Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

This report seeks to summarise views and perspectives of webinar participants during discussions, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CSIRO or the Australian Government. We need to foster responsible innovation of technologies to help transform the food system and provide greater transparency and accountability of actors and the positive and negative impacts of different technologies and practices. For example, applying technology to track production through supply chain (data on farm / production / processing / logistics) and using this knowledge through Decision Support Tools... Read more can help people produce and consume food more sustainably. Tools can be designed and adapted right along the value chain, in manner that is inclusive and user friendly, to bring producers, processors and consumers closer together. Read less

This report seeks to summarise views and perspectives of webinar participants during discussions, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CSIRO or the Australian Government. Food waste must be approached in a similar manner to questions around healthier consumption. Circular food systems offer potential for recapturing of waste and turning it into a new stream of value-added product. Research is needed not only in developing new technologies that can repurpose waste, but to better understand the reasons for food waste, and the constraints faced in reducing food waste to better desi... Read moregn circular systems that can achieve scale in collecting and processing waste for new uses. Read less

This report seeks to summarise views and perspectives of webinar participants during discussions, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CSIRO or the Australian Government. There is a need for more systemic and holistic approaches to addressing food system issues to overcome the existing siloes across research and food system elements and deliver holistic systemic approaches like the ‘Farm to Fork’ initiatives. There exists lots of fragmented pieces of policy and research efforts. If we are going to drive a more sustainable agricultural economy, we will need greater coordinati... Read moreon of research and policy coherence. All of which will require decisions that are evidence-based and consider multiple benefits and trade-offs. Read less

This report seeks to summarise views and perspectives of webinar participants during discussions, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CSIRO or the Australian Government. We recognise the need to promote transparency, accountability and a level playing field for all actors in food systems. But there is currently a lack of political will at all levels to implement or invest in evidence-based actions and commercial interests drive decisions across the whole food system. We need to create mechanisms to achieve a level playing field where all voices have a seat at the table (modelle... Read mored on the aims of the United Nations Food System Summit) including people and agencies representing public good interests of health, nutrition, livelihoods and environment, who currently have limited access to policy makers, decision makers and politicians. Policy and regulation are required to change the food environment so that consumers are supported to make healthy food choices. The current food environment encourages the consumption of discretionary foods in many ways including the convenience, pervasive availability, marketing and cheap cost of unhealthy food. Policy approaches for which there is strong public health evidence include reformulation, front of pack labelling, controlling the support and marketing of ultra-processed food particularly to children, product placement and fast food consumption (e.g., connected with sports), and fiscal policy such as a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. All fiscal policies must ensure that they do not increase inequities (e.g., ensuring no disproportional impacts to low income households). Treasury needs to be involved, for example. Improving food literacy can assist with making healthier choices. We need to resolve certain structural problems that make it difficult for consumers to realise healthier diets. Lack of food knowledge and upskilling is needed across all of society. Not everyone knows how to prepare healthy food and this needs to be resolved such that it is no longer a barrier to healthy food consumption. Addressing this through early childhood education can be an effective mechanism for change. Read less

This report seeks to summarise views and perspectives of webinar participants during discussions, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CSIRO or the Australian Government. We need to improve communication and reframe the narrative around food and our food systems so it has urgency but also removes the divisive messaging between city and rural communities and provides a sense of hope that we can deliver the solutions needed for improved food systems that deliver the triple challenges. Currently our public discourse is often polluted by fear and ideology (for example, fossil fuels ... Read moreversus clean energy). We need a more coordinated and sophisticated approach to engagement and communication to advance sustainable and healthy diets and food production – that does not demonise some or polarise the debate, for example around plant and meat proteins. These are false dichotomies. We need memes to express the complexity of the food system. This would require substantial commitment from governmental communication agencies. Read less

