“Feeding the world, the smart way”

Fiona Simpson FTSE
Vice-President, World Farmers’ Organisation
Chair, Food Systems CRC
Practising Farmer

Date: Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 12.00 – 2.00 pm AEST
Venue: Union University and Schools Club, 25 Bent Street, Sydney — in-person and online
Registration: Registration through ATSE
Cost: In-person, $60; Online, no charge
Dress: Smart business casual (jacket preferred)

Click here to register

Join us in this thought-provoking talk as Fiona Simson brings a uniquely powerful perspective shaped by her dual roles on the global and national stages.

As Vice-President of the World Farmers’ Organisation, Fiona will offer a worldview on the critical challenges and interconnected pressures of feeding a growing global population amid climate volatility, resource constraints, and geopolitical shifts. Drawing on the latest science, she will explore the global dynamics of food insecurity, sustainability, and farmer resilience.

Fiona will connect these global challenges with homegrown solutions, highlighting Australia’s cutting-edge AgTech and the work of the Future Food Systems CRC. From urban farming innovations to traceable supply chains and data-driven decision-making on-farm, she’ll showcase how Australia is not only adapting to change but helping to shape the future of food.

This session will inspire and challenge you to think about how local innovation, powered by collaboration and science and engineering, can contribute to global food security—and why Australia has a vital role to play in ‘doing our bit’ to feed the world.

Fiona Simson is a prominent champion for rural and regional issues in Australia and on the world stage.

A farmer on the Liverpool Plains of NSW, she has dedicated her career to supporting the sustainability and growth of rural and regional communities.

She is the Vice-President of the World Farmers’ Organisation, as well as chair and commissioner at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Chair of the Future Food Systems CRC, and a number of other Board and Advisory roles.

Fiona was the first woman president of the National Farmers’ Federation, a role in which she served for seven years. She is skilled in policy, governance and strategy, lending her expertise and highly-respected voice to issues such as climate change, biodiversity, and the future of food.

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