Institute for Agriculture, Climate and the Environment

20/10/2026

𝕃𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕟 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖!📢

Did you catch Dr Noel Knight on ABC Rural Report discussing some of the key considerations for our cotton growers at this time of year?

If you missed it, don’t worry! Check out the link below to listen to the discussion.

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/southern-queensland-and-capricornia-rural-report/southern-queensland-and-capricornia-rural-report/107278572?utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared

University of Southern Queensland - Australia
The Australian Cotton Disease Collaboration

Catch up with all the latest rural news from Southern Queensland and Capricornia.

12/10/2026

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐃𝐫 𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐤. ☕️ 🌱
Who's research is helping farmers and agribusinesses build resilience to climate change!

𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ
My research focuses on climate-resilient agriculture, agribusiness and climate-risk financing. I explore how climate variability and extreme weather affect agricultural production, livelihoods and supply chains, using climate science, crop modelling, artificial intelligence and agricultural economics to develop practical solutions such as decision-support tools and parametric insurance.

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛?
I am involved in several international projects focused on strengthening the climate resilience of smallholder farmers, particularly coffee growers in Indonesia and Vietnam to support better farming and business decisions.

𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠?
Climate change is making farming more unpredictable, affecting crop yields, farm incomes and rural livelihoods. My research aims to provide practical tools and solutions that help farmers manage climate risks, improve productivity and build more resilient livelihoods.

𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑆𝑄?
UniSQ provides an excellent environment for applied research that addresses real-world challenges. The Centre for Applied Climate Sciences brings together expertise in climate science, agricultural systems, modelling and industry engagement. Its collaborative approach and international partnerships help translate research into practical outcomes.

𝐹𝑢𝑛 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡
I've visited coffee-growing regions across several countries and learned directly from farmers about their challenges and innovations. One of the most rewarding parts of my work is seeing how a simple cup of coffee connects farmers, science, global markets and people around the world.

08/10/2026

Cotton on over and meet the crew in Goondiwindi!

🚗 We’re hitting the road!

Join us for a cotton disease workshop in your region, where we'll share the latest research findings and practical disease management insights.

📍 Goondiwindi is our first stop!
📅 Thursday 29 October 2026
🕣 8:30am – 11:00am (Queensland time)
📍 Goondiwindi Golf Club

Stay tuned as we lock in dates and locations for the rest of the roadshow.

Whether you’re facing disease challenges this season or simply keen to hear the latest research for your region, come and join the conversation.

🌱 playing a critical role in coordinating national research efforts in priority cotton diseases.

🤝 is an initiative of the Cotton Research and Development Corporation in conjunction with Strategic Partners the University of Southern Queensland - Australia and Queensland Agriculture (the Queensland Department of Primary Industries)

CottonInfo Cotton Australia Cotton Seed Distributors Australian Cotton Shippers Association Institute for Agriculture, Climate and the Environment

25/09/2026

🌾 𝙰 𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝙵𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝙳𝚊𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚙… 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚃𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚍𝚊𝚢!

We were at Wellcamp on Tuesday, co-hosting a Winter Crop Research Field Day with the Queensland Agriculture

The day covered soilborne diseases, barley diseases, fungicide resistance, chickpea rhizobia, w**d management, residual herbicides and crop establishment, with plenty of time for field demonstrations and discussion.

A good day out in the field, bringing researchers and industry together to share what’s happening and talk through practical issues facing winter crop production.

Thanks to everyone who came along!

Learn more: https://www.unisq.edu.au/research/institutes-centres/institute-for-agriculture-climate-and-the-environment/centre-for-crop-health

University of Southern Queensland - Australia

14/09/2026

☕️𝙲𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚁𝚒𝚜𝚔 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚅𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚗𝚊𝚖’𝚜 𝙲𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚎 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛

UniSQ’s Centre for Applied Climate Sciences (CACS) was pleased to be represented at the High-Level Working Group meeting on Policy–Market Alignment for Climate Risk Management in Vietnam’s Coffee Sector in Ho Chi Minh City on 4 September.

