NSW: Chaikin Oration 2020

Please note this is The Chaikin Oration that was postponed in September 2020.

The looming global food crisis: challenge and opportunity
The Hon John Anderson AO FTSE
ATSE is delighted to have as our Chaikin Orator this year, the Hon John Anderson AO FTSE. John is a former Deputy Prime Minister and a towering figure in Australian agriculture and politics. He is Chair of the Crawford Fund, an Australian registered NGO established by ATSE with a focus on global food and nutrition security. John will inform us on the challenges of the looming global food crisis, both technical and political, and how Australia should respond and is already responding.

John will inform us on the challenges of the looming global food crisis, both technical and political, and how Australia should respond and is already responding.

There is no doubt that the world’s ability to provide enough food for future generations is under stress. The jury is out on changing rainfall patterns, where fertile lands of today may become hostile deserts, whether population growth will continue, and on other impacts which will add to the food pressures. To add to the challenge, there are voices asking for the elimination of methane generating animals, inorganic fertilisers and GM food. Australia is fortunate in having world leading expertise both in food production and on analysis of the threats, and is well positioned to make a vital contribution.