This report seeks to summarise views and perspectives of webinar participants during discussions, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CSIRO or the Australian Government. We need to transform our food systems the same way we are transforming our energy systems. We need nationally coordinated governance and research mechanism(s) that can bring together the multiple objectives of food systems (human and planetary health, equity, economic prosperity) to underpin multisector collaboration and cooperation. Acknowleding our current market-led approach to governing our food system, we ... Read moremust ensure all people in our food system - small farmers, small and medium sized food businesses, Indigenous peoples, civil society groups, consumers, experts, future generations, have their voices heard. We need a representative national food governance body that can coordinate research and policy and develop a national food system strategy that can level the playing field between public good interests (health, livelihoods, environment) with the private interests. That will require some major innovation in how we govern our food system, including for example, the establishment of a representative national food governance body and food policy processes that give everyone a voice. This could encompass: • establish a taskforce to look at where the gaps are to bring efforts together; • establish a national level Ministry for Food with a role to develop a comprehensive and unified national food and nutrition plan that provides a framework recognising the multiple objectives of food systems and ensures all food related activities are underpinned by the same goals and reduces the likelihood of policies and activities undermining each other; • maintain a collective action mechanism of sustainable food systems interests to create / maintain pressure and visibility. An atomised approach by individuals will not work. Let these dialogues be the start of this transformational movement. Read less

This report seeks to summarise views and perspectives of webinar participants during discussions, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CSIRO or the Australian Government. - It is time to reassess our values and desired outcomes for our food systems. To do this will require societal conversations to develop a shared vision of more sustainable Australian food systems, recognising there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Solutions will need to be evidence-based, locally appropriate and consider complex trade-offs and shifts in power dynamics to achieve a food system transition. - We... Read more need to significantly improve food system governance so it delivers for all food system stakeholders. Mechanisms suggested are developing a representative national food governance body to coordinate research and policy and develop a national food system strategy (currently lacking) that can level the playing field between public good interests (health, livelihoods, environment) with private interests and ensure everyone in the food system has a voice. - The food regulatory system needs reform, so it functions better, for example improving the Health Star rating to become more effective at helping consumers make choices. The science and innovation needed to transform our food systems is already there – it is the implementation through governance, policy, education and political will at all levels around the world, that is lacking. - Australia, like most other countries, has a critical structural food system problem, and a need exists for greater systems thinking to overcome the existing siloes across research and food system elements, including retail, and deliver a holistic systems-based approach. - Agriculture needs to be recognised as part of the solution and not just the source of food system problems. It is responsible for about 2% GDP, 11% exports, 2-3% employment and provides a strong lever for action. Farmers have felt outcast in health and sustainability discussions. - Farming needs to be economically viable in Australia and adopt an intergenerational land management vision, which includes a portion of farm incomes coming from stewardship, environmental services payments and renewable energy farming. - The successful deployment of science and technology solutions depends on understanding the social and cultural contexts in which they must operate and finding ways to reduce social and cultural barriers to adoption and enable the behavioural change needed to transform our food system. Research is not being sufficiently utilised and we need better ways to co-create research, apply it in practice, and introduce it into public discourse to inform policy. - Parts of Australia have limited access to new technology, ideas, public extension and learning. This lack of investment in extension, co-created knowledge exchange mechanisms, dialogue and coordination between sectors has resulted in duplication of effort. Better collaboration between researchers and farmers / communities, with greater participatory research will lead to more effective impacts. - Australia must continue researching and applying practices that sustain and regenerate our environment and our soil ensuring the food system is good for the planet and human health and produces nutrient density from soil health. Poor communication has polluted the national public discourse on food, health, agriculture and environment and there is urgent need to reframe narratives around food and our food systems (now we have everyone’s attention after covid-driven empty shelves) so it has urgency but also provides positive solutions needed for improved food systems that deliver the triple challenges. - Policy priorities are currently focused on GDP and economic interests, rather than public good impacts of the food systems such as health and the environment. Changes to the food regulatory environment are required (and there is good evidence to support this, tobacco industry as an example) – changes to supermarkets (availability and pricing of unhealthy foods), marketing to children, fiscal policies such as taxes on unhealthy foods. Enabling dietary guidelines and nutrition policy will need public will and strong government engagement/support to be effective. - We need to look beyond efficiency metrics when evaluating the performance of food systems and be able to include broader multiple impacts (education, research, health and great benefit to the community) with a similar approach used to measure effectiveness of policy. - Key barriers to a transformed food system include a separation of people from the environments that sustain them. There is a need to re-connect people to land, agriculture and their food using various modes of communication (art, film, music, events) to inform them of the latest science of environment and agriculture. It is critical to bring local and first nation people’s deep knowledge of land management, systems and native foods (placed-based learning) into our education and innovation systems. - Consideration is needed on how externalities associated with food production (i.e., social and environmental) can be more accurately reflected in true cost food pricing and via existing market mechanisms. It was suggested that “cheap food” may not be “better food” and that consumers can be empowered to value factors beyond price (such as sustainable production and health) into their decision-making, while protecting the least well off. Read less

