What is Landcares role in Ag Competiveness? Sue Middleton 2015 South Australian State Landcare Conference Waikerie 14 – 16 September 2015
A Shifting World Economy Source: Quah, 2011; Global Policy
Ref: Australian Farm Institute, Mick Keogh, 2014
Projected Future Global Food Demand demand
Productivity - Broadacre
Volatility, Risk and Confidence
Scale of Enterprises
Welcome to Post Normal Simple Orderly Consistent Certain Complex Chaotic Contradictory Uncertain Third Industrial Revolution Interconnected village ecologies Renewables Social networking technologies
Whole of region engagement New business models Better trade engagement Beyond sustainability Engaging the invisibles Build TEAM Australia Story Build adaptive capacity of businesses
Resilience and Building Adaptive Capacity Highly productive agricultural systems are more susceptible to shock Multiple resilience benefits gained from engaging in Landcare Landcare promotes the formation of Networks that allow communities to be supportive That creates stronger, healthier rural communities better prepared to cope with change
Resilient Farm Businesses Constantly scan their environment Prepare for potential disruption Build flexibility into the business Build networks of personal communication Experiment and innovate Know and share common goals Source: Johnson-Lenz (2009)
Economic Impacts of Landcare Investment in Landcare has changed the mindset of landholders and increased participation in sustainable agricultural activities There are key on-farm impacts including increased yields and income In excess of $1B of direct economic market value has been estimated from three case studies There are significant time lags between investment and achieving impacts
Headline Findings Continued investment in Landcare along with independent evaluation of practice adoption could be used to brand Australian Agriculture and improve global competitiveness Project has developed a systems model to quantify economic impacts and is a basis for future work
Contacts Sue Middleton E M Farm