Planning

Local research homing in on the year round truffle

Local research homing in on the year round truffle

Research progress, technology advancements and opportunities to support a new truffle species which can be harvested in winter, spring and summer seasons was outlined last week. Academics, farmers, industry partners and representatives converged on the McHenry farm at Mt Lindesay recently to hear about these advancements in truffle cultivation. Local research initiative Silverplace which is…

Urban food planning in Australia

FFS Publication

Urban food planning in Australia: Enabling and constraining factors

This paper examines urban food planning in Australia and explores enabling and constraining factors in its integration with planning systems

Enhancing resilience and efficiency in Australia’s supply chains through optimisation and smart logistics

Enhancing resilience and efficiency in Australia’s supply chains through optimisation and smart logistics

This project focuses on enhancing the food distribution system within the Western Sydney Agribusiness Precinct by leveraging infrastructure investments, digital technologies, and sustainability-focused policies. Through the analysis of best practices and the development of data-driven forecasting models, the research addresses knowledge gaps in logistics planning and transport optimisation. The study incorporates advanced tools for AI-driven logistics and climate-smart agricultural practices, with the goal of reducing bottlenecks and improving supply chain responsiveness.

Energy-efficient wastewater treatment for dairy effluent using passive aeration biofilm technology

Energy-efficient wastewater treatment for dairy effluent using passive aeration biofilm technology

Challenge Cheesemaking, while a value-adding process for dairy farms, generates huge volumes of nutrient-rich wastewater, particularly from whey and wash water. This effluent has high levels of organic pollutants, measured as chemical and biological oxygen demand (COD/BOD), which, if not treated properly, can significantly harm surrounding ecosystems. Traditional wastewater treatment methods are energy-intensive due to…

Mapping the Sunshine Coast and Noosa food and agribusiness ecosystem

Mapping the Sunshine Coast and Noosa food and agribusiness ecosystem

Challenge The agrifood supply chain in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions are facing a series of systemic barriers that limit the growth and resilience of local producers and manufacturers. Key challenges include limited access to funding and grants, complex regulatory compliance, inadequate local packaging and transportation infrastructure, and rising input costs, particularly in labour,…

Food security: Gauging Australian food security with sustainable food consumption

Lijun Summerhayes

FFS text background

Food security: Gauging Australian food security with sustainable food consumption

Australia is one of the most food-secure nations in the world, capable of feeding 75 million people, nearly three times its population. This abundance of food is attributable to the industrialisation of the agri-food system and advanced technologies, which are long assumed to have solved the atavistic challenge of feeding people adequately.

Mission MushVroom

Mission MushVroom

Mission MushVroom will be the first study to cultivate and grow mushrooms in space. Oyster mushrooms are the perfect space crop, helping astronauts meet their nutritional needs on long-duration space missions like those to Mars, while closing the loop in plant agriculture and helping to minimise inputs and waste. They are quick to grow, double in size every day, and have nutrients found across food groups, including the unique ability to make vitamin D on UV exposure- the only supplement currently given to astronauts on the International Space Station.

Freight modelling for sustainable future food systems delivery

Freight modelling for sustainable future food systems delivery

Smart, sustainable, resilient food systems require smart, sustainable, resilient transport systems at the location, regional, national and international scale. The development of short-term and long-term transport, land use and infrastructure plans to support such systems is contingent upon effective freight scenario planning, which encompasses potential drivers of change in the freight task and future trends in supply chains, including technology, demographics, climate change energy sources and emissions, and unplanned events. However, collecting accurate freight data poses significant challenges and is often expensive. Existing freight models lack the necessary flexibility to incorporate and reflect dynamic changes due to the nature of one-time data collection. Consequently, these limitations hinder a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of infrastructure and land use plans.

Governance of food relief in Australia: A rights-based approach

Governance of food relief in Australia: A rights-based approach

Taking a solutions-oriented approach, the project aims to reimagine how food relief systems could be better designed to tackle the full range of challenges that contribute to food insecurity. It will explore what a rights-based model of food relief governance might look like in the Australian context. This includes assessing policies, institutional arrangements, and delivery mechanisms to determine whether they promote dignity, sufficiency, and sustainability in food access.

Analyzing the Risk of Short-Term Losses in Free-Range Egg Production Using Commercial Data

Analyzing the Risk of Short-Term Losses in Free-Range Egg Production Using Commercial Data

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the risk of short-term free-range egg production losses using data derived from a combination of sensing technologies and management activities.

New technology makes biosecurity responses easier for fruit growers

New technology makes biosecurity responses easier for fruit growers

$1.7 million Australian Tree Crop Map initiative uses mapping app to boost biosecurity for Australian fruit growers. The Australian Tree Crop Map project is delivered through Hort Innovation and led by an expert team at UNE’s Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre (AARSC) in collaboration with Future Food Systems.

Understanding urban food systems: A spatial and temporal analysis in Sydney, Australia

Understanding urban food systems: A spatial and temporal analysis in Sydney, Australia

As food is a daily necessity for people, research on urban food systems, targeting urban food-related social issues and highlighting the importance of urban food policies, has increased. Past research has focused on food policies that target various food-related problems in urban areas, such as affordable food, food access equality and other food security related…

Background Report for Developing Innovative Agrifood Ecosystems in Sunshine Coast SA4, QLD

FFS Publication

Background Report for Developing Innovative Agrifood Ecosystems in Sunshine Coast SA4, QLD

This background report provides a comprehensive overview of contextual factors influencing food systems in the Sunshine Coast and Noosa region, also known as the Sunshine Coast SA4 region, in Queensland

Trans-Governance and Food Systems (Tr-GaF) for food policy integration: A case study of the Australian food policy landscape

Lijun Summerhayes, Douglas Baker

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Trans-Governance and Food Systems (Tr-GaF) for food policy integration: A case study of the Australian food policy landscape

This paper presents the Trans-Governance and Food Systems (Tr-GaF) framework for food policy integration developed to evaluate the Australian food policy landscape.

Background Report for Food Hub Development in Coffs Harbour, NSW

FFS Publication

Background Report for Food Hub Development in Coffs Harbour, NSW

This background report provides a comprehensive overview of the current food systems in the Coffs Harbour region, NSW, as part of the preparatory work for developing a food and agribusiness innovation hub.

Coffs Agrifood Living Lab (CALL) with Dr Jack Adams

Dr Jack Adams (QUT) – 'Coffs Agrifood Living Lab (CALL)' (FFS Research Showcase 2024)

Food diversity and accessibility enabled urban environments for sustainable food consumption: a case study of Brisbane, Australia

Food diversity and accessibility enabled urban environments for sustainable food consumption: a case study of Brisbane, Australia

This paper evaluates 500 online surveys conducted in Brisbane, Australia, to explore public perceptions of food consumption and the underlying challenges and opportunities.

How can the attributes consumers value be determined for NSW horticultural products with Dr Lisa Tam

Dr Lisa Tam (QUT and FFS project leader) – 'How can the attributes consumers value be determined for NSW horticultural products' (FFS Research Showcase 2024)

‘Coffs Agrifood Living Lab’ with Dr Jack Adams

Dr Jack Adams discusses the 'Coffs Agrifood Living Lab' project's background and goals.

Co-working office spaces in Sydney: Spatiotemporal dynamics and industry patterns

Co-working office spaces in Sydney: Spatiotemporal dynamics and industry patterns

Co-working spaces have emerged as cost-effective office space management solutions for workers from diverse industries who share space, which generates cost savings and facilitates networking opportunities. Past studies have mainly focused on needs for and benefits of co-working spaces and range in emphasis from design preferences to potential social and economic impacts. However, limited attention…