John Dillon Memorial Lecture 2017

“Sustainable Intensification: Future opportunities and constraints”

The year’s Lecture was presented by Dr John Dixon, the Principal Advisor/Research Program Manager for the Cropping Systems and Economics program with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. John has over 30 years of experience in agricultural research and development. Visit the ACIAR webpage for his full profile. Notably, John is a graduate of UNE with a PhD (Agricultural economics), Masters (Natural resources), Masters (Economics) and Bachelor in Rural Science.

Abstract: Increased demand for food as populations grow has caused increased competition for land and water in food production. During the past Century much intensification of agriculture has damaged the natural resource base, reducing soil carbon, depleting aquifers and reducing biodiversity – thus reducing land productivity and increasing the pressure for clearing additional land. This problem is especially severe in some developing countries.

Foresight studies suggest that these pressures will intensify during the coming decades, especially in uncertain climatic and political environments. Global leaders face a major challenge of feeding some 9 billion or more people on a shrinking natural resource base.

Sustainable intensification (SI) is one response that is gaining increasing attention in national and international research systems.  SI consists of increasing food production from existing farmland in ways that place less pressure on the environment and avoid land degradation. Although current technologies offer many good opportunities, there remain many challenges and constraints to the widespread adoption and effectiveness of SI.  Further, there are questions whether national and international research systems will continue to generate the required technologies and policy makers will establish effective enabling institutions and policies.

This lecture presented an overview of these opportunities and constraints with particular reference to developing countries. Some of the key issues discussed included: better integration of farm-level data in the analysis of national and international policies; the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration; and the role of institutions and innovation systems. View full lecture via UNE Business School web.

The John Dillon Memorial Lecture is co-hosted by the Australasian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society (New England Branch) and the UNE Business School.

The John Dillon Memorial Lecture Series

John Dillon (1931-2001) was the quintessential scholar. At the age of 33, John was appointed Foundation Professor of Farm Management at UNE and he spent the remainder of his academic career based in Armidale. John produced path-breaking advances in agricultural economics and farm management, and was particularly prominent in the area of international development. John performed significant leadership roles at UNE and an unprecedented number of international agricultural research centres. John was the recipient of numerous awards, medals, fellowships and honorary doctorates. In 1997, John was invested as an Officer in the Order of Australia for services to agricultural economics and international development economics. John was renowned for his incisive approach to tough problems, humility, honesty, courtesy, mischievous humour, bright trouser suspenders and jangling finger rings! (Source: Anderson, AJARE 2002, 46:1).