The CSIRO-led Dialogue facilitated dynamic exchange among a diverse set food system stakeholders across science, policy, food industry, community and implementation, bringing a range of perspectives at a range of scales. The dialogue discussed an Australian sustainable food system vision of “Ensuring Australian food production is sustainable and resilient and our food chains deliver healthy, affordable and accessible food to consumers – whilst also reducing waste” - using integrative system framing of grower, maker, seller, eater, regulator - and the science and innovation needed to addr... Read moreess the questions: • What should sustainable Australian food systems in 2030 look like? • How can Australian food producers, processors, policy makers and consumers best contribute to a more sustainable food system? • What actions are needed to achieve shifts in consumption, accessibility, affordability and sustainable production, so that no one is left behind? • How can we speed up change towards developing fair, safe and sustainable supply chains ensuring a responsible use of natural resources and a reduction of food loss and waste, making sustainability the easy choice for consumers? • What Australian agriculture and food policies are needed to promote the production of affordable nutritious, sustainably produced food while remunerating fairly all farmers and food workers? The overall themes of the Dialogue were applying science and innovation to support: 1. Healthy food availability, affordability and consumption 2. Aligning food production with recommended consumption 3. Reducing Noncommunicable diseases, overweight and obesity 4. Environmentally sustainable food production systems that are resilient to climate extremes 5. Ensuring socially equitable and inclusive food systems 6. Establishing new enabling mechanisms and policies and structures 7. Reducing food loss and waste Read less

This report seeks to summarise views and perspectives of webinar participants and does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Government. In addition to the key messages already detailed there were a number of issues discussed which may have signified a divergence of views, including: • Consideration as to how externalities associated with food production (i.e. social and environmental) can be more accurately reflected in food pricing and via existing market mechanisms. It was suggested that “cheap food” may not be “better food” and that consumers can be empowered to f... Read moreactor factors beyond price (such as sustainable agriculture production) into their consumption decision-making. • Exploration of animal-sourced and plant-sourced foods, particularly as it relates to the environmental impact of the livestock sector, dietary choices and the consumption of adequate protein for human nutrition. It was suggested that there is a need for a balanced, evidence-based and context-specific approach which recognises the complementarity of animal and plant production systems, opportunities for sustainable utilisation of rangelands and the role of animal and plant proteins in a balanced, nutritious diet. It was also highlighted that agricultural innovations and technologies will be important to further improve environmental sustainability (i.e. reducing methane in livestock) and helping to boost global food security. • Decision-makers need to carefully consider and assess policy options in order to optimise the return from scarce resources that can be allocated for conservation while ensuring equity and appropriate incentivisation. Initiatives or programmes seeking to promote uptake of innovative or sustainable practices should not inadvertently penalise farmers already “doing the right thing” (i.e. through additionality requirements). • Rather than focusing on sustainably intensifying food production as a means to meet global food needs, global food distribution networks and food loss and waste issues also need to be considered. • There may be high transaction costs for farmers to enter into and participate in environmental markets, and market complexity is currently a major barrier to their widespread uptake. There is a need to develop and use auditing/assessment procedures which provide integrity, but at a lower financial impost. Farmers will need to be provided with sufficient information to participate in these emerging markets, and there will be a need for adequate information and extension services. • Consideration of the role of consumer choice and supply chains in encouraging consumption that can reward farmers and producers for their sustainable practices. Producers and other stakeholders in the supply-chain already aim to adapt and respond to consumer expectations and demand – but this can be further strengthened. • There is a need for more systemic and holistic approaches to address issues such as land-clearing to ensure the appropriate balancing of social, economic and environmental considerations. This may include clarifying differences in between “regrowth” and “remnant” vegetation and ensuring that decisions are science-based, and achieve the desired natural resource management outcomes (i.e. biodiversity and habitat preservation, biosecurity pest concerns, soil degradation). Read less

