A jam-packed program during a whirlwind three-day visit kicked off with a glasshouse tour for Executive Managing Director of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Dr Ismahane Elouafi.

The UWA Institute of Agriculture exclusively brought Dr Elouafi to WA to deliver the 30th Hector and Andrew Stewart Memorial Lecture in August.

The morning of the lecture, the Institute Director Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique led a UWA glasshouse tour, during which Dr Elouafi interacted with six research students with active experiments.

Image: Dr Elouafi in front of a UWA glasshouse with PhD students, Professor Siddique, Adjunct Professor Jairo Palta, and Business Manager Diana Boykett.

PhD candidate Huyen Pham’s experiment demonstrated wheat rhizosheath development in 1.5m rhizoboxes packed with acidic soil from the Merredin wheatbelt region.

“The experience was immensely valuable, providing an opportunity to align my work with CGIAR's goals,” Ms Pham said.

“My country has also benefited greatly from CGIAR's research support, and I am passionate about contributing to Vietnam's agricultural development in the future.”

Image: Xiaowen Fan explains her research into the carbon budget of chickpea germplasms to Dr Elouafi.

Fellow postgraduate students Xiaowen Fan, Shuyan Li, Jelena Um, Chuangwei Fang, and Huaikang Jing also presented on their projects.

“Interacting with Dr Elouafi was a valuable experience for me, and her insights helped me reflect on the broader implications of my work,” Mr Jing said.

Later that evening, a crowd of more than 120 people gathered at the UWA Wilmore Lecture Theatre to watch Dr Elouafi deliver her lecture, titled ‘Science & Innovation to Transform Global Food Systems, in a Climate Crisis’.

This year marked the 30th Hector and Andrew Stewart Memorial Lecture, with the inaugural event held in 1966.

The lecture is held in honour of the late Hon Hector J Stewart, MLC and his son, the late Mr Andrew M Stewart.

Image: Stewart family and special guests sit in the front row at the lecture.

Dr Elouafi explored the urgent need to transform global agriculture and food systems to adapt and mitigate climate change and provided an overview of CGIAR.

“I strongly believe working and partnering together is the most important factor,” she said.

“We must make sure we connect the dots, so that agriculture, biodiversity, climate change, nutrition are prioritised and donors like ACIAR and the Australian Government put more funding into basic, applied and developmental research.”

Watch the lecture recording on the Institute’s YouTube channel.

After a busy previous day touring the UWA glasshouses and presenting the Hector and Andrew Stewart Memorial Lecture, it was a welcome change of pace for Dr Elouafi to visit UWA Farm Ridgefield in Pingelly.

Image: Professor Siddique, Dr Elouafi and Professor Cowling pose in front of canola.

Professor Siddique, Business Manager Diana Boykett, and Associate Director Professor Wallace Cowling joined Dr Elouafi – during which they were fortunate to see canola fields in bloom, enjoy a local pub lunch, and receive a personal tour from Farm Manager Dr Tim Watts.

The group visited multiple research sites, including the Methane Emissions Reduction in Livestock (MERiL) project, where they spoke with Dr Suyog Subedi and Angad Singh about their important and collaborative research.

This article was first published in the September 2024 edition of The UWA Institute of Agriculture newsletter. Read the full publication online.