out that a variety of fresh, naturally grown produce is best for our health and vitality. Australia remains beset by a host of health conditions stemming from obesity and poor diet. Backed by education and knowledge consumers know that part of the answer is more local food production. Consumer survey data shows that the market for better food is huge and yet to be tapped. Whether it is lentils or a local iceberg lettuce the answers to many of our health issues hide in plain view.
PANEL - Nutrition and Sustainable Food – Australia’s leading nutritionists and consumer experts
SCENE SETTER - Food for Social Impact – Investors & Philanthropists
PANEL - Food Waste
The second panel on food waste in the FIC series will go deeper on the various aspects of reducing food waste: how to utilise this resource to assist a range of purposes from organics fertilizers through to high end confectionary products.
PRESENTATION - Sundrop Farms – Innovation, Technology and Imagination
Agtech and various technologies are everywhere – whether simple innovations or large sophisticated machines.Sensors which relay data to food producers need to be part of this equation although the cost and complexity of what’s on offer can scare smaller enterprises off. In this session we will look deeper at the role of Agtech – what’s already being used and what is becoming available that can help better serve the producers in the Canberra Region.
PANEL - Agtech for your urban farm; Greenhouses, Small Scale Processing, Manufacture (regional focus) Facilitator: CBRIN
OPTIONAL AFTERNOON
Tour
Experiencing a Canberra Food Trail