$150 million missions to boost Australian agriculture and food sectors
Three major new missions from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, will grow Australia’s agriculture and food sectors targeting $20 billion by 2030. The $150 million investment from CSIRO, government and industry will tackle drought, the food export market and growing the protein market. CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said the three missions together aim to capture a $20 billion opportunity for Australian agriculture to extend its position as a world leader. “For over a century, CSIRO has been working with farmers and governments to improve life on this great land – but today we’re bringing all of our newest science and technology, from Artificial Intelligence to genetics and smart materials, to bear on overcoming our oldest national challenge – drought,” Dr Marshall said. “Overcoming the impacts of drought, protecting the authenticity of Australian products, and inventing whole new markets will grow one of our most important national industries. “Australia has a natural competitive advantage in ‘ag-tech’, the way Silicon Valley does in ‘tech’ – these missions leverage that advantage to grow those local companies and grow the quality of life for Australians working in them.” These are part of CSIRO’s program of missions to support Australia’s future where we use science to amplify Australia’s global advantages and strengths. The research missions aim to: Reduce the impacts of drought by 30 per cent Increase the value of Australian agrifood exports by $10 billion, and Produce an additional $10 billion of high-quality protein products by 2030. “Overcoming challenges of this size takes a Team Australia approach, which is why we’re proud to have so many collaborators on board to help Australian agriculture become more resilient, more profitable, and to produce food that is more plentiful and healthier for Australians and our customers around the world,” Dr Marshall said. Meat & Livestock […]