Two young Australian academics with aspirations to transform agriculture have been selected to join 100 'change-makers' at the 2019 Bayer Youth Ag Summit in Brazil this November.
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Grace Scott and Guy Coleman were selected from 30 Australian applicants for their ideas on how to achieve 'Zero Hunger' by tackling food insecurity in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Grace Scott, who originally studied at the University of Western Sydney and is now completing her masters at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, is focused on developing sustainable alternative fertilisers in cotton.
Her work utilises a natural nitrogen-fixing bacterium that originated on sugar cane in Brazil.
Guy Coleman, a scientist at the at the University of Sydney's IA Watson International Grains Research Centre in Narrabri, is developing autonomous weeding platforms that aim to overcome herbicide resistance, focusing on machine learning and robotics.
Ms Scott said she was excited to meet people who shared her passion for agriculture.
"Everyone has the opportunity to contribute to a better world in their own way," she said.
"That's what the Youth Ag Summit is about. I am absolutely thrilled join the movement in Brazil, in a country that is critical for my work."
Mr Coleman said a global perspective was vital for his work, particularly given weed management was a ubiquitous global problem.
"The Youth Ag Summit will allow me to contribute to and take ideas from around the world, to apply to my work," he said.
"It's about building networks with like-minded peers, as we work on our Zero Hunger projects."
The pair will be among 100 delegates including entrepreneurs, farmers, students, plant scientists, and economists, all aged 18-25, from 45 countries at the Summit.
Rodrigo Santos is the Head of Bayer's Crop Science division in Latin America and said his home country had an important role in the challenge of feeding a hungry planet.
"We're very happy to receive these incredible young leaders to discuss such an important topic as food security," he said.
"I hope Brazil's thriving agricultural sector inspires our delegates to develop their innovative ideas."
