More than 230 delegates from around the world have arrived in Queensland for the 26th Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) conference which opens at the Brisbane Showgrounds today.
Hosted by the RNA, the prestigious agricultural conference will be addressed by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) this afternoon at the Royal International Convention Centre.
Held in Queensland for the first time, The Princess Royal is attending the conference as President of the RASC, following the RNA winning the rights to host the conference four years ago.
The conference will focus on three speaker streams – agriculture, strategy and operational – which will look at the sustainability, relevance and adaptability of tomorrow’s agricultural industry and show societies.
The conference has attracted key note international and domestic speakers including experts from the world-famous Calgary Stampede, Iowa State Fair and other major events from the UK, Asia, Africa and the USA.
RASC speakers will cover topics such as food security and the GM products debate, how to utilise social media, how to attract sponsorship and the secrets behind successful agricultural shows.
Founded in 1957, RASC is made up of over 50 leading national and regional agricultural show societies, agricultural associations and research bodies working in 20 Commonwealth countries. RASC members convene to discuss issues facing agricultural industries and societies.
RASC 26th Commonwealth Agricultural Conference
DAY ONE HIGHLIGHTS – Tuesday October 21, 2014
1.30pm – Address by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal (Princess Anne)
1.50pm -2.45pm – “Agriculture the Greatest Show on Earth”
Keynote speaker – International marketing expert Craig David
This session will explore how agriculture has been marginalised in the last few decades as industries like technology and resources stole the limelight. Cold, hard facts are driving renewed interest in basics like food, energy and water.
How do you feed and clothe the planet’s 9 billion people by 2050? How do you do it in a way that is commercially successful and sustainable? And where do agricultural shows fit in this picture? Now is the time to reposition agriculture as essential to health, happiness and wellbeing.
3.15pm – 4pm – “Our Future World – trends and scenarios for the next twenty years.”
Keynote speaker – Dr Stefan Hajkowicz, Leader CSIRO Futures
Stefan is a principal scientist at CSIRO based in Brisbane who spends his time thinking about how people make choices and plan for an uncertain future. He leads CSIRO Futures which is a team of researchers, analysts and consultants working on strategy and foresight projects to help government and industry organisations adapt to a rapidly changing world. During this session, he will take us on a whirlwind tour of the future describing six megatrends of global change that will change the way we live.
This includes food, energy, water and mineral resource scarcity in a more populated and wealthy world. He will focus on opportunities for Australian agriculture as export markets expand in emerging economies creating a demand for both greater quantity and diversity of food products. The overall aim of this talk is to give you a glimpse of the next 20 years so you can think about how to create a better future.
