Presentation by Assoc Prof. Slade Lee, CRC for Remote Economic Participation. The Annual General Meeting of Australian Native Food Industry Limited (ANFIL) was held on Saturday 21st November 2015 at Birchs Bay, Tasmania, on the Five Bob Farm, property of Mountain Pepper grower and processor Diemen Pepper. In addition to the AGM, with key bush food industry players present, the opportunity was taken as usual to conduct wide-ranging discussions about industry and research issues. In particular, considerable time was spend discussing developments and ANFIL initiatives regarding greater engagement of Aboriginal bush foods entrepreneurs and issues of ethical commercialisation.

1. PLANT BUSINESS
Cooperative Research Centre
for Remote Economic Participation

2. 2
Plant Business
Overview:
Main themes:
• Selection of improved Bush Tomato varieties as a model for
bush food crop development
• Legal and related strategies for safeguarding the interests of
traditional custodians when culture-based products are
commercialised
Sub-project areas:
• Community engagement and field sample collection
• Plant Science – genetics and phytochemistry
• Plant Propagation – conventional and tissue culture
• Field Trial – assessment of variation and selection
• Seed-banks – risk of the loss of values in plants
• Safeguarding the interests of traditional custodians – law PhD

3. 3
Plant Business
Progress:
Community engagement and field sample collection
• Tjuwanpa community engagement and field
sample collection completed
• 68 genotypes of 19 accessions off Aboriginal land
• documented in a Big Book
• extra samples
from Crown land
http://www.crc-rep.com.au/resource/ConvoTeaPBproject/index.html

4. 4
Plant Business
Progress:
Plant Science – genetics and phytochemistry
• glycoalkaloid analysis dispelled concerns of potential toxins in mature fruit
• sequencing of chloroplast DNA enabled confirmation of S. centrale accessions
• 3 samples were found to be either S. ellipticum or S. quadriloculatum
• each accession distinguished from others by genomic DNA analysis
• results can be used for:
- quality assurance
- provenance identification
- IP protection

5. 5
Plant Business
Progress:
Plant Propagation – conventional and tissue culture
• AZRI trial seedling propagation successful at ASDP using published protocol
• clonal (cuttings) propagation conducted at ASDP on field trial selections
• seedling plants being propagated for pilot plots (DGP & Ntaria)
• tissue culture protocol developed by CleanGROW used to clone accessions
Alice Springs Desert Park nurseryCleanGROW tissue culture laboratory

6. Group No. of
accessions
No. of
genotypes
No. of
plants
Tissue Culture 7 7 71
Crown 7 608 608
Arrernte 19 68 68
33 683 747
6
Plant Business
Progress:
Field Trial – assessment of variation and selection
• trial site established at AZRI;
- 941 planted, 80% survived (lesson: plant in spring)
- 747 plants of 33 accessions (origins) providing 683 different genotypes
- 68 genotypes originating from Arrernte Country
• 11 genotype selections made in first season (by April 2015) – prospective varieties
- 5 originating from Arrernte Country, 6 from Crown land
• ideotypes established

7. 7
Plant Business
Progress:
Semi-commercial assessment plantings
• three test plots
- Desert Garden Produce Aboriginal Corporation,
Rainbow Valley
- kitchen garden plot at Tjuwanpa Outstation
Resource Centre Aboriginal Corporation,
Ntaria, Hermannsburg
- intensive commercial test plot, Ilparpa Road,
Alice Springs

8. 8
Plant Business
Progress:
Semi-commercial assessment plantings
• enrichment planting
- planning for enrichment planting plots as Ntaria
• other potential sites
- interest is sought from
other potential partners

9. 9
Plant Business
Progress:
More than just a plant: Recognising the interests of hereditary custodians:
• spiritual and totemic values
• cultural stories and lore
• intergenerational knowledge
• traditional practices
• respect and consent
• benefit-sharing
• participation
• wild harvest / commercial / enrichment

10. 10
Plant Business
Progress:
Safeguarding the interests of traditional custodians (law PhD), and
Seed-banks – risk of the loss of values in plants
– Strategies unfolding
• legal instruments – adopted, amended & new
• prescribing governance principles – stakeholders
• assisting participation and enterprises
• bush food industry advocacy – e.g. ANFIL role
• model for ethical development of new bush food businesses
• research agencies support
– Seeds Colloquium
• international plant genetic resources community dialogue on cultural heritage
• spreading awareness of Indigenous interests in plant genetic resources

11. 11
Plant Business
Progress:
Future directions
– the Miles Review and CRC-REP
• ‘public good’ nature of CRC-REP
• CRC-P recommendation and prospects for bush foods research
• other R&D prospects and the search for funding
– Plant Business IP
• CRC-REP bush tomato varieties
• Aboriginal provenance and non-Aboriginal
• Benefit-sharing Agreement
• the Plant Business model for ethical bush food development

12. 12
Plant Business
Project participant sites