Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Melons are widely grown in Gansu Province, western China, and besides supplying consumers within the province, melons are transported to interstate markets. The current supply chains have various constraints that prevent delivery of satisfactory and consistent product, and these include technical issues of pests and diseases, inade ....

The Monitor is an online tool that delivers a broad range of climatic, production, biophysical and economic information, for various regions throughout Australia. The Monitor provides the ability to explore and report on spatial, temporal and point-based data and information at various regional scales. The Monitor also provides access to a map ....

Depending on the perspective of each person or organisation, the passage of the Basin Plan has met with mixed reactions. For Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) Chair, Craig Knowles, it was seen as a time to celebrate. However, the jury is still out for the irrigation industry and the Basin’s communities who remain concerned about the potenti ....

This article provides a cross-national examination of Thai and Australian political responses to rural social and economic inequity during the period 1997-2007 using an historical lens. It highlights different policy approaches and their philosophical underpinnings. Both the National Party and Thai Rak Thai Party shared similar policy positions. ....

A greenhouse gas emissions abatement scheme that includes payments for sequestration could encourage the establishment of plantations in agricultural areas, which could in turn, change regional economic output. This study is an examination of the regional economic impacts of establishing woodlots for both timber production and carb ....

Food security is an evolving concept with various definitions and associated meanings. The way food security is understood by policy-makers impacts on how it gets addressed in public policy. This research uses an interpretive approach to uncover how food security is represented by stakeholders. Semi structured interviews were conducted with 24 st ....

This paper reports total factor productivity decomposition modelling results of the returns to research and extension in zones and constituent regions of broadacre agriculture in SA, with the ultimate objective of providing policy advice on future research and extension (R&E) resource allocation. A traditional TFP decomposition ....

Changes have taken place in the United States economy over the past several years attributable to the overall global economic environment. As a result of the weakened U.S. economy, there is reduced demand for lumber and other wood-based products utilized within the housing market sector. The forest product industry plays a vital role in ....

This report investigates the role, operation and effectiveness of the Rural Adjustment Scheme in dealing with farm businesses experiencing difficult financial circumstances. It looks at issues such as the history of low incomes in agriculture, the 'farm problem', adjustment, and the role of the former RAS in Australian agriculture. It also examin ....

The development and evolution of Australian agricultural practice is a story of rapid and transformational adaption. The importation of European agricultural species and methods needed subsequent major changes to cope with the great diversity of climates, soils and competing vegetation in this highly weathered land. Initial, labour ....

Over recent years, extensive tree plantations have emerged as a significant land use in a number of regions across Australia. While trees have the potential to contribute to the mitigation of a range of environmental problems, such as soil salinity and erosion, there are growing concerns that large-scale plantations can have negati ....

The Sustainable Farm Families project focuses on the relationship between occupational health and safety and farm family health to address premature death, morbidity and injury on Australian farms. It uses health literacy through education and physical assessment to improve health and knowledge outcomes for farm families. This arti ....

Young people are leaving the land in droves and a parliamentary report has found it is not just the drought deterring them from a future in agriculture. Rural Australia’s talent pool is evaporating. According to a new parliamentary report, life on the land is full of hurdles—poor training and educational opportunities, inadequate research and ....

Investigations into the traditional marine catch of turtle and dugong in the Torres Strait Island Protected Zone (TSPZ) were conducted in 14 communities, over four sample years. Estimated annual catch of dugong were 241 in 1996, 287 in 1998, 692 in 1999, and 619 in 2000/2001. Annual catch of green turtles were 1896, 1097, 1507, and ....