The Resilience Initiative for Food and Agriculture (RIFA). Photo: Steve Crimp

The Resilience Initiative for Food and Agriculture (RIFA)
The world is facing an increasingly disrupted food future due to significant global challenges. In the wake of this emerging crisis, ANU, CSIRO, and DFAT ran the Resilience Initiative for Food and Agriculture (RIFA).

Global food systems have faced growing disruption due to major challenges such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the Asia-Pacific, these pressures intensified existing vulnerabilities, making it difficult for governments to address hunger affecting hundreds of millions of people. Emerging pests, diseases, and other shocks further strained already fragile food systems. 

In response to these challenges, The Australian National University (ANU), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) launched the Resilience Initiative for Food and Agriculture (RIFA). The initiative brought together interdisciplinary agri-food expertise from Australia and across the Asia-Pacific to deliver science-based, development-ready solutions grounded in local contexts. 

RIFA aimed to catalyse collaboration between research institutions, industry, and government, creating pathways toward more resilient and sustainable agri-food systems. 

ANU contributed a strong network of leading researchers whose expertise spanned diverse fields, including law, health, rural development, environmental systems, ecosystems, and water reform—enabling a holistic approach to food systems resilience. 

As an initial step, RIFA undertook a scoping study examining development projects and research focused on resilience within food systems. Completed in 2021, the study synthesised key trends in food systems resilience research across the Indo-Pacific and, critically, identified priority gaps where further research and action were needed to strengthen long-term resilience. 

Outputs 

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