According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, agriculture not only works to meet humanity’s basic needs for food, fuel and fibre, but provides an essential source of livelihood for 2.5 billion rural households around the globe. Yet, factors such as population expansion, increased urbanisation, scarcity of arable land, environmental degradation, volatile global food prices, and poor resource management have created an environment where these needs, and the livelihoods that are dependent upon meeting them, are increasingly under threat. Conscious ofThe Future We Want and the 2015 global commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, the demand for sustainable approaches to agriculture has never been more pressing.

Building on the continued work of the Monash Food Security Group, the aim of this seminar is to explore the approaches that are being employed to meet the growing demand for sustainable agriculture. By drawing on a diversity of academic and practical perspectives, this symposium seeks to explore the  concept of agricultural sustainability in production, business, and consumption. In doing so, featured speakers will draw on case studies of the Philippines, India, and Australia, and explore themes of agroecology, food security, and food sovereignty. In particular, focus is drawn to the increasing democratisation that is occurring in the governance of sustainable agriculture from the private sector, NGOs, and global civil society.

Date: 2nd November 2016

Time: 10am – 1pm followed by lunch

Venue: N1.03, Building N, Caulfield Campus

To reserve your place at this free event please email Lachlan Gregory by Friday 28 October, 2016.

Morning tea and a light lunch will be provided. Please indicate if you have dietary requirements for catering purposes.