Our research has identified different ways to help farmers think more strategically about their farming practices to reduce the pressures they are facing and decrease their environmental impact. At the symposium we will highlight the key learnings we believe will be helpful for farmers, those who work with farmers, and those whose work affects farmers. The sessions will focus on:
- understanding why farmers struggle to change (even when they wish to)
- what will help and support farmers to change.
This event provides an excellent opportunity to hear about our latest research and insights, and for you to discuss your experiences and thoughts with others navigating what is an increasingly complex workplace.
Your experiences and perspective are critical to shaping how this work is taken forward at a time of rapid change for the sector. By joining this conversation, you will help to ensure that future research, policy, and practice are grounded in the realities farmers face. We strongly encourage you to be part of this important collective effort.
Interactive Game Session
Join us for Drinks and Nibbles at 5pm and partake in an interactive session where you can experience two recently developed serious games designed to spark new thinking about the future of farming.
The Future Farming Challenge Game
The Future Farming Challenge Game helps shift farmer’s mindsets by making environmental, consequences visible and real. The game fosters community-minded thinking across social and environmental dimensions, prompting players to look beyond their farm gate and to consider how individual decisions impact shared resources, community wellbeing and the social licence that farmers depend on. Become a farmer in a catchment and make decisions about how you want your farm managed while juggling economic, environmental and community pressures now and in the future.
The Grower
The Grower is an interactive board game that puts your resource management to the test. Try your hand as a fruit or vegetable grower navigating shifting policies, unpredictable weather, social headwinds, and financial uncertainty – all of which reshape what’s possible from year to year. You’ll face dilemmas without clear answers and in which every choice carries both risk and opportunity. Play with up to four others while having conversations about what matters and how tough decisions get made on the farm.
Play alongside others, test different strategies, and explore the real-world dilemmas farmers face while discussing what matters most for the future of farming.
Registration
Spaces are limited, so please register for the symposium by 1 May 2026.
Note: there will be a fee of $25 per person to cover catering.
At this stage, the symposium will be held as an in-person event only. However, the organising team is continuing to monitor the situation overseas and any potential impact it may have on delegates’ ability to attend. Should there be any changes to the program, such as offering an online or hybrid option, or postponing or cancelling the event, we will ensure all delegates are promptly informed.
