Australia’s food system faces a range of looming global challenges — including from climate change, land degradation, water insecurity, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical instability, disease outbreaks, and threats from emerging technologies.1
These challenges mean that traditional assumptions around the resilience or security of Australia’s food supply will be increasingly challenged. In a plausible worst case – such as a highly virulent crop disease, major global conflict, or sudden climatic or geophysical disruption – Australia’s food production could suffer a catastrophic reduction. Indeed, since 1980, Australia has suffered five incidents of a more than 30 per cent reduction in crop production.
