RAID SA delivers on an event to the Adelaide AR4D community

Left to Right – RAID SA state rep Sophie Lountain, Dr Daniel Gregg, Emeritus Professor Randy Stringer, Ag Institute Australia SA Chair Craig Davis, RAID SA state rep Mackenzie Coopman.

The South Australian division of the RAID Network (Researchers in Agriculture for International Development) recently hosted its relaunch event, “Coffee, Cocoa and Conversations”, featuring special guests Emeritus Professor Randy Stringer and Dr Daniel Gregg. Held in collaboration with the Ag Institute Australia (AIA) – SA Division, the event brought together a diverse audience, including undergraduate, honours, masters and PhD students, as well as early career researchers and professionals.

The evening centred around the screening of two short films that highlighted impactful agricultural research projects. Each project focused on supporting farmers, strengthening value chains, and building long-term community partnerships. After each screening, attendees engaged in Q&A sessions with the presenters, gaining deeper insights into the challenges and successes of the projects. The event ended with an informal networking session, giving guests the opportunity to share ideas and make new connections.

The first film featured a cocoa-focused research initiative in the South Pacific, led by Professor Randy Stringer. The project, supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), worked with smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and chocolate makers to enhance cocoa production and access to higher-value markets. It also aimed to strengthen farmer networks and increase women’s participation in the cocoa value chain.

The second film explored a project based in eastern Uganda, which began with a focus on improving coffee quality but evolved into a broader effort to enhance transparency, equity, and collaboration across the coffee value chain. Both Professor Stringer and Dr Gregg were involved in this project, which brought together farmers, pickers, researchers, and innovation platforms to examine how coffee could be both high quality and more fairly traded.

Dr Gregg continues to support coffee production in Uganda through Intersection Traders, an Adelaide-based café committed to ethical, transparent sourcing practices known as “relationship coffee.”

Dr Daniel Gregg (left) and Emeritus Professor Randy Stringer (right) introducing the short documentaries based on their research.

The strong turnout and enthusiastic engagement from the agricultural research for development (AR4D) community in Adelaide demonstrated a clear appetite for future in-person events. RAID is committed to building on this momentum, with plans future events that celebrate impactful research and strengthen connections across the sector.

Both RAID and the AIA SA Division share a strong commitment to supporting emerging professionals through networking and professional development opportunities. Continued collaboration between the two organisations will help expand outreach and increase the diversity of experiences available to students and early career professionals in agriculture and international development.

Both short documentaries are available on YouTube (links below) and are a great example of the type of impact Australian agricultural research has on a global scale.

Strengthening cocoa value chains in the South Pacific

Coffee Innovation Platform in Uganda exports coffee to Australia