ABOVE: Oriana Ruffini enjoyed the panel discussion on ‘International Perspectives on Food Systems Transformation’ at the conference.
The RE-FRESH EMCR Knowledge Exchange funding enabled RE-FRESH Research Fellow Oriana Ruffini, from Deakin University, the opportunity to present a 15-minute presentation of her food policy work at the Australasian Agri-Food Research Network Conference 2023, held in Hobart across four days in December 2023. She presented her project ‘Healthy and sustainable cities: tool for assessing local government food policy (Local Food-EPI+)’.
She shares her experience:
The Agri-Food Research Network, established in 1992, includes Australian and New Zealand researchers working on the social, economic, environmental and cultural implications of food systems. The network’s aim is to provide a comprehensive and robust research base for guiding policymaking in the agriculture, sustainable farming practices and food security areas, with annual conferences to stimulate problem solving and share knowledge.
The theme of the 2023 conference, held December 5-7 (with a pre-conference field trip day to a raspberry farm and lunch at a restaurant that showcases “paddock to plate” produce), was Place-Based Agri-Food Systems in a Time of Climate Crisis: Res-ilience, Resistance and Regeneration, with sessions held on food system transformation, food policy and food policy networks.
The theme not only aligned with my project but attracted potential collaborators to facilitate increased local government implementation of evidence-based policies to improve the healthiness, equity and environmental sustainability of food systems.
Presenting this project was an opportunity to showcase the novel research area of benchmarking policy action at the local government level for creating healthy, equitable and environmentally sustainable food systems and garner interest in the Local Food-EPI+ tool for possible new partnerships. The project is designed for strong engagement with policymakers and practitioners and this presentation opportunity may lead to translation of research to policy by facilitating collaboration with these stakeholders, leading to broader application of the tool and hopefully contributing to food systems change and improving diet-related health outcomes.
The conference was also an opportunity for me to disseminate the results to a wider audience, provide learnings on best practice for creating healthy, equitable and environmentally sustainable food systems at the local level and share what local and international governments are achieving in this area. It was also an opportunity to establish valuable new connections with peers and experts, increase my visibility and widen my network, and increase my knowledge base, exposing me to different research methodologies. It was a positive experience, with discussions already garnered with a Tasmanian council interested in the Local Food-EPI+ work.
‘Presenting this project was an opportunity to showcase the novel research area of benchmarking policy action at the local government level for creating healthy, equitable and environmentally sustainable food systems…’Oriana Ruffini, Knowledge Exchange recipient
ABOVE:The field trip to Westerway Raspberry Farm included a tour and talk on the farming methods used, challenges and needs for diversification to reduce risk.
