RMIT Social Sciences Week - Food Indicators for Impact

What do food indicators really tell us - and what kinds of change are they designed to support? 

This conversation brings together researchers and practitioners working with food indicators in diverse ways and at different scales; from community-led initiatives such as the Kensington Food Forest, to social enterprises producing publicly accessible research that supports food system transformation, through to large-scale data platforms like the Australian Urban Observatory.

We’ll explore how indicators are created and used across research, practice, and community settings - and what it means to measure impact in ways that matter.

Chaired by Professor Jago Dodson, Director, Enabling Impact Platforms (Urban Futures), the panel features the following members:

Dr Kelly Donati is a Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellow at RMIT University, where she explores how community and public food infrastructure can strengthen local economies and support the transition to regenerative food systems. Working at the intersection of research, advocacy and practice for nearly two decades, she believes that accessible, shared food spaces are vital for building healthy, connected communities. As the co-founder and board director of Sustain: the Australian Food Network, Kelly’s research and policy work advocates for greater government investment in food as a public good. She is dedicated to reimagining food systems through thoughtful dialogue that centres pleasure, justice and care.

Dr Rachael Walshe is an award-winning human geographer and Lead Researcher at Sustain: The Australian Food Network, where she leads consultancy projects, maps food systems, and undertakes applied research to support community-led food initiatives. Working at the intersection of food systems, sustainability and environmental memory, her research explores how intergenerational learning, place-based practice and community co-design foster resilience, belonging and ecological care through the growing and sharing of food.

Dr. Nícolas Guerra-Tão a transdisciplinary researcher and practitioner interested in how cities can be more just, diverse, and regenerative. He is a co-founder of The Alliance for Praxis Research (APR) and the Praxis Lab at RMIT.

Corey Ferguson is a PhD researcher studying the intersections between urban planning, circularity, and community economies. He is a member of The Alliance for Praxis Research (APR) and the Praxis Lab at RMIT.

Dr Alan Both has a background in geospatial and computer science and his research focuses on developing spatial indicators for quantifying the health and liveability of the urban environment as well as adding a spatial context to agent-based modelling.

Through projects including JIBE, THAT-Melbourne, and the Australian Urban Observatory, Dr Both has developed automated processes for deriving a variety of spatial indicators covering the health impacts of increased physical activity through active transport, access to and visibility of public greenspace, walkability, and access to amenities. Dr Both is currently developing algorithms to generate transport networks, synthetic population and travel demand models, along with other spatial indicators for use in evaluating the health impacts of transport interventions.