This report seeks to summarise views and perspectives of webinar participants and does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Government. In addition to the topics already highlighted – there were a number of additional high-level key messages emerging during the dialogue discussion, including: • Given the diversity of agricultural business models and within the Australian natural environment, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to addressing challenges in Australian food systems, including those related to environmental sustainability. It was acknowledged that solutions ... Read moreshould be appropriate for the local context and science-based. • There is a need for farmers and producers to be provided with accurate and adequate data, information and technology to enable them to make informed decisions appropriate to their business and context. This can be complemented with a range of appropriate agri-environmental policy measures, including information services and extension, regulations, grant-based schemes and environmental markets. • Australian producers and other stakeholders employ and are developing a wide range of policies, programs and initiatives to support and incentivise sustainable agriculture production, build biodiversity and improve climate resilience. This includes individual farmers and agricultural industries (including Beef and Dairy sectors) which promote uptake of practices to deliver positive environmental impacts and are working towards carbon neutrality. • There is a need to ensure that innovations, solutions, and research are designed with the needs of end-users (i.e. farmers/producers and other stakeholders) in mind and that successful practices and implementations can be effectively and appropriately communicated to farmers/producers. A focus on collaboration across scales and levels (local, national, regional and global) will be important. • It is important to emphasise and better communicate the “co-benefits” of sustainable farming practices to promote wider update and adoption. For example, measuring soil carbon can be used for carbon trading and offer potential additional revenue streams, but can also deliver improved biodiversity, greater water retention, greater nutrient recycling and greater nitrogen mineralisation. • Environmental markets and payments for ecosystem services are an emerging feature of Australia’s environmental and agricultural policy landscape. They may offer an effective mechanism to promote improved conservation, biodiversity and sustainability outcomes and should be considered in conjunction with improved information, regulation, and grants-based mechanisms. • There is significant value for producers and consumers in comprehensive and clear industry sustainability frameworks and targets. • There may be opportunities for the agricultural sector to contribute towards environmental sustainability outcomes through renewable energy generation, including by integrating wind and solar on grazing lands. Read less

This report seeks to summarise views and perspectives of webinar participants and does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Government. Three expert panellists explored the webinar themes outlined previously by delivering short presentations to webinar participants. Key messages highlighted during these presentations included: • The important role of industry frameworks, metrics and roadmaps for delivering sustainable agricultural industry growth in Australia out to 2030 – at the industry, commodity and individual farmer level. • Australian farmers and other agricultural... Read more stakeholders are already employing practices and innovations to deliver good natural resource management and sustainability outcomes – including relating to emissions reduction and soils monitoring and management. • It can be important to consider the relationship between affordable and environmentally sustainable food production and the structure and role of global food distribution networks when thinking about how to give effect to Sustainable Development Goal 2 – Zero Hunger. • The importance of exploring and promoting “co-benefits” when incentivising more sustainable agricultural production practices (i.e soil carbon may offer benefits in terms of trading and market return, but also improves biodiversity and productivity). • There have been many elements to historical and contemporary agri-enviro policy in Australia – which has sought to incentivise sustainable agriculture practices and protect the natural resource base. This includes the use of information instruments and extension services, direct regulation and use of grant-based schemes. • While there is a continued need for all of these into the future, currently, there is an emerging focus on environmental markets and their potential for integrating conservation measures in a way that compliments agricultural production and provides new revenue streams for agricultural producers. This may include payment for ecosystem services such as carbon and biodiversity. A special-feature webinar panellist gave a short presentation on practices they employ within their cattle farming business to deliver environmental sustainability outcomes including: • innovative use of digital mapping technologies to measure land health; • crop rotations and vegetation management; • introduction of Leucaena and other legumes to increase water infiltration and and reduce GHG emissions; • diverse tree plantings and revegetation to encourage biodiversity; • carbon accounting systems; • use of solar energy; and undertaking other biosecurity activities. The question and answer session was wide-ranging reflecting strong stakeholder engagement and interest. Some key thematic elements of the discussion related to: • the characteristics of a healthy and environmentally sustainable diet; • state/federal government interactions and responsibilities in the agri-environmental sector; • transaction costs involved in measuring ecosystem services; • indigenous plant varieties and the role of traditional knowledges; • consumer behaviour and the role of supermarkets; • urban sprawl and the potential impact on agricultural land; • diversified cropping and farming models and biodiversity conservation; • innovations in fruit and vegetable production and incentivising their increased consumption; • incentivising the uptake of national market-based sustainability schemes; • land-clearing practices; • potential for renewable energy generation on agricultural land. Read less