Published: 28 Jul 2021

The Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) is a proud partner of the inaugural agriCULTURED which aims to connect agri-food industry professionals and practitioners to celebrate the contribution of agri-food in Tasmania.

The Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) is a proud partner of the inaugural agriCULTURED to be held in Launceston in August 2021.

Taking place from August 5-8, agriCULTURED aims to connect agri-food industry professionals and practitioners to celebrate the contribution of agri-food to Tasmania’s culture, community, and economy.

TIA will contribute $2500 toward the three-day event, and in doing so recognises the importance of forging a connection not only with the event and its creators, but a stronger connection with Launceston more generally. TIA continues to move forward with its Northern Transformation Program, by headquartering its operations in Launceston and delivering quality agricultural research, industry development and education to the entire state.

“Agriculture and food are important to Tasmania, and the industries that produce them are a source of employment, income, and economic growth,” Professor Michael Rose, Interim Director, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, said.

According to DPIPWE’s Tasmanian Agri-Food ScoreCard 2018-19, the past decade has seen agriculture become an even more important contributor to the Tasmanian economy, with farmgate value growing by a compound 6.5% per year between 2009-10 and 2018-19.

“While farmgate production was worth $1.9 billion in 2019, the value of food processed and packaged here was more than double this, at almost $4.9 billion,” Professor Rose said.

“When considering value-adding through processing, food service and retail, farmgate production delivers far greater value to the Tasmanian economy.

“Additionally, the Tasmanian Government has set ambitious targets for agriculture and food as we head towards 2050, making value-adding in the sector critical.”

CEO of FermenTasmania, Karina Dambergs, who is a member of the agriCULTURED reference group, welcomed TIA’s involvement.

“It’s fantastic to have TIA on board,” Ms Dambergs said.

“FermenTasmania already has an MoU with UTAS, and we would love to work with TIA more.

“This is all about building capacity in the agri-food sector - from soil to stomach, not just paddock to plate - we welcome TIA’s knowledge and expertise involved in that.”

Professor Roger Stanley, UTAS Director of Food Innovation, will give a presentation during the event, as will PhD candidate Pippa French, who is researching the impact of cover crops on soil health.

TIA is a joint venture of the University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Government.

_{*IMAGE: PhD candidate Pippa French, who is researching the impact of cover crops on soil health, will give a presentation during the three-day agri-food event AgriCULTURED.}