PCA2023

Emily Rigby Speaker

Emily is a research scientist and passionate advocate for medicinal cannabis – promoting education, patient access, research, innovation, industry development, efficient production and regulatory reform. Since 2016, Emily has played an integral role in developing the Australian medicinal cannabis industry, including establishing one of Australia’s first licenced medical cannabis cultivation and research facilities and releasing Australian grown cannabis medicines into local and export markets. Emily is also assisting in developing international cannabis industries. Emily is on the Board of the Australian

Medicinal Cannabis Association (AMCA) and Director at Protected Cropping Australia (PCA) – Australia’s peak industry body for hydroponic and greenhouse growers. Emily was President of the Australian Society of Horticultural Science from 2017 to 2021 and is a 2016 Nuffield Australia Farming Scholar. Emily was recognised as Australia’s 2021 ‘Woman of Weed’ in the Australian Cannabis Awards for her contribution to female leadership in the cannabis space.

regulatory compliance, strategic planning, patient access, education, marketing and research from plant to patient. Emily is dedicated to removing the stigma surrounding the Cannabis plant and facilitating the global cannabis industry.

Emily has a diverse range of expertise including propagation and cultivation methods, facility design, licencing &

Craig Shephard Speaker

Craig Shephard has over 20 years professional experience in the mapping of landscape attributes - particularly land cover and land use. Craig holds a Bachelor of Science majoring in Environmental Science and Geography from Macquarie University, and

is particularly focused on the application of web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Location is the common framework for integrating data to inform decision-making at multiple scales. Craig actively contributes to the Australian

Collaborative Land Use and Management Program (ACLUMP), coordinated by Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). ACLUMP promotes nationally consistent land use information for Australia.

Kristen Stirling Speaker

Dr Kristen Stirling is an experienced researcher and industry development specialist with a passion for working with horticultural producers. She completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science with First Class Honours at the University of Tasmania and was an awarded a Doctor of Philosophy for her research on the physiology and production management of Japanese

Ginger (Zingiber mioga) in Australia. Over the last twenty years she has worked across numerous horticultural industries in Tasmania, Western Australia and Victoria conducting agronomic research and extending the findings of this research to producers. Using her strong understanding of agricultural production and value chain management

Kristen has assessed the capability of land for agriculture, and the potential impact of land use change. She has worked with local government and private business to help them plan for, and manage, the needs of industry and community in peri-urban and regional areas. This has included land capability assessments and the development of rural land use strategies for local government.

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