Contents

Message from the CEO

people walking through a large green house, with potted plants in raised containers
ACIAR CEO, Professor Wendy Umberger (right), inspecting a greenhouse for screening citrus varieties with Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council at the National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad, October 2024.

As we embark on a new year, it's a perfect time to reflect on our work over the past 12 months. ACIAR’s research and capacity development programs have had a profound and positive impact on the lives of thousands of individuals in our partner countries. This Annual Review highlights just a fraction of the impactful stories from 2024, where together, with our outstanding commissioned organisations and partners, we have significantly improved the livelihoods and resilience of rural communities and developed the capacity of researchers, institutions and policymakers.

The Australian innovation system has a wealth of knowledge and technology to offer through collaborative international partnerships. As we address shared challenges such as climate change, food security, equity and environmental sustainability, our commitment to these causes has only strengthened. Recognising the tangible and intrinsic effects on food production systems and rural communities, ACIAR established processes in 2024 to ensure that all new research investments contribute meaningfully to our partner countries and enhance the climate resilience of smallholder farmers, fishers and foresters.

Relationships and partnerships are at the heart of ACIAR's operations. In 2025, we will continue to develop locally led processes and connections to align our research investments with the aspirations and visions of our partner countries. We will also cultivate new research partnerships and programs that complement and contribute to Australia's International Development Policy.

I am thrilled to begin this new year working alongside our new ACIAR leadership team. I look forward to collaborating with our many current partners and extending a warm welcome to new partners joining the ACIAR family this year. Wishing you all a joyous and fulfilling 2025.

Professor Wendy Umberger
Chief Executive Officer, ACIAR

Forest biosecurity is essential for livelihoods

Land borders and communities in Southeast Asia are vulnerable to biosecurity threats due to poorly regulated movement of goods and people. A pioneering project supported by ACIAR has brought together scientists across Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam to improve the reporting of invasive pest species by creating a network that will share biosecurity knowledge, technologies and management strategies.

Biosecurity and sustainable forest management

Watch now

Working towards our objectives

Fishway and bridge over river

Improving food security and reducing poverty

Developed through Australian innovation and long-running ACIAR-funded research in Southeast Asia, fishways restore migratory fish routes through dams and weirs, helping protect biodiversity and the rural communities that rely on fish for food, nutrition and income security. A new fishway in Cambodia is expected to directly benefit more than 20,000 people.

Read more

Group of people sitting in a circle on a blue mat. Ladies wearing colourful headscraves

Managing natural resources sustainably

An ACIAR-supported project in India engaged smallholder farmers to monitor actions taken to conserve the groundwater used for irrigation. The process helped communities recognise groundwater as a shared resource and devised ways for communities to work together, including the introduction of a new legal structure for community-level, cooperative groundwater management.

Read more

Nursery of fruit tree seedlings

Bolstering climate change resilience

Climate change resilience, food security and nutrition are the aims of a project in Kenya and Rwanda, which is helping tree nursery operators produce healthy tree seedlings that meet multiple needs of smallholder farmers. Climate change-related impacts have the government supporting more tree growing with appropriate soil and water conservation measures.

Read more

A farmer removes chaff from black beans, preparing them for participants’ sampling during the review.

Enhancing human nutrition and health

New bean varieties developed in Africa through ACIAR-funded research will significantly reduce cooking times and promote greater consumption of the nutritious crop among rural communities. Using new techniques, plant breeders in Africa have shown they can tackle complex challenges, with the result of breeding beans that cook faster while maintaining iron and zinc content.

Read more

Investing in our region and our neighbours

ACIAR investment in agricultural research for development complements Australia’s International Development Policy and supports the promotion of peace and economic growth in our region. ACIAR research investment is determined by locally led research priorities. It contributes to the knowledge and capacity of partner-country scientists and the outcomes of research very often benefit agriculture, food production systems and natural resource management in Australia as well as in partner countries.

ACIAR investment by region 2024

A snapshot of events in 2024

As well as supporting multilateral research programs and international agricultural research organisations and investing in 179 bilateral research projects in 33 countries, during 2024 ACIAR provided formal capacity development opportunities to partner country researchers; sponsored and participated in conferences, forums and workshops; reaffirmed partnership agreements with international partners; and announced new multidisciplinary programs of research. 

group of people looking at camera
The Pacific cohort of the John Dillon Fellowship visited ACIAR House in February 2024. The fellowship aims to strengthen leadership and management capabilities of mid-career scientists, researchers and economists working in agricultural research for development from ACIAR partner countries. The fellows were from government ministries in Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
Man and woman sitting at table signing documents
The commitment of ACIAR to continue delivering development outcomes to Vietnam through agricultural research and capacity development was affirmed in March 2024. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by His Excellency Mr Le Minh Hoan, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development (left) and ACIAR Chief Executive Officer, Professor Wendy Umberger.
Group of 6 people standing behind a glass tank
Fishway technology was on display at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, May 2024, as an example of ACIAR’s contribution to Australian international collaboration to tackle global water challenges. From left, Dr Arif Wibowo (BRIN), Dr Neil Lazaro (ACIAR), the Hon Patrick Gorman MP, Ervan Maksum (Bappenas) and Professor Lee Baumgartner (Charles Sturt University).
Large group of people standing together outside
Australia's Commission for International Agricultural Research visited the Philippines in May 2024 and met with officials and farming communities to understand the impact of ACIAR work. Research priorities were discussed and opportunities for further Australia–Philippines collaboration in the agriculture, aquatic and natural resources sector were explored.
Two men standing either side of 2 women
ACIAR Chief Executive Officer, Professor Wendy Umberger (second from right) announced the new ACIAR Executive Team in August 2024. From left, Dr James Quilty, General Manager Research, Ms Laura Timmins, General Manager Partnerships, and Mr Paul Morgan, General Manager Corporate.
Group of 10 people standing in front of flags
In September 2024, Australia’s Policy Advisory Council met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong, to discuss Australia’s International Development Policy and Australia’s comparative advantage to work with partner countries on locally determined priorities to address challenges such as climate change and regional food security.
woman presenting on stage with screens behind
Australia’s contribution to research and innovation in wheat development and production in developing countries, through ACIAR-supported partnerships, was highlighted by ACIAR Chief Executive Officer, Professor Wendy Umberger, at the Third International Wheat Congress, in Perth in September 2024.
a group of people watching a person who is holding a handful of granular material. The person is wearing gloves.
Innovative partnerships and Australian know-how will contribute to food security, stronger economies and protected environments through the 6-year Africa–Australia Partnership for Climate Responsive Agriculture. Announced in October 2024, the partnership will work with smallholder farmers to develop capacity and improve access to climate-smart innovations as climate change impacts become more severe.

