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Katie McRobert
General Manager,
Australian Farm Institute
The AASF: Taking Sustainability Beyond Marketing Buzzword
Sustainability is not just a marketing buzzword – it’s about future-proofing Australian farming systems to ensure generational food and economic security. The Australian Farm Institute will provide an introduction to the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF), explaining the drivers behind development, the state of the current framework, its use at a high level, and where Australia sits in the global agricultural sustainability landscape.
The AASF is a clarification of what the Australian agricultural industry sees as ideal states for the natural, human and social capital needed to continue sustainably producing food and fibre for generations to come. Many Australian farm sectors have developed commodity-specific sustainability initiatives; however, a lack of system-wide consistency in language, structure and format means that understanding of sustainability often varies across industries, locations and stakeholders. The AASF seeks to amplify the efficacy of these initiatives by articulating universal principles and proffering a cohesive structure to communicate the sustainability status and goals of Australian farmers to markets and to the community.
About Katie:
Experienced in the fields of policy research, editing, communications, and project management, Katie McRobert has been part of the Australian Farm Institute team since late 2017. Prior to joining the AFI, Katie worked as a global Content and Community Manager for Rabobank, liaising with farming clients to build knowledge banks, and as the National Editor for FarmOnline, overseeing seven digital rural news mastheads including The Land and Queensland Country Life. Katie has an MBA from Griffith University specialising in Sustainable Business. She has also participated in the inaugural National Farmers’ Federation 2030 Leadership Program, is Chair of the CSIRO Drought Resilience Mission Advisory Group, and a member of the NSW Environmental Trust Biodiversity Technical Review Committee. At the Farm Institute, Katie’s role gives her the opportunity to deep dive into evidence-based policy research focused on the sustainability of agrifood systems – it’s work she feels proud and privileged to be part of.
Sustainability is not just a marketing buzzword – it’s about future-proofing Australian farming systems to ensure generational food and economic security. The Australian Farm Institute will provide an introduction to the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF), explaining the drivers behind development, the state of the current framework, its use at a high level, and where Australia sits in the global agricultural sustainability landscape.
The AASF is a clarification of what the Australian agricultural industry sees as ideal states for the natural, human and social capital needed to continue sustainably producing food and fibre for generations to come. Many Australian farm sectors have developed commodity-specific sustainability initiatives; however, a lack of system-wide consistency in language, structure and format means that understanding of sustainability often varies across industries, locations and stakeholders. The AASF seeks to amplify the efficacy of these initiatives by articulating universal principles and proffering a cohesive structure to communicate the sustainability status and goals of Australian farmers to markets and to the community.
About Katie:
Experienced in the fields of policy research, editing, communications, and project management, Katie McRobert has been part of the Australian Farm Institute team since late 2017. Prior to joining the AFI, Katie worked as a global Content and Community Manager for Rabobank, liaising with farming clients to build knowledge banks, and as the National Editor for FarmOnline, overseeing seven digital rural news mastheads including The Land and Queensland Country Life. Katie has an MBA from Griffith University specialising in Sustainable Business. She has also participated in the inaugural National Farmers’ Federation 2030 Leadership Program, is Chair of the CSIRO Drought Resilience Mission Advisory Group, and a member of the NSW Environmental Trust Biodiversity Technical Review Committee. At the Farm Institute, Katie’s role gives her the opportunity to deep dive into evidence-based policy research focused on the sustainability of agrifood systems – it’s work she feels proud and privileged to be part of.
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