Primary industry adaptation research network approved

The Adaptation Research Network for Primary Industries will help Australia’s primary industries meet the challenges and embrace the opportunities presented by climate change.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong approved the proposal by Land & Water Australia to host the network, which will be convened by Professor Snow Barlow from the University of Melbourne and led by a group of academics, including four internationally recognised climate change and primary industries researchers.

“It is critical that primary industries research is collaborative now, given the challenges of climate change and the need for agricultural productivity growth,” said Barlow, Network Convenor and Professor of Horticulture and Viticulture at Melbourne University.

Land & Water Australia is an experienced coordinator and manager of collaborative research partnerships, and is managing the Climate Change Research Strategy for Primary Industries (CCRSPI), a joint initiative of government, scientists and rural research agencies working together as funding partners.

Land & Water Australia will act as administrator of both CCRSPI and the Adaptation Research Network for Primary Industries. Aligning the two networks this way will be more valuable than investing in a smaller network.

“As a nation we must be prepared to ensure the long-term economic, environmental and social sustainability of Australia. Targeting research funds on shared priorities greatly helps this objective. The establishment of the Adaptation Research Network for Primary Industries under the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, with support from the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Griffith University, and Land & Water Australia, is a great step forward,” said Dr Owen Cameron, Network Coordinator and CCRSPI Program Manager.

“This initiative will increase research capacity by bringing together researchers across the primary industries, and integrating primary industry research with the initiatives of the other NCCARF adaptation networks. Importantly, the network can help link researchers with policy makers and users of research."