25-28 August 2013 | Perth, Western Australia

MINING, AGRICULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT:

Bread from Stones?

A joint conference of The Crawford Fund and the Africa Australia Research Forum
in association with Africa Down Under

With the vast majority of exploration and mining activities in Africa occurring in close proximity to rural communities, this year’s research program will focus on the interaction between these two major components of African economies and the challenges and opportunities for both mining and agriculture and the communities in which they are located.

The research program has being jointly developed by the Crawford Fund (which has had an annual conference on food security in Canberra for over 20 years), and the Africa Australia Research Forum, (now in its third year) in partnership with Africa Down Under.

The research program will cover topics such as:

• Why Australian mining companies in Africa should care about agriculture
• Strategies and policies to support sustainable community development
• Agriculture, Research and Mining Ties to Development
• The range of issues for local communities and farmers when mineral exploration and mining activities take place
• How to achieve better outcomes on the ground for mining companies and farming communities

And Keynote presentations including:

Mario Pezzini, Director, OECD Development Centre “Development Opportunities and Challenges for Mining and Agriculture”

HE Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana and Chairman of the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa 
“The Role of Agriculture and Mining in Sustainable Development in Africa” 

The conference forum will see globally significant speakers’ present the latest research findings, case studies and policy discussions and facilitate ongoing discussion on these issues. The interactions between delegates will be captured and will form part of an on-going dialog.

The program has been carefully designed to offer a balance between world-class presentations focusing on the latest research and policy developments and interaction with speakers. Networking opportunities and small group discussions have also been planned to allow for maximum interaction with other delegates including government representatives from 18 African countries including ministries of mines, environment, planning and agriculture. 

Click here to download the conference programme with registration accessible online at: www.africadownunderconference.com/aarf