GTAQ members (and keen senior geography students) are most welcome to attend this presentation.

With the global population to reach around 9 billion by 2050, the demand for food is predicted to increase by at least 50%. The types of food demanded will also change, including an increase in animal products. This level of increase has been delivered in the past by agriculture. In the future more nutrients, water, land and energy consumption – key components of the previous increased productivity – will not be available. So how will we produce more from less, and what will this mean for Australian agriculture? The talk will also explore the competition for land between food production and climate mitigation and what potential changes to land use in Australia may look like.

Dr Graham Bonnett leads the Advancing Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Health research theme of CSIRO's Sustainable Agricultural Flagship. Its goal is to significantly increase agricultural productivity whilst maintaining the environment.

Graham comes from an agricultural background in England. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Agricultural Science (Crops), and a Doctor of Philosophy, both from the University of Leeds. After completing his doctorate, he worked on improving the quality of annual pasture at the University of Melbourne before joining CSIRO in 1993. He has worked since in Canberra, Townsville and for the past 10 years in Brisbane. In 2009 Graham was awarded the Queensland-Smithsonian Fellowship and he and his family spent five months at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama. Graham is a member of the Gene Technology Technical Advisory Committee that advises on the release of genetically modified organisms for trials and commercial purposes.

Graham cycles to work every day and has competed in several triathlons over the past 12 months. He is president of the Queensland Masters Badminton Association, and is in training for the Oxfam 100 km walk in June.

7.30pm Tuesday 7 May
RGSQ, 237 Milton Rd, Milton
Enquiries: Kath Berg, admin@rgsq.org.au, ph 07 3368 2066