The 2023 Innovation Showcase is Canberra Innovation Network’s biggest event of the year! It offers a unique opportunity to recognise the amazing individuals in the innovation and startup ecosystem, highlighting their successes and inspiring even bigger goals for the new year!

At this year’s Innovation Showcase, Canberra startups will go head-to-head in a high-intensity pitching competition judged by YOU.

So, who will be part of this epic lineup?

Introducing Fiona from Ainslie Urban Farm.

What impact do you see your innovation having when shaping the future?

My proposed land based urban farm training programs will transform lives by training people to grow fresh food. Urban farm training programs will provide fresh local food where people live, provide pathways to employment, improve mental health, build connections between growers and consumers, green our cities, and build skills and capacity in the local community. I imagine a future where all our towns and cities are populated with urban farms, people have access to local fresh food and we’ve created the next generation of urban farmers.

What has been the high of the year for you?

Publishing and sharing the findings of my Churchill Fellowship on vocational pathways to becoming an urban farmer.

If you could disinvent something, what would it be and why?

Agricultural chemicals. They have killed so many living organisms, reduced biodiversity and are linked to diseases such as cancer. The use of chemicals has allowed us to be disconnected from nature.

What is one innovation that has shaped your future?

Pelleted lettuce seed.

Want to learn more about Fiona and Ainslie Urban Farm? Watch her pitch at the Innovation Showcase on Wednesday, 6 December 2023. Register now!