Opportunity pathways to address systemic challenges facing Australian agrifood

This prioritisation report builds on six opportunity pathways identified through research and consultation conducted in late 2025 and early 2026 as part of A Systems Thinking Approach to Australian Agriculture.

The project explored how agriculture can help address major national challenges and create value beyond the farm gate. It found that agriculture can play a catalyst role across sectors, but stakeholders cannot pursue all opportunities at once. The report therefore identifies where effort, investment and leadership should focus.

Australia’s agrifood system faces six connected pressures: climate and environmental resilience, energy transition, water security, supply chain disruption, trade volatility and regional workforce constraints.

These challenges affect productivity, regional prosperity and long-term economic security. Because they are closely linked, single-sector programs and isolated projects are unlikely to deliver lasting solutions.

The report assesses six opportunity pathways against these six challenges. Researchers combined desktop analysis with insights from 107 Australian and international stakeholders. They examined each opportunity using clear criteria, including catalytic potential, cross-sector impact, alignment with national priorities, feasibility, scalability, shared value creation and the ability to leverage capability across RDCs.

The analysis highlights six opportunities with strong potential to drive progress. The strongest pathways address several challenges at the same time and create benefits across sectors such as energy, health, defence, technology and mining.

Together, these opportunities form a portfolio that can strengthen national resilience and support future growth.