Dr. Risti Permani is an Indonesian-Australian agrifood economist whose work using data, policy and diplomacy has built a bridge in the agricultural sector between Australia, Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
She has led post-doctoral research on the Australia-Indonesia beef trade, led the ASEAN Secretariat's trade and investment analytical division with a key role facilitating Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, and established an agribusiness program at Deakin University's Warrnambool campus.
At the University of Queensland, she designs and delivers capacity-building courses on resilient food-systems and inclusive leadership across Southeast Asia.
Risti combines rigorous data analysis with practical policy expertise to support trade facilitation, gender equity and market development in the agrifood sector.
Roots in the rainforests of Kalimantan and the mountains of Bogor
Risti's story begins amid the rainforests of Kalimantan in Borneo where her parents worked with the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry.
The family then moved to the lush, mountain city of Bogor, 60 kilometres from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, where she was raised in a family that championed education above all.
Inspired by a high school teacher who ignited her love of mathematical rigour, she completed a degree in statistics at Bogor Agriculture University.
Following in the footsteps of her brother who had studied in Townsville, she travelled to Australia to begin postgraduate study at the University of Adelaide.
From statistics to agriculture
Although Risti had studied at a university specialising in agriculture, it was not her preferred career path.
Her former supervisors - now mentors - at the University of Adelaide, like Professor Wendy Umberger, now at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and Professor Christopher Findlay AM, thought differently. They recognised her analytical strengths and inspired her to apply those strengths to food security, agricultural policy and global trade.
Under their guidance, she completed a Masters in Economics and PhD in Statistics at the University of Adelaide. She then accepted a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the School of Economics in 2010, exploring the Australia-Indonesia beef industry and live-cattle trade supported by ACIAR.
At the University of Adelaide, Risti's perspective began to shift during this postdoctoral role and deepened as a Lecturer at the Centre for Global Food and Resources.
'When I finished my PhD, that's when I started really working on agriculture and I am very passionate about it now,' she says.
Through census data, trade statistics, and field surveys, she saw how agricultural policy shapes livelihoods and food security.
'It's not just about access to food, but access to nutritious food,' she stresses, reflecting on Indonesia's dual challenges of undernutrition and rising obesity.
A regional role with the ASEAN Secretariat
After more than a decade at University of Adelaide, Risti decided to broaden her experience.
She returned to Jakarta to work as an Assistant Director at the ASEAN Integration Monitoring Directorate at the ASEAN Secretariat. She led a team delivering research programs to support the deepening of economic integration in the ASEAN region.
As head of a division supporting the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade negotiations, she distilled complex trade data into policy briefs, forging ties between 10 Southeast Asian nations and partners from Australia to Japan.
'My role was to speak with numbers and analyse and evaluate the impact of policy,' Risti says.
Her new policy lens deepened her understanding of agriculture's dual role in economic growth and nutrition security, particularly as Indonesia strives to become a global halal hub.
Dr Risti Permani (second from right) works on gender inclusiveness as part of the KONEKSI research project on food system resilience in peri-urban Java. Also pictured are Dr Any Suryantini (Head of Agribusiness Program, UGM) with junior researchers Vina and Rahmah leading group model-building. In the middle is Ibu Ngadilah, a farmer driving change in Ngaglik, Sleman.
A return to Australian agriculture
In 2016, family considerations drew Risti to Deakin University's Warrnambool campus in southwestern Victoria. She was appointed a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economics at Deakin University's Business School.
As part of her role, she founded a pioneering agribusiness program at the request of the local agriculture industry, including dairy producers.
Within 3 years, the initiative attracted a growing number of students and forged links with the Victorian Government, the industry and farming communities.
Her regional focus gave her an appreciation for Australia's own agricultural strengths, including the dairy supply chain.
'I had to engage directly with the local farmers,' Risti says of the formative experience.
'That's when my knowledge about Australian agriculture increased significantly.'
Capacity building and inclusive leadership
Today, Risti is a Senior Lecturer and the Program Director of the Bachelor of Agribusiness at the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability at the University of Queensland.
In this role, she designs and delivers international training on inclusive leadership, gender equality, and resilient food-systems for participants from Mongolia to Malaysia.
Under her capacity-building stewardship, women surgeons and stay-at-home mothers have launched mentoring networks and digital enterprises, thanks to the leadership mindsets she instils.
Whether editing 'Modernising Indonesia's Agriculture' with the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies or serving on advisory boards on food-system resilience, Risti leverages her platform to amplify diverse voices.
'We need to ensure that all people have opportunities to be part of the food system transformation,' she says.
Southeast Asia's future: Data-driven, people-centred
Australia has established agricultural partnerships in Indonesia, from longstanding joint ventures and commercial ventures, through to education training and research, capacity building and development.
Indonesia's agribusiness sector contributes 12.4% to GDP and employs 40% of the workforce. It is a significant and important sector to the Indonesian economy and people. The Indonesian Government, under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto, has placed renewed emphasis on improving food security and agribusiness productivity, including longer-term development of its domestic dairy and beef industry. Australia and Australian industry continue to be well positioned to strategically partner with Indonesian industry to support improved agribusiness productivity efforts.
'Individuals like Risti are a great demonstration of how all-encompassing our partnerships in the agribusiness sector are,' says Lauren Adams, Trade Commissioner, Austrade Jakarta. 'By building on Australia's academic and research expertise in the agribusiness sector, we can forge sustainable, impactful and inclusive long-term partnerships in the Indonesian agricultural sector.
'This expertise, combined with lived on-the ground experience and an investment in Indonesian literacy, are invaluable when doing business in Indonesia. Research, collaboration and partnerships, like those developed by Risti, provide the foundation that underpins Austrade's efforts to grow Australia's strategic commercial partnerships in agribusiness with Indonesia.'
Risti also sees untapped potential in the agrifood sector in Southeast Asia and its relationship with Australia. She's learnt some fundamental principles on her journey, including the importance of leveraging local expertise.
'Work with reliable local partners in the region,' she says.
'They share up-to-date market intelligence and cultural insights that no textbook can provide.'
And while the agricultural sector in Southeast Asia can benefit greatly from the data and analytical revolution, for Risti, the timeless principles of successful engagement still apply.
'Trust and cultural understanding are built over time, through face-to-face connections, small symbolic gestures and of course, shared meals.'