Dr Thanh Mai, Coordinator of the Vietnam Coffee Climate Risk Management Project, helped facilitate the meeting, while Dr Vivekananda Mittahalli Byrareddy presented UniSQ’s contribution to the project.

The meeting brought together stakeholders from across the coffee industry to discuss practical approaches to managing climate risk and supporting the sector’s long-term resilience.

Read more here: https://van.nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/coffee-industry-seeks-a-shield-against-climate-risk-d829657.html

University of Southern Queensland - Australia

10/09/2026

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐃𝐫 𝐊𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐰𝐞𝐧 ⭐️

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ?
Kirsty's research focuses on managing root-lesion nematodes in cereal and pulse crops, helping growers address hidden threats below the soil surface.

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛?
Kirsty is part of the GRDC-funded Soilborne Diseases Initiative, a national collaboration tackling the $1.71 billion annual impact of soilborne diseases on the Australian grains industry. She leads the Queensland team from UniSQ and QDPI, as well as the national nematology research network.

𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟?
Soilborne diseases and plant-parasitic nematodes often go unnoticed but can cause significant yield losses. This research is helping growers identify and manage these hidden enemies through practical, sustainable solutions. 🌾

𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑆𝑄?
Located in Toowoomba, UniSQ works closely with industry partners and grain growers across one of Australia's most productive agricultural regions, ensuring research delivers real on-farm impact.

𝐴 𝑓𝑢𝑛 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝐾𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑦!
She's happiest in her veggie garden, has finally cracked the secret to growing parsnips, and is still chasing the perfect Romanesco!

University of Southern Queensland - Australia

30/08/2026

Last Thursday, we were at the Hermitage Schools Science Competition Awards Day and Ag Science Expo in Warwick! 🌱

More than 350 students stopped by the UniSQ display to learn about crop disease, crop health, agriculture and environmental science.

It was a great day meeting young people who are curious about agriculture and the environment, and showing them some of the research happening right here in our region.

Who knows, we might have met a few future scientists, agronomists and environmental researchers along the way!

University of Southern Queensland - Australia

27/08/2026

🌱 𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧-𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬

Toowoomba campus to be exact! We're here and looking at research across agriculture, climate, environment, crops, livestock, regional communities and more.

We work with industry, schools, community groups and not-for-profits to turn research into practical outcomes.

If you want to connect, find out what we’re researching or explore how we might work together, come and have a chat with us.

https://www.unisq.edu.au/research/institutes-centres/institute-for-agriculture-climate-and-the-environment

26/08/2026

🌱 𝙴𝚡𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚄𝚗𝚒𝚂𝚀’𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑!

Our Plant Growth Laboratory in Toowoomba has undergone a major upgrade, creating a state-of-the-art controlled environment facility where researchers can investigate how plants respond to heat, drought, pests and disease.

The new growth chambers allow researchers to recreate different climates, seasons and stress conditions. Supporting research across crop health, climate resilience, plant physiology and controlled environment agriculture!

A fantastic addition to UniSQ’s research capability and another example of the strength of agriculture and climate research being delivered from regional Queensland.

Well done team Ag & Environment!

https://www.unisq.edu.au/news/2026/08/plant-growth-lab

University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) researchers will be able to recreate a range of environmental conditions to investigate how plants respond to heat, drought, pests and diseases following a $500,000 upgrade to the University’s Plant Growth Laboratory in Toowoomba.

01/06/2026

Starting the week with a little wisdom and a lot of innovation!

IACE welcomed the Men for All Seasons from St Thomas More's Parish, Toowoomba for a tour of our Agricultural Science and Engineering Precinct, where they met leading scientists and research students in climate, crop health, agricultural systems andagricultural engineering.

Among the visitors was Peter Pemberton, an Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Lecturer at DDIAE in 1968, now known as UniSQ.

A fantastic two hours spent hosting 37 local grandfathers and sharing innovation across generations.

University of Southern Queensland - Australia