Beyond the agricultural paradigm in regional and rural Australia: building capacity to create a preferred future

Regional and rural Australia is undergoing significant change. Among the drivers for change are: (1) an emerging discourse on nature that challenges the agricultural centric view which has dominated regional and rural Australia; (2) transforming agricultural landscapes, which are increasingly multifunctional and complex; and (3) a search for a contemporary bush identity  which is relevant and inclusive and which accommodates the diversity of views about rural Australia. The paper describes two illustrative initiatives: the Australian Landcare Management System (ALMS); and the Roma Bush Gardens Project (RBG). These initiatives have been developed to assist individuals and communities to learn – to develop awareness and understanding of the dimensions of change now effecting significant impact on rural landscapes. These initiatives provide examples of the basis to chart a new course, and to create and build individual and broader community capacity to enable regional communities to engage strategically with change and to consider an ‘unknown’ or new future through the promotion of environment and educational learnings.