A CONFERENCE intended to build alliances between farmers, agribusiness and researchers interested in land-based solutions to climate change will be held at the University of New England (UNE) later this month.

Sam Duncan, co-founder of FarmLab, which was a founding startup in UNE’s SMART Region Incubator.

On June 18-19, the Down to Earth conference will survey current innovations around land-based efforts to address climate change, and support participants to link up their efforts for maxiumum efficiency and impact.

The conference was conceived by Sam Duncan, co-founder of farm sustainability measuring and tracking enterprise FarmLab, and FarmLab’s Head of Special Operations, Oli Madgett. Support for the conference has been supplied by  the NSW Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), AgriFutures Australia and UNE’s SMART Region Incubator.

“There is great work being done around carbon sequestration by landholders, supply chains, retailers and other innovators,” says Duncan, “but too often its happening in isolation.”

“Unless we align this work in ways that ensures the sum is greater than the parts, we won’t realise the full potential of those initiatives.”

As a spur to collaboration, the Down to Earth conference will throw down the “Megatonne Challenge” – a challenge to participants to collectively reduce or sequester one million tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 12 months.

“There has been a lot of corporate commitment to reducing emissions, but we’re still waiting for methods and technologies that make a demonstrable difference. This is about asking people what it takes to make that difference – and committing to actually doing it.”

“It obviously won’t be easy, but if we have the right people in the room, I’m confident we can do something that shows that great things are possible.”

To prime innovative and expansive thinking, the conference will include a showcase of related technologies. Among other things, participants will be introduced to the emerging science of soil acoustics – literally listening to life in the soil – 3D mapping of tree biomass, market-compliant testing for soil carbon, and new methods of biodiversity assessment.

Another point of difference, Duncan says, is that much of the conference will be held outdoors.

“On the conference circuit, people travel great distances to sit rooms that look the same everywhere in the world, and they seldom have time to interact in ways that produce meaningful connections.”

“We want to take people out of their usual expectations. We’re scheduling time in the outdoors, and time to interact naturally, because that’s where the real work of conferences takes place – in the connections and relationships that are built.”

Participants will be able to engage in tree planting, take a walk in the New England’s beautiful gorge country, and eat around a campfire.

As a result of these two days, the organisers hope that genuine progress is made towards developing and refining environmental markets for sustainable land-based practices, new collaborations are built, and there is a new confidence in land-based solutions.”

“We’ve got to get this right, and this is an opportunity to discuss how it might be done across key players in this space,” Duncan says.

• The Down to Earth conference will be held on June 18-19 at the UNE Smart Farm. For registration, a list of speakers and other information, visit https://getfarmlab.com/downtoearth/

Source: UNE