Geopolitics 101 – Darren Lim at Avo Connections

Geopolitics 101: What every avocado grower needs to know

A presentation by Dr Darren Lim

At this year’s Avo Connections event Dr. Darren Lim – senior lecturer in politics and international relations at ANU and host of Australia in the World – delivered a timely message for growers looking to expand into global markets: trade is no longer just about efficiency and price, it’s also about power.

Drawing on examples from the Hormuz shipping bottleneck driving up fertiliser costs, to Brazilian coffee farmers caught in the crossfire of US-Brazil political tensions, Darren laid out how geopolitics has expanded far beyond territorial disputes. Today, almost any product or supply chain – food, fuel, data, even avocados – can become a tool of international pressure.

For Australian growers with ambitions in premium markets like China, the message was clear: the China opportunity is real and worth pursuing, but access is just the beginning.

Premium, brand-visible, non-essential products (avocados included) sit higher on the risk radar than bulk commodities like iron ore, meaning a bit of political savvy now sits alongside quality and competitiveness as core business fundamentals.

Darren closed with five pieces of advice for industry: build political access, prepare before a crisis hits, make your product ‘sticky’ through quality and local advocates, protect market diversification, and have a break-glass plan ready for the day something goes wrong.

The takeaway for our industry? Pursue growth, but keep your eyes open.

Watch the full presentation

You can watch Darren’s presentation here.

Log in to our Best Practice Resource to watch all of the Avo Connections presentations under ‘Event Proceedings’ in the Library.

This article appears as part of the 31 July 2026 issue of Guacamole, our e-Newsletter.