UQ ChangeMakers: Roundtable discussion – how do we build a climate-smart 'toolkit' in agriculture? (online)

Like all industries, agriculture will need to adapt to the changes we’re facing in our climate and our populations to be sustainable in the long-run. For farmers, this will mean building a ‘toolbox’ of new knowledge, skills and processes that will enable us to farm in cleaner and greener ways.

Join UQ alumni Thomas Hall and School of Agriculture and Food Science’s Professor Melissa Fitzgerald to learn more about what goes into environmentally conscious farming. What is carbon accounting, and how do you do it? Why is biodiversity important? And how can we utilise innovations in digital agriculture to make our farms more efficient and better for the planet?

You will have an opportunity to ask questions and join in the conversation.

Facilitator:

Thomas Hall
Thomas (Master of Business Administration '18) is a third-generation farmer and CEO of AgriFood Connect. As CEO he is actively focused on bridging the gap between research and industry adoption to fast-track the deployment of innovative solutions that will make our economy more resilient, companies more competitive, and create high value jobs. Thomas has extensive experience in fostering and managing key stakeholder and government partnerships. In delivering transformational change, Thomas is responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders whilst collaboratively developing strategies to positively affect the triple bottom line for industry.

Speaker:

Professor Melissa Fitzgerald
Melissa completed her B. Sc Hons with a major in plant biochemistry in 1990, and PhD in 1998 also in plant biochemistry. Since then, Melissa worked at NSW Agriculture (1998-2004), the International Rice Research Institute (2004-2012) and she is currently employed at the University of Queensland, as a Professor in the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, where she has established a state-of -the-art facility for metabolomic analysis of plants and foods. She is also the Deputy Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Science where she develops programs and opportunities for engagement and interaction between academics in the Faculty of Science and industry. Melissa is currently directing the new UQ AgriFood Innovation Alliance – a 2-year industry-facing project funded by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, and she is also a CI on an ARC Indigenous Discovery Grant.