Why Soil Management Practices are Adopted

Project 1.2.002

Associate Professor Vaughan Higgins – Project Leader
University of Tasmania

DURATION:

Two years

OVERVIEW:

Farmer uptake of soil management programs and techniques is historically, relatively slow. This project sets out to understand why farmers do not adopt soil management improvement programs. It will investigate whether current strategies and techniques for adoption are working. It examine the commonalities, differences and effectiveness of soil improvement priorities, drivers and pathways.

The project will examine and identify the social drivers that influence adoptability of improved soil management at the farm scale. This will lead to a second phase of understanding the policies and institutional settings that promote adoption. By addressing the issues that lead to a lack of adoption of soil management programs, we will begin to ensure an increase in adoption in the future.

The project team will partner with farming groups across five states to develop a criteria for adoptability that will lead to an increase in adoption of improved soil management practices. Not only will this criteria help future Soil CRC projects to ensure uptake of new research findings, but will be of broader use for the farming community.

PARTICIPANTS:

University of Tasmania
Birchip Cropping Group
Central West Farming Systems
Charles Sturt University
Eyre Peninsula Agricultural Research Foundation
Mackillop Farm Management Group
Riverine Plains Inc.
University of Southern Queensland
Western Australian No-Tillage Farmers Association