Agri-Food XVIII: Sustainabilities, justice and agriculture in the Asia-Pacific region
5-8 December 2011, The Australian National University, Canberra.

Agri-Food XVIII is the annual meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Agri-Food Research Network. The Agri-Food Network was established in 1992 to provide a forum for researchers engaged in the critical analysis of contemporary agri-food systems. It is designed to facilitate and maintain the exchange of information amongst researchers in the Asia-Pacific region, to encourage collaborative research, to engage policy makers and other professionals, and to organise conferences and meetings. More information on the Network can be found at www.afrn.org.au.

As with all annual meetings of the Network, potential participants are invited to submit abstracts on any aspect of the social and political life of food. Submissions that directly address the conference theme, however, are particularly welcome.

As extreme weather events, accelerating foreign acquisitions of agricultural land, and uncertainty over the magnitude and timing of future climate change impacts combine to put food security back on the political agenda in developed countries such as Australia and New Zealand, it is timely to consider questions such as:

• The impact of these trends on food security and population health more broadly within the region;
• The role of Australia and New Zealand as exporters of food, knowledge and expertise in regional food security;
• The respective roles of the state and private sectors in production, trade and consumption; and
• The challenges and opportunities posed for national strategies by private sector regulation.
• Sustainabilities, justice and agriculture in the Asia-Pacific region highlights the inter-related dynamics of national and regional food security, environmental and livelihood sustainability, and the agri-food governance frameworks operating across the region.

Convenors

Professor Stewart Lockie, School of Sociology, ANU

Associate Professor Jane Dixon, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU