Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

This paper outlines an approach to identifying regions of the Australian rangelands that should be resilient under grazing and where pastoralism may be sustainable due to sufficiently dependable productivity and profitability. It suggests that if grazing is not phased out as a primary land use in non-resilient regions, then they will continue to ....

Alcohol misuse by farmers continues to challenge rural nurses. This article reports on the experiences of Australian nurses participating in the Alcohol Intervention Training Program (AITP). Qualitative interviews of 15 rural and remote nurses. Semi-structured phone interviews were utilized to assess the response to and implementation of the AITP ....

Transport is a fundamental 'finishing component' of agricultural production. Inefficient or insufficient transport infrastructure reduces the ability of producers to meet consumer demands and to achieve a fair return for their product. Efficient transport infrastructure planning that both recognises the unique nature of agricultural production an ....

We examine five forested landscapes in Africa (Cameroon, Madagascar, and Tanzania) and Asia (Indonesia and Laos) at different stages of landscape change. In all five areas, forest cover (outside of protected areas) continues to decrease despite local people's recognition of the importance of forest products and services. After forest co ....

Research on the adoption of rural innovations is reviewed and interpreted through a cross-disciplinary lens to provide practical guidance for research, extension and policy relating to conservation practices. Adoption of innovations by landholders is presented as a dynamic learning process. Adoption depends on a range of personal, social, cultura ....

We compared long-term change in two lake districts, one in a forested rural setting and the other in an urbanizing agricultural region, using lakes as sentinel ecosystems. Human population growth and land-use change are important drivers of ecosystem change in both regions. Biotic changes such as habitat loss, species invasions, and poo ....

Despite prolonged droughts over the last decade across rural South Australia the majority of farmers continue to farm. This research asks the questions, 'what helps them to 'get by'?', and 'does this mean that they are resilient?'. In this study, resilience implies a strengths-based approach to mental health and wellbeing whilst ot ....

Virtually all sizes and types of farms employ farm labour. During the last decade, approximately half of the farm labour force has been made up of unauthorised workers. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the unique aspects of farm labour markets that make labour shortages possible in the face of high levels of unemployment, and what appears ....

The agricultural industries of Australia have been a cornerstone of the nation's economy. Their economic contribution comes largely from traditional industries such as wheat, sheep, sugar and beef. However, new agricultural industries also have the potential to make an important economic contribution to the prosperity of the sector, especially gi ....

My research examines why some smallholder farmers in the Brazilian Amazon are leaving agriculture and migrating large urban centers, and then returning to rural and peri-urban areas. My secondary research question explores to what extent identification with rural lifeways may play a part in influencing return migration. To understand wh ....

This report examines how biotechnology, nanotechnology and information and communications technology could be used to increase crop production and its sustainability in Australia. The report was commissioned by the Department of Agriculture under the Commonwealth Government's National Enabling Technologies Strategy. The report finds that ....

For almost two decades, community Landcare groups and supporting institutional bodies were the focus of agri-environmental policy in Australia. Despite the successes of Landcare, the programme faces challenges securing funding in an era of agri-environmental policy that preferences economic mechanisms, such as market-based instruments, for devolv ....

Australia's land managers will need specific information about the best locations at which to sequester carbon if they are to take advantage of the recent Carbon Farming Initiative of the Australian Government under which carbon offsets can be created through sequestration of carbon in soil and trees. The literature indicates that soil texture an ....

Increased concern over the loss of public support for agriculture, the conversion of farmland to urban development, and the growing recognition of the environmental impact of industrial agricultural practices demonstrate the challenges facing farmers today. The response to these challenges has varied and demonstrates the diversity of at ....