A UNE student has won the inaugural Travel Grant for tertiary students, awarded by Organic Trust Australia – Research and Education. Andrew Lawson – a PhD student at UNE’s Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law (AgLaw) – is delighted to receive this industry-funded award.
“The grant will enable me to travel to Turkey to participate in the Organic World Congress in Istanbul in October this year”, says Andrew.
The Congress is held every three years by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
“I’m keen to learn more about how organic certification can assist farmers and non-farmers become more involved in managing agriculture’s impacts on the environment”, says Andrew.
Given the importance of international markets to Australian agriculture, Andrew adds, “The OTARE grant gives me a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas at one of the premier international forums for discussing sustainable agriculture”.
Andrew’s PhD project focuses on the experience of farmers participating in certification systems such as organic certification, and is part of the AgLaw Centre’s collaborative research into innovations in rural environmental governance. His research is funded through an Australian Research Council Linkage Project, with a major organic organization – Australian Organic Ltd – as an industry linkage partner
OTARE’s Travel Grant for tertiary students is supported by industry collaborators: Cleavers – The Organic Meat Company; Pureharvest; National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia; bankmecu; and Australian Organic Meats.
For more information about OTARE’s annual Travel Grant, see http://www.organictrustaustralia.org.au/travelgrant.html or contact Dr Paul Kristiansen, OTARE Trustee, 0421 950 026, paul.kristiansen@une.edu.au
For more information about the AgLaw Centre, see http://www.une.edu.au/about-une/academic-schools/school-of-law/about-us/the-australian-centre-for-agriculture-and-law or contact Dr Jacqueline Williams, jwilli53@une.edu.au
Andrew Lawson (right) receives the travel grant from OTARE trustee Dr Paul Kristiansen
