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From Research Excellence to Agriculture’s Future Direction

The Sydney Institute of Agriculture 2026 Research Showcase was held on Tuesday 30 June at the Sydney Nanoscience Hub.

This year's Sydney Institute of Agriculture Research Showcase focussed on 3N Agriculture: Net-Zero, Nature-Positive and Nutrient-Balanced.

Agriculture’s next frontier is not defined by a single technology, crop, or production system. It is defined by the capacity to deliver three outcomes together. A Nutrient-Balanced, Net-Zero, Nature-Positive agriculture. The Sydney Institute of Agriculture (SIA) Research Showcase brings together leading ������ research that is defining the possibilities of 3NAg, from discovery through to practical implementation.

Developed at the ������, the 3NAg framework connects these ambitions and asks a defining question, ‘can future food and farming systems reduce emissions, restore natural capital and improve nutrition while remaining productive and resilient?’

Across the program, SIA researchers will deliver the evidence, outcomes and innovation that will shape the future of food and farming. Talks focused on developing “Green” nitrogen, new tools for credit-ready soil carbon measurement and research on root-driven carbon accrual strengthen the opportunities for credible net-zero action. This is further supported by work in precision nitrogen management, sustainable livestock production and data-driven grazing. Research on reduced soybean meal diets shows how animal nutrition can become more resource-efficient and resilient while maintaining performance.

The Showcase also reveals how nature-positive agriculture depends on understanding and strengthening the living and physical systems that underpin production. Global pedogenon mapping provides a new basis for assessing soil capacity and condition, showing where soil function has been diminished, where restoration is possible, and whether management is rebuilding the natural capital on which production depends. Soil metagenomics is unlocking microbial functions linked to nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration and ecosystem resilience; and research on native Australian grains and wheat heat resilience is expanding options for productive systems in a changing climate. This is just a taste of what will be presented at the showcase.

Finally, an expert panel will connect the science by bringing together this array of research and perspectives, drawing out the synergies, confronting the trade-offs and exploring the opportunities that will be answered. Setting priorities and pathways for agricultural systems that are productive, resilient, nature-positive and nourishing.

For anyone engaged in the future of agriculture, this is a conversation not to be missed. You will see how SIA’s vision can bring expertise together through 3NAg, delivering agriculture its opportunity to move beyond trade-offs and deliver productivity, resilience, environmental repair, and better nutrition together.

You can watch the recording below.