Research into sustainable agriculture will be strengthened through the enduring legacy of the late John Roberts, a respected Tasmanian orchardist and farmer who championed environmentally responsible farming.
The JM Roberts Charitable Trust today announced a donation of $482,000 to directly fund research projects at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) and support Nuffield Australia to offer scholarships to Tasmanian farmers.
The Trust was established in 2003 by the late John Roberts, a Tasmanian orchardist and farmer, to support environmental sustainability, agricultural innovation, and the education of young people about the importance of caring for the land.
Since 2020, the Trust has generously provided $20,000 of seed funding to TIA each year, supporting a total of 12 research projects that are directly supporting the sustainability and productivity of Tasmania's agriculture sector.
Next year that figure will increase to $31,500 per year and will continue for another five years to advance activities in sustainable agriculture.
In 2025, a total of $20,000 was allocated across three projects:
- TIA Entomologist Dr Justin Cappadonna was awarded $7,000 for real-time codling moth monitoring for sustainable apple management.
- TIA Research Fellow Horticultural Crop Science, Asharp Godwin, was awarded $6,500 to investigate the impacts of water stress regimes on root morphology of pyrethrum.
- Dr Chenchen Zhao, TIA Research Fellow in Plant Genetics, was awarded $6,500 to develop a rapid approach for screening soil toxicity resilient crops and pasture.
The increased funding commitment also includes an annual allocation of $65,000 to support the JM Roberts and TIA Nuffield Scholarship for Young Leaders in Sustainable Agriculture.
"John devoted most of his life to farming, which instilled in him the importance of looking after the environment. He was a man before his time and certainly took sustainability to another level in establishing the trust during his lifetime," said Brian Faulkner, Trustee of the JM Roberts Charitable Trust.
"He would be excited by the research projects that have been undertaken by TIA researchers and many others that will be funded in the future. We're pleased to be able to increase the seed funding we offer to help many other worthwhile projects.
"Our desire to support the Nuffield Scholarship will support projects that are focussed on improving the sustainability of Tasmanian agriculture."
TIA Director, Professor Mike Rose, said the increased funding is greatly appreciated and will provide many practical benefits.
"This funding gives our researchers greater flexibility to explore new and innovative ideas that have the potential to transform Tasmanian agriculture," Professor Rose said.
"We're delighted the JM Roberts Charitable Trust have increased the funding. We thank them for their support and acknowledge the value of philanthropy."
The next round of projects to receive funding will be announced next year.
