The Sustainable Farm Families Project : changing attittudes to health

Introduction: Farm health and safety has historically focussed on strategies such as injury prevention, safety audits and fulfilling legislative responsibilities. However, farmer injuries mask deeper health issues including higher rates of cancer, suicides, cardiovascular disease and stress. The relationship between occupational health and safety and farm family health has not been fully investigated. The Sustainable Farm Families (SFF) project attempts to make this connection in order to address premature death, morbidity and injury on Australian farms. The SFF project illustrates how increasing health literacy through education and physical assessment can lead to improved health and knowledge outcomes for farm families.

Methods: The SFF project focuses on the human resource in the triple bottom line and is working with farmers, families, industry and universities to collaboratively assess and promote improvement in the health and wellbeing of farm families. Based on a model of extension that engages farm families as active learners where they commit to healthy living and safe working practices, the SFF project is proving to be an effective model for engaging communities in learning and change. Health education and information is delivered to farm men and women aged 18 to 75 years using a workshop format. Pre- and post-knowledge surveys, annual physical assessments and focus group discussions form the methodological context for the research over a three-year intervention.

Results: This article discusses the progress of the research outlining the design of the SFF project, the delivery and extension processes used to engage 321 farm families from within a broadacre and dairy-farming family sample. The article presents key learnings on intersectoral collaboration, engaging farmers and families in health, and the future for this project extending into agricultural industries across the nation. Key results reveal that health issues do exist in farming families and are often underreported by family members. Health indicators were at a level where referral and intervention was required in over 60% of men and 70% of women in both broad acre and dairy industries. Farm men and women verbalised health concerns relating to access, support and control mechanisms of the health system. Participants also revealed how they put into practice their new knowledge and how this has influenced their health.

Conclusions: The key learning is that farm men and women who are at high risk of premature morbidity and mortality will participate in health education and assessment programs based on industry collaboration with high levels of individual participation. This program provides evidence that farmers will engage with health professionals if programs are presented to them in personally engaging and relevant ways. The SFF program is a definite tool for interventional health promotion that supports attitudinal change to health and farming practices.

Bacterial modes of action for enhancing of plant growth

The greatest issue affecting the sustainability of broad acre cropping both environmentally and economically is the requirement of fertilizers. These are based on mined phosphorous or other mineral ores, ammonia produced through the Harbour-Bosch process and industrially manufactured potash. As global demand for fertilizers increases, the costs associated with the production for each of these major nutrients increases. Biofertilizers such as plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) are a possible biotechnology that could alleviate the need for addition of increasing amounts of fertilizers. These bacteria naturally occur in soils and aggressively colonize around plant roots and have been shown to have plant growth promoting effects. PGPB are known to influence plant growth by various direct and indirect mechanisms; while some can affect plant physiology directly by mimicking synthesis of plant hormones,others increase mineral availability and nitrogen content in soil. Here we review the previously characterized modes of action for enhancement of plant growth by PGPB such as nitrogen fixation, nutrient solubilization and production of auxins and enzymes, as well as discussing more recent proposed modes of action such as secondary metabolites.

Sustainability: meaning and measurement with application to agriculture

Sustainability refers to having the ability to meet present needs without impacting on future generations to meet their needs. It incorporates social, economic and environmental aspects, and as a measure of sustainability, a range of sustainability indicators at the economy, regional, and individual level, have been suggested. However, given the complex and multidisciplinary nature of the concept, an interdisciplinary approach is necessary. Sustainability is not something that is easily measurable, and the aim of this paper is to present a conceptual framework for quantifying sustainability on the basis of social economic efficiency. According to neoclassical economic theory, economic activity will only be sustained by the private sector as long as it is profitable. However, private economic decisions do not always ensure long-term sustainability of environmental resources or production. The approach suggested here is to derive a measure of social economic efficiency as a measure of sustainability. For dairy farmers, increased productivity has been emphasized, while recognizing the need to reduce greenhouse emissions, pests and disease, nutrient run-off into the environment and degradation of the soil structure. By incorporating environmental and economic impacts, a fuller measure of efficiency, social economic efficiency, and sustainability of the farming practice can be developed.

A new broad composite model of regional economic development as a framework for research

The mechanism of regional economic development has been studied extensively by economists, geographers, town planners and other academics. The existing wide varieties of theories into regional economic development are insufficient on their own in explaining how a region can develop and prosper. Each theory has evaluated a few facets of regional economic development. Research from these different perspectives is narrow and prevents any cross-fertilization of research from all these diverse
theories.

Recognition of multiple factors affecting the development process has led the author to create a new broad composite model of regional economic development. The paper first sets out to describe and explain this broad composite model. Each of the components of this new model draws heavily upon seminal work in the field. This model proposes three rings. Each ring is at a different level of abstraction. The determinants of development described in each ring can influence each and every other determinant of development shown in the three ring structure. This model recognises that development in any centre, regional or urban, nascent or established is a composite end result of the complex interplay of all the determinants of development.

The paper then goes on to show how this model can provide a broad holistic approach to regional economic development that can assist researchers in their attempts to understand and link the various theories of regional economic development.

Opportunities for reclaimed water use in Australian agriculture

This paper provides an overview of how Australia exploits its water resources with a focus on reclaimed water. Arguments are brought up for the high value horticultural sector (vegetables, fruits and grapes) being a competitive customer for reclaimed water. Factors to consider when assessing the suitability for reclaimed water use in horticulture either for substitution of existing water resources or expansion of production are discussed.

