QAAFI is committed to working respectfully and reciprocally with Indigenous peoples and communities, on the unceded Indigenous lands upon which we undertake our work.
We acknowledge the problematic histories and legacies of colonial agriculture and land management practices in Australia, and the negative impacts that unsafe academic research has had on Indigenous peoples, knowledges, and cultural heritage. As a research institute, we are dedicated to being a leading example of working meaningfully and collaboratively with community, including benefit sharing, and finding ways to support Indigenous peoples’ needs and aspirations within the food and agriculture sector.
QAAFI works in accordance with the high standards outlined in UQ’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). We have significant expectations for Indigenous Engagement and employment within both our operations and research teams. As we undertake this future-centred work, we are growing our community of Indigenous researchers and professional staff, and are continually seeking opportunities for community-led and engaged projects.
We value the enormous contributions that Indigenous peoples and perspectives bring to the broader UQ and QAAFI community. If you are an Indigenous person looking to connect with QAAFI for either employment, future study pathways or to be involved in community projects, please get in touch with our Indigenous Engagement Team at qaafi.indigenous.engagement@uq.edu.au.
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Research in collaboration with First Nation's people
- 14 September 2023QAAFI PhD candidate Sukirtha Srivarathan talks about her long anticipated trip to Broome and Darwin, to view the native halophytes she studied in her PhD in their rightful habitat. It was a long overdue trip, delayed by the shutdowns caused by the global COVID 19 pandemic.
- Promoting the cultivation and use of a nutritious and tasty native plant tuber is the aim of a research project at The University of Queensland.
- The first Indigenous PhD scholar at The University of Queensland’s Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) has vowed she won’t be the last.
- 14 March 2023Staff and students from the Uniquely Australian Foods centre were excited to welcome fifteen Indigenous year 11 and 12 school students from Acacia Ridge’s Aboriginal and Islander Independent Community School, ‘Murri School’, for an engaging and hands-on day.
- An Australian plant used by First Nations communities as food, animal fodder and medicine, could be used as a nutritious alternative to salt, according to University of Queensland research.
- Reducing the consumption of sugary drinks in remote Indigenous communities and creating business opportunities are the twin aims of University of Queensland PhD candidate Jessica Cartwright’s research.
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Uniquely Australian Foods
Celebrating Australia's unique food identity
QAAFI's Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences (CNAFS) supports enhanced health outcomes and economic benefits for Australia, by conducting integrated fundamental and applied research to improve the taste, quality, appearance, nutritional value and safety of food. We aim to understand the fundamental characteristics of food that influence processing, food quality, consumer perception and nutritional value.
Sitting within CNAFS is the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods, which aims to change the way Australians – and the world – thinks about Australia’s cuisine and food products. They do this by partnering with and supporting Australia's First Nation's people, the traditional custodians, of native foods and plants. We are collaborating with First Nations communities across Australia, food industry entrepreneurs with a research team spanning law, engineering, food science and the social sciences, to promote research and development on uniquely Australian foods.