Australian Organic Conference 2024 - a space for knowledge-sharing and collaboration
This is branded content for Australian Organic Limited
The Australian Organic Conference 2024 will this year culminate by celebrating the products, individuals, brands and businesses that move the industry forward.
The two-day conference based around the theme 'Our Future: Growing Together', will also feature and finish with a bang... the Australian Organic Industry Awards.
Held in Melbourne on Thursday, March 7 and Friday, March 8, each conference session will be aligned with one of three pillars, namely business growth, the environment, and people and animals.
For business owners, plenary sessions will provide specific and actionable insights on how you can best serve our growing consumer base and create a long-term commercial advantage for your business.
Attendees will hear from a variety of industry experts about certification pathways, the threat of greenwashing, global organic trends, how to upscale a business and many other important topics.
Day one will feature a keynote presentation by powerhouse global business innovator Robyn O'Brien.
A dual US-New Zealand citizen, Ms O'Brien says she's very familiar with the challenges facing a robust, diverse organic sector in Australia and New Zealand, and believes the answer lies in innovators, investors and farmers collaborating to build a smarter food system.
"I think what's important for the conference audience to hear is how fast the market is growing in the US," Ms O'Brien said.
"Eighty per cent of consumers in the US are buying something organic, 75 per cent of all grocery store categories carry something organic, but only one per cent of our supply chain is organic.
"So how do we engage investors in this? What role is the consumer playing? And what role are the retailers and farmers playing? Because it's in collaborating that you actually build something that works for everybody.
"This is about how we responsibly steward these assets and natural resources and leverage 21st century technology in a way that enables us to do things we've never been able to do before. And that's where I think it gets really exciting."
Day one will also include:
- International Market Overview by speakers Lee Holdstock, Michel Reynaud, Tia Loftsgard and Brendan Hoare - in this session, hear from top organic industry bodies around the world about the state of play in priority export markets.
- The National Standard and Future Market Access Opportunities by speakers Amber Wood and Suze Rose, from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
- Profitable Production Systems: What's In It For Me? by speaker Douglas Bardsley - diversification of income streams reduces risk and creates opportunity. Is your business future-proofing itself, or are you being left behind?
- Insights for Business Growth: How to Make Your Case for Organics by Georgia Beattie, Nick Bez and Grant Davidson - hear from branding, research and business experts about how to leverage consumer insights to cut through the noise when marketing your organic products.
The day will conclude with a networking drinks function.
Day two will kick off with an address by President of the National Farmers' Federation, David Jochinke, about Keeping Farmers Farming - A Positive Growth Agenda for Agriculture.
Here in Australia and abroad, farmers are facing policy headwinds by governments which take agriculture for granted. Hear how the NFF is working to ensure farming is valued and promoted by policymakers.
Day two will also include:
- Understanding Agriculture: A Reset of Systems Thinking by Dr Allen Williams, who will provide a keynote that empowers producers and industry with the tools needed to move towards better outcomes.
- Proactive Management: Inputs for Balance and Prevention by Tom Rowe, Dr Mary Cole and Dr Cherie Gooding - hear from three industry experts within soil, livestock and plants about the strategic reduction of inputs within organic systems.
- Industry Survey session by speaker David Keens - this session will include a surveying component to determine what the sector is asking for and what we can work on to improve outcomes for the certified organic industry.
- Organic Industry Policies in Australia: What's working and what's not? - an interactive session designed to uncover the key issues that the organic industry must focus on
- Our Future Climate: How can organics play a greater role?
An International Women's Day High Tea will give attendees the chance to hear from inspirational women innovators in agriculture.
The Australian Organic Conference 2024 will culminate with the Australian Organic Industry Awards and will be held at Pullman Melbourne on the Park in East Melbourne.
To register and buy tickets for either the conference or awards night, click HERE.
This is branded content for Australian Organic Limited
