Indigenous Grasslands for Grains
Indigenous grasslands for food, culture, community and Country
Aboriginal people sustainably produced food for millenia by caring for Country and are the world’s oldest breadmakers.
We focus on interdisciplinary collaboration to improve planetary and human health by combining Indigenous methodologies, agricultural science, environmental science and ecology, soil and carbon science, engineering, archaeology, business and marketing, economics, food science, nutritional science, human health, social science, and human geography.
Our goal is to contribute to the revitalisation of native grains food systems, based on Indigenous practices of Caring for Country, the ethos of Indigenous food sovereignty and agroecological farming principles, to benefit both the environment and health of people.
Under the guidance of the Gamilaraay Grains Custodians, our growing interdisciplinary team brings together researchers across many disciplines to contribute to the re-emergence of this food system. The transformative potential of native grains is central to our work and our motivation to realise more environmentally and socially just food production in Australia.
The Gamilaraay Grains Custodians are members of the Gamilaraay and Yuwalaraay communities who provide cultural oversight and guidance for the revitalisation of Gamilaraay grains. They collaborate with us at the University’s Plant Breeding Institute at Narrabri to co-design and co-produce native grains research aims, methods and outcomes, communicating these to local communities. Their focus is on developing an Indigenous-led program which integrates Aboriginal knowledges to cultivate native grains in a way that benefits local communities.
The Custodians include Rhonda Ashby, Bernadette Duncan, Geoff Reid, Brandon Nicholls, Kate Briggs, Carl McGrady, Kaliela Thornton, and Priscilla Reid, who are selected for a term of two years. They meet up to four times a year, either face-to-face or online, to advise on strategic priorities and cultural protocols for the University of Sydney’s initiatives and community engagement around native grains. The Custodian meetings and activities are supported by a University of Sydney engagement team (Dr Jordan Pitt, Associate Professor Prof Kim Bell-Anderson, Dr Rebecca Cross, Dr Matt Pye).
Associate Professor Thomas Roberts, Dr Claudia Keitel, Associate Professor Tina Bell, Dr Ali Khoddami, Dr Rebecca Cross, Associate Professor Floris van Ogtrop
Little is documented about the viability of grains from Australian native grasses for commercial food applications and how this is influenced by plant growth environment. This project aims to fill this gap in our understanding by co-designing and disseminating knowledge with Gomeroi researchers. The project expects to (1) develop recommendations for native grain production based on insights into the environmental effects on grain quality for four native grasses, (2) train research students, and (3) enhance Indigenous partnership on Gomeroi Country in northern NSW. Benefits resulting from the project are the promotion of best-practice management of native grasslands and support for the development of an Indigenous-led native grains industry.
Associate Professor Kim Bell-Anderson, Dianne Hall, Dr Josephine Gwynn, and Dr Rebecca Cross
This is a co-designed project with community to investigate the potential for native grains to nourish and improve health in these populations. It focuses on building trusting relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous collaborators, Elders and knowledge holders. Native grains, such as native millet and Mitchell grasses, are rich in high-quality nutrients and their inclusion in the diet may be key to addressing health disparities faced by Aboriginal Australians. By promoting collaboration and mutual learning, this project aims to integrate Indigenous knowledge to create sustainable health benefits for long-term wellbeing within these communities.
Philanthropic funding by Jackie Vidor
Professor Richard Trethowen
This project aims to select seeds from plants with certain characteristics to establish grasslands and increase seed availability for local communities and research. Desirable traits include high seed yield per hectare, low shattering, ease of harvesting and threshing, high weight, quality nutritional profiles such as high protein content, and compactness and uprightness in inflorescence. Community engagement is integral, with Indigenous trainees hired to increase skills and knowledge of native grains, and to engage and share this knowledge with community members and groups.
Funding by Bayer Foundation
Professor Salah Sukkarieh
This project is developing specialised threshing technology for Australian native grains, designed in collaboration with Gamilaraay and Yuwalaraay stakeholders. It builds on a prior Agrifutures-funded study that identified a lack of efficient, scalable processing solutions as a major barrier to native grain production.
To address this, the engineering team will analyse grain morphology and modify existing agricultural systems to meet the unique needs of native species. Unlike wheat and barley, which have established mechanical processing systems, native grains vary widely in size, husk structure, and threshing resistance. This requires adaptive, modular processing systems capable of handling different grain types while minimising seed damage and improving efficiency.
This work also strengthens Indigenous-led research and economic development. A key focus is ensuring the project is guided by community priorities and includes benefit-sharing arrangements that support Indigenous self-determination.
By combining engineering excellence with traditional knowledge, this initiative will create practical, scalable solutions that support sustainable agriculture, food security, and economic opportunity for Indigenous communities.
The donor is committed to fostering culturally respectful innovation, ensuring technology serves both research and Indigenous enterprise.
Funding from the Ian and Shirley Norman Foundation
Dr Angela Pattison, Kerrie Saunders, Dianne Hall
This project had two parts, both aimed at increasing the ability of industry to sustain native grains enterprises.
Part one, led by Black Duck Foods, was the creation of an RD&E plan for the native grains industry. Wide consultation with stakeholders was conducted and priorities for research, development and extension brought together to create a cohesive plan for future investment in the emerging industry.
Part two, led by the University of Sydney, combined the knowledge of seed processing technologies from published sources with experience in multi-species seed processing to test various options for processing native seeds to food grade.
This information was the first step to empowering industry to bring down the cost of processing field harvested samples into food-grade grain, which is the greatest roadblock to the success of native grain enterprises.
Funding from Agrifutures
Dr Angela Pattison, Dr Ali Khoddami, Anna Drake, Callum Craigie, Celine Badaoui, Dr Claudia Keitel, Associate Professor Guy Roth, Dr Henry Leung, Ji Hun Lee, Dr Rebecca Cross, Dr Shauna Phillips, Associate Professor Tina Bell
This project has brought together a multidisciplinary research team to complete one iteration of the food system from paddock to plate, including associated economic modelling, the establishment of environmental indicators and a discussion of the potential cultural significance of bringing back traditional food species to Aboriginal people.
This process quantified the potential of the system in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability (triple bottom line), and benchmarked the system against current best-practice cropping in the district.
Funding from Sydney Institute of Agriculture
Associate Professor Guy Roth, Dr Angela Pattison
DigiFarm was a large multi-disciplinary project demonstrating best-practice farming through digitally connecting data flows from farms and environmental productivity.
The project investigated the economic and environmental role that native grasses play due to their ecosystem services at Narrabri, NSW. It was planned to establish three field systems – native food only, native grains and cattle grazing, and native grains and winter cropping, however the drought prevented and seed plantings. However, the project completed preliminary trails and seed collection and fostered many new partnerships for the paddock to plate native grains. More information; Associate Professor Guy Roth.
Funding from National Landcare Program Smart Farming Partnerships
We are privileged to partner with industry, Aboriginal groups, farmers, and other research institutions to pioneer the revitalisation of native grains. Together, we are shaping a sustainable future for agriculture and enhancing the nutritional landscape.
Please contact native.grains@sydney.edu.au for more information on how to get involved.
