Exploring northern opportunities at Food Futures 2023
PHA’s Rohan Burgess, Dr Matt Hill, and Trevor Dunmall recently attended the Northern Australia Food Futures 2023 conference in Darwin. Themed ‘Northern myths, opportunities and realities’, the conference covered a range of topics that showcased northern opportunities, influenced policy creation, and attracted investment to the area. The bi-annual conference was attended by more than 500 delegates this year.
The conference included several highlights. In addition to meeting with a range of PHA stakeholders and collaborators over the few days, staff members in attendance learned about the history of mango production, as well as the exciting future for burgeoning horticultural industries such as jackfruit.
The AgTech showcase on the first day of the conference displayed the latest innovations, with robotics, augmented reality and drone companies all demonstrating how they could contribute to the future of agriculture in the territory.
PHA sponsored the ‘Northern Realities’ session which included a range of presentations covering the climate change response, developing stakeholder relationships, sustainability, industry growth and environmental regulation. Matt, PHA’s Digital Systems Manager, presented a session titled ‘Northern Australian Biosecurity’, which provided an overview of the partnerships and projects that PHA facilitates in the Northern Territory, including CitrusWatch and the ‘Safeguarding Indigenous-led forestry in Northern Australia’ project. Matt also presented AUSPestCheck® and the opportunities it provides for government and industry to work together on joint biosecurity surveillance programs.