Deep and lasting benefits in Pakistan

pakistan dairy

October 2024 marked 40 years of partnership between ACIAR and Pakistan. The sharing of resources and expertise and ongoing commitment has benefited smallholder farmers, researchers and Pakistan as a whole. Read more.

Working towards our objectives

A man and a woman inside a white greenhouse with a bed of small sweetpotato plants

Improving gender equity and empowerment

Virus-free planting material for sweetpotato has enabled farmers in Papua New Guinea to move from subsistence farming into commercial enterprises. Using a family farm teams approach, the project facilitated training opportunities and enterprise development options for all members of the farm family. Positive outcomes continue to develop, 4 years after project completion.

Read more

Two men standing next to large saw with logs being cut

Fostering inclusive value chains

A new engineering process to produce wood veneer was developed in Fiji, which will help meet significant domestic demand for plywood timber. As well as increasing income-earning opportunities for smallholder farmers, the new process uses timber more efficiently, with less water and energy, than other veneer production processes and supports the development of a long-term industry.

Read more

Hands holding insect larvae

Building scientific and policy capability

A delegation of scientists from Africa shared their knowledge about insect farming for animal feed production and waste management on a visit to the Pacific region in June 2024. The knowledge exchange was invaluable in demonstrating a low-cost circular economy solution to the waste and nutrition challenges commonly faced by the people of the Pacific region.

Read more

Woman holding a test tube in a lab

New skills and knowledge for resilience

Technicians are now producing 125 stem cuttings from a single cassava plant per year, compared with 10 stem cuttings previously. The innovative work is the business of the Future Stems Centre in Laos, which is also the hub of a network of cassava experts and researchers across Southeast Asia for the exchange of knowledge and disease-resistant cassava varieties across national borders.

Read more

ACIAR by numbers in 2024

ACIAR is a specialist agency of the Australian Government that invests a small portion of Australia’s official development assistance funds in agricultural research for development. Our CEO reports directly to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and we have staff in Canberra and 10 international locations. We work with research agencies and universities who are commissioned to lead projects and teams of researchers from collaborating research organisations in Australia and partner countries.

an infographic showing selected facts: 179 projects, 62 commissioned organisations, 331 collaborating institutions and impact data for smallholder farmers

Shared commitment to making a difference

The sustained success of ACIAR since 1982 comes down to the people of ACIAR. Every person associated with ACIAR – be they a tenured research leader, a long-term staff member, a partner-country researcher or an alumnus of a capacity development program – shares a commitment to improving livelihoods, communities, production systems and environments through locally led research that supports smallholder agriculture, fishery and forestry systems. The following stories share that spirit.

Woman holding a book titled Mirah Nuryati

Read more

Mirah Nuryati, ACIAR's longest-serving staff member, retires after 33 years of being a vital point of contact and source of knowledge in Indonesia.

Man in white shirt

Read more

Dr Dexter dela Cruz is a leading researcher in coral reef restoration thanks to a John Allwright Fellowship and ongoing research collaboration.

Woman in red jumper and glasses

Read more

Irene Kernot found inspiration throughout her career from the innovation she witnessed on farm and along supply chains in many countries.

three people facing the camera

Read more

During 2024, 8 scholars graduated from the Pacific Agriculture Scholarships and Support program, which provides locally based career advancement opportunities.

Communicating the results of scientific research

New knowledge, insight and techniques arising from ACIAR-supported research were captured in a range of new publications in 2024. Visit the ACIAR website to explore the new titles, as well as lots of other information on our projects and programs.

Cover of Raising trees and livelihoods

Raising trees and livelihoods

A decade of learnings and knowledge from ACIAR-supported projects is collated in this book about purposeful tree management, farming systems and value adding by smallholders in the world’s tropical regions.

Read more

Cover of fruit fly in mango manual

Management of fruit fly in mangoes

The manual presents the key concepts, principles, steps and techniques for the area-wide management of fruit fly in mangoes. While based on research primarily in Indonesia, the approach is applicable across the Asia-Pacific region.

Read more

Cover of manual 1 coffee manual

Smallholder coffee production training

This training package contains information, instructions and resources for extension officers to train junior extension officers and smallholder farmer groups in the production, processing and marketing of coffee in Papua New Guinea.

Read more

Cover of seaweed cookbook

Makassar seaweed recipes

The recipes presented in this book were collected from women's groups in the South Sulawesi region of Indonesia. Based on locally grown seaweed, these recipes enhance the nutritional value of seaweed, as well as commercial opportunities for smallholder farmers.

Read more