Obesity prevention : the role of policies, laws and regulations

The commercial drivers of the obesity epidemic are so influential that obesity can be considered a robust sign of commercial success – consumers are buying more food, more cars and more energy-saving machines. It is unlikely that these powerful economic forces will change sufficiently in response to consumer desires to eat less and move more or corporate desires to be more socially responsible. When the free market creates substantial population detriments and health inequalities, government policies are needed to change the ground rules in favour of population benefits.
Concerted action is needed from governments in four broad areas: provide leadership to set the agenda and show the way; advocate for a multi-sector response and establish the mechanisms for all sectors to engage and enhance action; develop and implement policies (including laws and regulations) to create healthier food and activity environments, and; secure increased and continued funding to reduce obesogenic environments and promote healthy eating and physical activity.
Policies, laws and regulations are often needed to drive the environmental and social changes that, eventually, will have a sustainable impact on reducing obesity. An 'obesity impact assessment' on legislation such as public liability, urban planning, transport, food safety, agriculture, and trade may identify 'rules' which contribute to obesogenic environments. In other areas, such as marketing to children, school food, and taxes/levies, there may be opportunities for regulations to actively support obesity prevention. Legislation in other areas such as to reduce climate change may also contribute to obesity prevention ('stealth interventions'). A political willingness to use policy instruments to drive change will probably be an early hallmark of successful obesity prevention.

Management of power line easement vegetation for small mammal conservation in Australia : a case study of the broad-toothed rat (Mastacomys fuscus)

Within Australia, very little attention has been given to the potential biodiversity benefits of power line easements, if ecologically sensitive management regimes are developed. This study examined the potential power line easements may have for the conservation of small mammals, and in particular the near threatened, Broad-toothed Rat Mastacomys fuscus, in Australia. Easement vegetation was found to support a diverse small mammal community, including M. fuscus if the vegetation was allowed to develop some structural complexity. M. fuscus was one of the first species to recolonize the easement habitat, provided that the areas had regenerated to a sufficient level. Results suggests; however, that the current management technique used, where the entire easement is managed at one time via mass slashing, on short rotation times, is most likely limiting M. fuscus to low abundances, and causing isolation of the current M. fuscus populations. To ensure that power line easements supply functional, usable habitat for small mammals and other species and to minimize their potential to fragment small mammal populations, it is recommended that current management techniques be reassessed. In an effort to develop more appropriate management regimes, it was recommended that rotation times be increased between management, that mass slashing of the easement at one time be reassessed, especially in naturally low growing areas and that rotational type slashing be implemented. Other techniques such as spot spraying, may be all that is needed within some areas to control emergent saplings. This study highlights that potential biodiversity values do exist for Australian power line easements, if some changes occur to the current management practices.

Effective farmer groups for defining best practices for sustainable agriculture

Practitioners and farmers are practical people. They are likely to be more comfortable with a process that develops monitoring tools and benchmarks for natural resource management than a process of group development and social capital formation. Yet the two are intrinsically linked. Policy makers and extension workers need to understand the link, and how to use a knowledge of social processes when designing the more concrete process of developing and implementing best practice monitoring and benchmarking with groups.

This paper reflects on the experience of establishing and working with farmer groups as they go through a process of identifying environmental issues, setting and monitoring environmental benchmarks and identifying and implementing sustainable farming practices to meet the benchmarks.

Learning in agriculture : building social capital in island communities

Social capital helps communities respond positively to change. Research in agricultural businesses and into managing change through learning in communities has highlighted the importance of relationships between people and the formal and informal infrastructure of communities to the quality of outcomes experienced by communities, businesses and individuals. Communities can be geographic communities - the data drawn on in this paper are from an island community, for example or communities-of-common-purpose, such as agricultural organisations. This paper reviews research into managing change through learning and social capital, presents a model of the simultaneous building and use of social capital and explores the ways in which learning as part of an agricultural community can be used to bring benefits to geographic communities such as islands. The model presented in this paper stems from studies of the informal learning process that builds resilient communities. It conceptualises the way in which social capital is used and built in interactions between individuals. There are two stages to the model. The first stage depicts social capital at the micro level of one-on-one interactions where it is built and used. The second stage of the model is about the interrelationship of micro-level social capital processes with the community and societal-level social capital resources.

Broad-scale mapping of temporary wetlands in arid Australia

We describe a robust methodology to detect and estimate the size of temporary wetlands using AVHRR satellite data within large areas (106 km2) of the arid zone. The methodology uses spectral matching and exclusion of salt surfaces to discriminate between water and non-water surfaces. The status of 115 lakes was used to evaluate the methodology. A classification accuracy of 98% was achieved for wetlands >120 ha, with accuracy of area estimates varying with the size and shape of individual lakes. Spectral matching of AVHRR data has methodological and cost advantages over the use of higher spatial resolution data for understanding changes in the distribution of water at broad scales.

Reforms in the Bangladesh agriculture input sector : room for complacency?

Market-based reforms implemented in the agricultural input management system are often claimed to be one of the success stories in Bangladesh. Based on the findings of 154 surveys and 16 in-depth interviews with the stakeholders during 2003-2004, the paper found that although there have been some notable achievements, the reforms have not achieved their expected outcomes and more importantly, in cases where they have been achieved, their sustainability is in question. The paper discusses the underlying reasons for the success and the problems of the reforms and also offers some policy recommendations to resolve the gap between the expected and the achieved outcomes. In the context of increasing donor pressure for adopting market-based reforms, the findings are likely to have important implications for both the donors and other countries in South Asia.