Celebrating our innovators this National Agriculture Day

    18 November 2022

    On National Agriculture Day we celebrate the enormous contribution that new farming practices and technologies make to agriculture. The innovations of the plant science industry provide the transformations that farmers need to be even more sustainable and productive.

    Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, the national peak industry organisation for the plant science sector, Mr Matthew Cossey, said, “Australia is lucky that essentially all the food that we require is Australian grown by our nation’s farmers and 75 per cent of what is produced is also exported. However, some Australians know very little about the farmers that produce their food and even less about the amazing innovations that deliver the food on their plate.”

    “Today is the perfect opportunity to build awareness about the importance of science and innovation in agriculture and the role that agriculture plays in a much bigger picture. The world will have to double food production in the next few decades just to meet the needs of a growing population. Farmers have this on their mind while transitioning to ever more sustainable farming practices in the face of continuous environmental challenges.”

    “This is something that the plant science industry, both here in Australia and globally, continues to dedicate itself to. Maintaining and improving Australian farming’s productivity, profitability and sustainability will rely even more in the coming years on scientific research and development, the resulting innovations, and farmers’ access to it.”

    “Australia has some of the world’s best farmers, but if we expect them to be able to continue do what they do best in even better ways, it’s crucial they have access to modern innovations.”

    Mr Cossey continued, “Cutting-edge crop protection products and crops derived from biotechnology innovation have been key to transforming agricultural practices, productivity and improving environmental outcomes. Reduced tillage practices and GM crops give farmers the power to be part of the solution beyond food security by reducing emissions, sequestering carbon, reducing food loss and waste and improving soil quality.

    “Behind every one of these achievements are teams of researchers, scientists and agronomists that spend their lives dedicated to research and development, and companies committed to delivering innovations for farmers. The plant science industry is proud of its role in building an even more successful and sustainable Australian agriculture sector. These days a job in agriculture can as easily be in a world leading plant science laboratory as it can in a paddock and that’s exciting,” concluded Mr Cossey.