Emily Malone

Australia has the third largest marine area in the world and the ‘blue economy’ already contributes more than $81 billion* to the nation’s bottom line. And like land-based agriculture, there’s increasing pressure for the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth and to produce food and energy, while conserving the ecosystem.

Australian diners will soon have the option to tuck into a piece of meat grown from animal cells in a laboratory rather than a paddock. Synthetic biology, or SynBio, is also helping to engineer ingredients for plant-based proteins, design crops for fuel production, and the development of insecticides with the help of bespoke microbes.

Four interwoven challenges: climate, COVID-19, conflict, and cost have disrupted agrifood supply chains and led to skyrocketing costs for farm inputs, all set amongst fears for global food security and the transition to a decarbonised economy.

Developing innovative solutions and technology to make agriculture easier, more profitable, or sustainable is one thing, but getting farmers to use it is often a challenge. A new initiative by Farmers2Founders (F2F), is focused on breaking down the critical barriers to agtech adoption by putting the farmer first, building connections and removing some of the risk.