Under the leadership of Executive Dean Professor Christopher Findlay, in late April 2013 the University of Adelaide undertook a Commonwealth Government-funded Group Mission to Beijing, to develop food security and sustainable futures research needs in consultation with multiple organisations in China, and working particularly closely with the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The transition of food demand and agricultural production in China is accelerating with significant implications for the rest of the world, and especially for Asia. A set of key issues associated with food security are of very great significance in the Australian relationship with China and the region, and research on the design and implementation of policy to approach food security needs and implications in both countries is urgently required.

The inter-disciplinary Group Mission was funded by the Australian Government’s Australia-China Science and Research Fund (ACSRF).

Contact for further information: simon.ladd@adelaide.edu.au

Reaching conclusions – the teams from the University of Adelaide and the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy at a Group Mission workshop in April. Participants pictured include Bai Junfei, Yang Jun, Huanag Jikun, Tan Yan, Wang Xiaobing, Douglas Bardsley, Andrew Watson, Wendy Umberger, and Christopher Findlay.