Approved by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator the Hon. Murray Watt, AgriFutures Australia Research and Innovation Strategic Plan 2022-2027 (known as the 16:5:5 Roadmap) is consciously centred around driving value for AgriFutures’ thirteen levied industries as well as delivering programs that drive innovation and address priority challenges amongst the broader agriculture sector.
From attracting and retaining a workforce that will ensure Australia’s rural industries are future ready, to ensuring Australia is a leader in developing, adopting, and exporting agrifood technologies and innovation, the industry-led roadmap is unashamedly future-focused.
AgriFutures Chair, Mrs Kay Hull AO, explained, “Our 16:5:5 roadmap clearly signals the priorities we must focus on to drive value and ensure – together with our levy payers, industry bodies and other stakeholders – that we prepare for, and thrive into the future.”
AgriFutures has a unique role among the RDCs, investing in R&D to promote industry growth, sustainability and resilience through innovation, learning and leadership in rural industries that do not have their own dedicated RDC, as well as for new and emerging industries. AgriFutures is also responsible for investing in R&D that addresses national rural issues.
To ensure the roadmap addressed the needs of such a diverse group of stakeholders, the AgriFutures Board led an extensive process that included 39 hours of in-depth stakeholder consultation.
“We are truly grateful for the level of commitment volunteered by hundreds of people who contributed to the development of this roadmap. Their valuable insights have clearly defined our key strengths, opportunities for improvement and priorities for the next five years.”
“Listening, engaging and consulting with our industries is critical,” said Mr Harvey. “As is delivering research and innovation that addresses their specific needs. Looking inward to our sectors’ needs and reaching outward to our networks and industry partners, both locally and globally, will help in the collaborative path toward developing high-impact research, securing investment, and creating commercialisation pathways that nourish the long-term prosperity of our rural industries.”
Building on the strong foundation laid by AgriFutures over the last five years, the roadmap channels investment into five focus areas that capitalise on the unique and critical role it can play in creating a strong, vibrant and collaborative agricultural sector:
- Our (Levied) Industries
- Emerging Industries
- Workforce and Leadership
- National Challenges and Opportunities
- Global Innovation Networks.
“Driving the uptake and adoption of on-farm agritech is close to producers’ hearts – and rightly so – to improve efficiency, productivity and sustainability goals that will pay dividends,” said John. “[The roadmap will see] AgriFutures evokeAG. and AgriFutures growAG. continue to play an instrumental role in industry success by lifting the curtain on the plethora of homegrown innovators punching well above their weight – and connecting Australian agrifood innovation with the global market.”
ENDS
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Read AgriFutures Australia Research and Innovation Strategic Plan 2022-2027
