A short presentation about international research and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

1. International Agricultural
Research
An Australian Perspective
Why
How
Australia’s role
Huge Rates of Return
Incidental benefits
L indsay.falvey@gmail.com
Vertical-Housed-Logo (722×722)
Building 7, Unit 7/1 Dairy Road,
Fyshwick, ACT 2609, Australia
+61 2 6280 8611

2. Agricultural Research in Australia
15 RDCs: [5 statutory bodies; 10 industry-owned
companies (IOCs)]
Priorities: trusted exporter; climate resilience; biosecurity;
digital
Funded: levies matched by government (~0.5% GVP)
Accountable to both industry and government.

3. Similar, but different is:
ACIAR
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
Independent statutory authority established in 1982
Specialist international agricultural R4D agency
In 2020-21: $104 million, 200 R4D projects

4. International Agricultural R&D
Vertical-Housed-Logo (722×722)
Building 7, Unit 7/1 Dairy Road,
Fyshwick, ACT 2609, Australia
+61 2 6280 8611

5. International Agricultural R&D
Vertical-Housed-Logo (722×722)
Building 7, Unit 7/1 Dairy Road,
Fyshwick, ACT 2609, Australia
+61 2 6280 8611
Figure1.Biofortifiedcrops bredbyCGIARCenters andpartners
SWEET POTATO
Vitamin A
CASSAVA
Vitamin A
MAIZE
Vitamin A
Zinc
BANANA/
PLANTAIN
Vitamin A
BEANS
Iron
PEARL MILLET
Iron
COWPEA
Iron
Zinc
IRISH POTATO
Iron
Zinc
SORGUM
Iron
Zinc
LENTIL
Iron
Zinc
WHEAT
Zinc
RICE
Zinc
Click on each crop picture to see the breeding program
isattheheartofthecontinuedeffort to
improveOFSPvarietiestomeet farmerand
ABF

6. Global commodity values: on average animal source foods, five of the top
ten
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
Rice, paddy Meat, pig Milk, whole
fresh cow
Meat, cattle Maize Meat, chicken Wheat Potatoes Eggs, hen, in
shell
Sugarcane
Current million USD
(average annual values 2007-2016; animal source foods: USD 830 billion)
Livestock is 40% of agGDP globally

7. International Agricultural R&D
Fifty Successful Years
• famine averted
• >30% of the world hungry in 1960s; today around
15%.
• Population doubled; an extra 3 billion people fed
• aid + civil organizations + national governments
• policy, yields, vaccines, NRM, nutrition, etc
• Australians highly represented - as should continue

8. Had Improved Markedly, but currently …
Climate, COVID and Conflict:
• > 350m inadequate + 50m starving & rising
• 30% of world food insecurity (22% in 2014)

9. Addressing the global food security crisis | IFPRI : International Food Policy Research Institute

10. Addressing the global food security crisis | IFPRI : International Food Policy Research Institute

11. International Agricultural R&D
Vertical-Housed-Logo (722×722)
Building 7, Unit 7/1 Dairy Road,
Fyshwick, ACT 2609, Australia
+61 2 6280 8611
CGIAR: 10,000 staff, 96 countries

12. ACIAR Outputs (e.g.)
• Conservation agriculture, China
• Happy Seeder, India
• Seeds of Life, Timor-Leste
• Hybrid Acacia & Eucalypt, Vietnam, China
• Wheat blast, Bangladesh
• Landcare model, Philippines
• Virtual Irrigation (Chameleon), Africa
• Insect feeds, Africa and beyond

15. ACIAR Impact
>$64 Billion total benefit for partner countries since 1982
Weighted average benefit:cost ratio 42:1
Median BCR 22:1

16. Not All One-Way – benefits at home
also
• Indo beef market
• fall armyworm
• honey bees mites
• coral larval
• resistant oysters
• Panama Disease
• Newcastle Disease
• disease/salt citrus
• wheat varieties;
• virus-free sweetpotato

17. Conclusion
R4D to sustainably nourish the marginalized poor of the
world is not only noble, strategic and rewarding, it also
yields extremely high returns – and incidentally at home.
Australia is Doing Well by Doing Good
www.aciar.gov.au