THANKS AND THOUGHTS FROM THE AGRI-FOOD RESEARCH NETWORK CONFERENCE 2011

Dear Jane, Stewart and fellow conference attendees,

The 18th annual Agri-food research network conference which was held at ANU from the 5th to the 8th of December 2011 was the first of many I hope to attend.  The theme for the conference was ‘sustainabilities, justice and agriculture in the Asia-Pacific region’, with various sessions relevant to this title on the program.

On the first morning I was very excited about the discussion ahead and was told that it was nice to see the ‘family’ back together.  I had never come across this term being use in academic circles before and thought it may have been a feel-good remark with little substance.  And then the presentations began.  Sustainable agriculture, corporate food, multifunctionality, indigenous food networks, and food security were themes in some of the sessions I was lucky enough to attend and be a part of over the next three days, concerning pressing issues in the agri-food realm. In his keynote address Philip McMichael explained that the ‘land grabbing’ agricultural regime had now become central to the capitalist, neoliberal paradigm society is currently based on.  Geoffrey Lawrence echoed concern in his presentation on the financialisation of the agri-food system, due to the collapse of other markets, and outlined the social and environmental consequences this may have.  Hilde Bjorkhaug, however, had already explained that even progressive nation’s like Norway still needed to invest their wealth somewhere, creating a cyclical nightmare!  And so the globally dominant, self-nourishing socio-economic system continues to evolve, perhaps albeit depressingly for the reluctant neoliberalists among us. 

So while there were, at times, depressing moments of realisation to come out of research presented, which supported conclusions I myself had come to previously and would love to ignore, during the discussion at the end of day one I realised most of ‘us’ were in the same boat.  We were questioning the current way society is structured, the consequences of this structure, and essentially the notion that the monetary economy dictates social and environmental outcomes.  However, the fact that this concern can lead to ‘us’ pragmatically devoting our lives to bringing these issues to light was, to me at least, an exciting prospect.  To have the psychological power to step back from my day-to-day life and question both my existence and the way society interacts is something that while, at times being quite disturbing, is the thing that gives me most pride.  To find a group that shares my concerns (and many others that I don’t understand yet and may never will) with our agri-food system made me feel at home.  So by the end of the conference, while not in a biological sense, as both a noun and adjective the term ‘family’ or a ‘familiar tribe’ seemed quite apt.

Thanks again must go to the convenors, Jane and Stewart, and the entire network, for your support, for your contributions to my work, and for putting on a great conference.  I must also mention the gracious financial support I received to cover travel expenses from my supervisor, Douglas Bardsley, without which I would not have been able to attend.  Also while thanking a political party for turning up to a conference that addresses issues that are integral to the future survival of their voters may not be fitting, I feel the Greens senator affiliates that made the effort to attend should be recognised.  If for no other reason than because it selfishly made me more optimistic about the future of Australian politics.  I hope to see you all again in 2012!

Cheers and Happy Holidays,

Simon  Fielke

PhD Candidate

Geography, Environment & Population

University of Adelaide, SA, 5005

Email: simon.fielke@adelaide.edu.au