Australia’s Food Systems Innovation project

Andy Hall, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia.

Main message

Innovation at the interface of public and private sectors

across a range of agri-food concerns needs “interventions”

that help frame more broad based partnerships

Why food systems innovation?

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• Global food demand increased by 30% 2030

• Drivers: population growth; changing diets associated with rising incomes.

• The double burden: Co-existence of under nutrition and increasing levels of over obesity.

• Food wastage/ post harvest losses: 30%

• Environmental costs/ Climate change effects

• Broken food system? Broken innovation system?

Chronic exposure to aflatoxin from maize above international permitted levels affects all Kenyan’s irrespective of socio-economic status.

Public research

Private Seed companies

Grain millers association

National Food standards

National health and education programs

Private detection equip manufactures

Farmer advisory services

Traders and millers Farmers

Consumers

Agricultural policy

Modes of innovation

• Technological innovation public and or private sector research led

• Processing and value chain innovation: agribusiness led with public and private research support.

• Business model innovation: (social purpose driven/ green) Shared value led

• Fundamentally different enabling environment and innovation architecture that marshals business leaders, policy makers, civil society organisations and as well as research organisations in the public and private sectors.

• Food system innovation needed……. But how?

Food systems innovation project

• Context: New aid policy with strong focus on private sector engagement including win-win opportunities for Australia and partners in Asia Pacific.

• Partners: 3 Australian agencies DFAT, ACIAR and CSIRO • Aim: Promote learning and innovation in food security programming

and practice in Australian ODA. Make better use of research in the development / business interface.

Project modalities

• Brokering linkages in Australia between knowledge organisations and others in the food security -- agribusiness domain.

• Research and analysis: what works and why?

• Mapping the new landscape. Business models/ brokering organisations

• Capacity development: Tools and good practice.

• Learning alliances: for example PPP in Indonesia

• Regional dialogues with business leaders, decision makers and research organisations.

Food for Growth regional dialogue

Immediately preceding the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists. Leaders from science and business. • Identify key blockages to accelerating innovation at the business-science

interface • Explore how government and international organisations could better

facilitate business and science partnerships • Assess the need and scope for interested businesses and science

organisations to take collective leadership for follow up action

Follow up through support to the Grow Asia initiative of the World Economic forum. Supporting consensus building and investment planning at science/ business/ policy interface

Wins

• Novel partnership between Australian research agencies and DFAT. Non-trivial.

• Developing a common set of ideas about partnering with the private sector.

• Analysis: “Public private sector partnerships and inclusive business models are not yet very well understood within the Australian business community”

• Convening conversations: agribusiness forum to share experiences.

• Nutritionally sensitive agriculture dialogues: health and agriculture interplay.

Challenges and conclusions

• Small , short term pilot with big ambition.

• How to demonstrate and measure the value-add of an initiative that enables the conditions needed for food system innovation?

• Creating conditions where research, business and policy start to talk about priorities, opportunities and action is much more difficult than anticipated.

• Unlikely to take place spontaneously without “interventions” that help frame more broadbased partnerships.

Contact

www.foodsystemsinnovation.org.au