Making sense of turbulent times

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Making sense of turbulent times

What else will 2025 bring? Collab crosses to DC to speak with Raj Kumar, founding President & Editor-in-Chief of Devex, the media platform for the global development community. Raj breaks down the current turbulent times and identifies trends to watch in the coming year. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he is the author of the book “The Business of Changing the World,” a go-to primer on the ideas, people, and technology disrupting the aid industry.

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Using sports passion for good

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Using sports passion for good

How to take public passion for something and focus it on a pressing issue? Collab chats with John Wroe, co-founder and CEO of Street Child United, which amongst other things runs an international tournament uniting teams of street children to play football and call for their rights to be realised. Hear John’s origin story about the NFP and his tips for working with sports stars, other celebs and funders.

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How to get a UN job

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: How to get a UN job

Want to land a job at a big UN agency? Collab is in New York to get some tips. Ann-Marie Wilcock has lived this dream for over 13 years. She has been in Nepal, Palestine and Pakistan with agencies like UNDP, FAO and MSF. Currently she’s at the UN as an Advocacy Manager. Along the way, to inspire and equip people to follow her footsteps, she’s created an excellent blog called Hit The Iron Bell.

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Teaser: Introducing Collab

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Teaser: Introducing Collab

It’s here! Collab presenter Phil Johnstone briefly describes this new podcast series about global trends in international development and humanitarian crisis response. Hear brief descriptions of the first three episodes and a heads-up about episode four in April 2025 which will be a travelogue about development work in Papua New Guinea.

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Hope in turbulent times (PPF)

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Hope in turbulent times (PPF)

People | Planet | Food – Host Roger Robson-Williams speaks with sustainability experts Saskia Verraes and Martin Rich about the future they aspire to create through their work. They discuss the encouraging signs of progress in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the globe.
Amid rising illiberalism, increasing geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, and an unstable climate, this episode offers a chance to reflect on how we can cultivate a more prosperous future for everyone. It also celebrates some of the outstanding initiatives already in progress. This episode serves as an invitation to hope and take action. To explore our full catalogue of podcasts, visit our Scigest page: www.plantandfood.com/scigest.

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The challenge of gene editing a plant (NT)

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: The challenge of gene editing a plant (NT)

Gene editing is a new technology with the potential to breed new crops faster. With changing regulations worldwide on how gene editing can be incorporated into food production systems, what does it actually take to gene edit a plant crop?   This week Scigest host and scientist Jay Jayaraman speaks to Zac Hanley, GM Science – New Cultivar Innovation about the science of gene editing plants. They talk about the process of gene editing, some of the challenges in using the technology and how gene editing could help develop the plant varieties of the future.
For more about the use of gene technologies in food production, see https://www.plantandfood.com/en-nz/gene-technologies. To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra links on some podcasts please go to our Scigest pages: www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Bringing change through compost, carbon, and connection (PPF)

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Bringing change through compost, carbon, and connection (PPF)

People | Planet | Food – In this episode, host Roger Robson-Williams chats with friend and colleague Stephen Wallace, Sustainability Manager at AgResearch and Plant & Food Research,
Stephen shares his journey into sustainability, sparked by a passion for the environment and early efforts to combat food waste in the workplace. He offers insights into his collaborations with senior leadership to tackle greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and vehicles, emphasising the importance of reducing gross emissions and the role of carbon offsetting in climate strategies. The episode wraps up with practical advice on how individuals can contribute to a healthier planet, ensuring thriving ecosystems and healthy, sustainable food for all.
To view our full catalogue of podcasts go to our Scigest page: www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Suzie Newman: A life in International development (SLFM)

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Suzie Newman: A life in International development (SLFM)

To succeed in international development projects not only requires a variety of skills including project management, people and technical but also a commitment to see jobs through and meet every challenge which can be considerable in some of the less developed regions around the world. In this latest podcast scientist and podcaster Hilary Ireland speak to international development specialist Suzie Newman about her roll leading the very successful International Development team at Plant & Food Research.

To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra links on some podcasts please go to our Scigest pages: www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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A fresh look at steam power (PPF)

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: A fresh look at steam power (PPF)

People | Planet | Food – in this episode, host Roger Robson-Williams delves into the innovative world of modern steam power with Jack Donaldson from Mackwell and Co., a Christchurch-based start-up pioneering advanced steam technology for farm machinery. Together, they explore how replacing diesel with biomass could revolutionise energy use in food production, offering a sustainable and resilient alternative. The conversation spans the future of energy for businesses and communities, the surprising potential of steam engines in enhancing energy sovereignty, and the importance of equipping future generations with the tools and skills to thrive in a changing world. Don’t miss this inspiring discussion about rethinking power in the food system. To view our full catalogue of podcasts go to our Scigest page: www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Fish bites: The Potential of Lab-Grown Food (FTS)

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Fish bites: The Potential of Lab-Grown Food (FTS)

Cellular agriculture is an evolving technology where animal meat is grown in a lab using just their cells. This process is potentially an important way of producing animal protein in a sustainable and ethical manner. Plant & Food Research are exploring this technology to grow fish meat and is an important part of our overall fish research at our Nelson site where this recording is from. This week Scigest host and scientist Julie Blommaert speaks to Georgina Dowd about her research on cellular agriculture, the risk and rewards and also the potential for this technology in the future.
To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra links on some podcasts please go to our Scigest pages: www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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