The potential of biosolids and flyash mixtures for soil remediation for revegetation of degraded land. Revegetation of land that has been subjected to land clearing or mining is often limited by the poor quality or lack of topsoil. It may prove possible to remediate these areas of land by incorporating a mixture of two waste products, biosolids and flyash. The aim in this project is to determine the usefulness of this method of land remediation by investigating the nutrient levels and fate of co ....The potential of biosolids and flyash mixtures for soil remediation for revegetation of degraded land. Revegetation of land that has been subjected to land clearing or mining is often limited by the poor quality or lack of topsoil. It may prove possible to remediate these areas of land by incorporating a mixture of two waste products, biosolids and flyash. The aim in this project is to determine the usefulness of this method of land remediation by investigating the nutrient levels and fate of contaminants in various mixtures of biosolids and flyash materials, in the absence and presence of soil minerals, and soil ameliorants such as fertilizers and gypsum.Read moreRead less
Community variations in crime: A spatial and ecometric analysis. Collective Efficacy (CE) is a new theoretical construct (that has never been investigated in Australia). It is a task-specific process for mobilising social capital to tackle specific neighbourhood problems. Research in Chicago finds that communities with high levels of CE experience lower levels of violence regardless of poverty levels. We will conduct a spatial and ecometric analysis of CE and crime using a survey of 3000 residen ....Community variations in crime: A spatial and ecometric analysis. Collective Efficacy (CE) is a new theoretical construct (that has never been investigated in Australia). It is a task-specific process for mobilising social capital to tackle specific neighbourhood problems. Research in Chicago finds that communities with high levels of CE experience lower levels of violence regardless of poverty levels. We will conduct a spatial and ecometric analysis of CE and crime using a survey of 3000 residents in 50 Brisbane communities. We will compare similar data from Chicago and Stockholm to investigate the Australian contribution of CE to spatial crime patterns and its potential for future crime prevention programs.Read moreRead less
Utilising novel Pongamia trees to decarbonise Australia’s beef value-chain. Progress towards a carbon neutral beef industry typically focusses on nutritional strategies, overlooking potential innovations in farming system configuration. This project aims to develop a framework for the integration of Pongamia into beef production systems, so that not only emissions reductions are maximised, but also to support carbon capture and farm system resilience. This project seeks to determine the impact o ....Utilising novel Pongamia trees to decarbonise Australia’s beef value-chain. Progress towards a carbon neutral beef industry typically focusses on nutritional strategies, overlooking potential innovations in farming system configuration. This project aims to develop a framework for the integration of Pongamia into beef production systems, so that not only emissions reductions are maximised, but also to support carbon capture and farm system resilience. This project seeks to determine the impact of Pongamia meal on cattle production efficiency, meat quality and methane emissions. Through quantification of carbon sequestration potential in tree plantations, whole-farm modelling will elucidate production scenarios capable of achieving the reductions needed for a carbon neutral Australian beef industry.Read moreRead less
More than a Roof Overhead: Meeting the Need for a Sustainable Housing System in Remote Indigenous Communities. Many Indigenous Australians live in substandard and over-crowded accommodation, and experience poor health, education, family stability and child-safety outcomes as a result. The lack of improvement in this situation is largely due to levels of funding and approaches to construction and management inadequate to the scale of the problem. This situation is changing and new funding and po ....More than a Roof Overhead: Meeting the Need for a Sustainable Housing System in Remote Indigenous Communities. Many Indigenous Australians live in substandard and over-crowded accommodation, and experience poor health, education, family stability and child-safety outcomes as a result. The lack of improvement in this situation is largely due to levels of funding and approaches to construction and management inadequate to the scale of the problem. This situation is changing and new funding and policies are being established. The researchers will work alongside housing providers and selected Indigenous communities in Western Australia and Northern Territory to develop procurement, construction and housing management practices that will meet the critical need for more affordable, appropriate and sustainable housing.Read moreRead less
From Seedling to Supermarket: The Social and Environmental Implications for Australia of the Restructuring of Agri-food Supply Chains. The organisation of agri-food industries is having a major impact upon firms and individuals along the supply chain, including the sustainability of on-farm production. Australia will benefit greatly if foods being produced are from environmentally sound production and distribution systems: current evidence suggests sustainability is not being achieved. The emerg ....From Seedling to Supermarket: The Social and Environmental Implications for Australia of the Restructuring of Agri-food Supply Chains. The organisation of agri-food industries is having a major impact upon firms and individuals along the supply chain, including the sustainability of on-farm production. Australia will benefit greatly if foods being produced are from environmentally sound production and distribution systems: current evidence suggests sustainability is not being achieved. The emerging self-regulatory system for supermarkets may also militate against environmental security and food safety. Finally, supermarket practices have a profound influence over consumer diet and health. In exploring issues of power, food safety regulation, and diet, the research will contribute to a healthier system of food production and consumption in Australia. Read moreRead less
Securing the next generation in farming and food careers. This project aims to investigate why and how young people (aged 15-35 years) enter, stay or leave jobs and careers in the agri-food sector, including farming, farm services and food processing. This project expects to generate new knowledge to improve youth career trajectories through using an innovative, interdisciplinary and engaged research design with young people. Expected outcomes include the co-design of youth-appropriate industry ....Securing the next generation in farming and food careers. This project aims to investigate why and how young people (aged 15-35 years) enter, stay or leave jobs and careers in the agri-food sector, including farming, farm services and food processing. This project expects to generate new knowledge to improve youth career trajectories through using an innovative, interdisciplinary and engaged research design with young people. Expected outcomes include the co-design of youth-appropriate industry and education policy proposals, new models of youth engagement in agri-food and better career outcomes for young people. This should provide significant benefits to the sustainability and growth of the agri-food sector and to rural and regional communities and their economic prosperity. Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100435
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,000.00
Summary
Customising weather index insurance for agribusiness using machine learning. This project aims to customise weather index insurance (WII) by utilising machine learning techniques. WII is used as a type of risk management tool in the agriculture sector to transfer risk due to extreme weather events. Significantly this project expects to establish an accurate correlation between insurance payouts and actual losses and thus improve the WII uptake rate. This will effectively support farmers and agri ....Customising weather index insurance for agribusiness using machine learning. This project aims to customise weather index insurance (WII) by utilising machine learning techniques. WII is used as a type of risk management tool in the agriculture sector to transfer risk due to extreme weather events. Significantly this project expects to establish an accurate correlation between insurance payouts and actual losses and thus improve the WII uptake rate. This will effectively support farmers and agribusinesses in Australia to mitigate and adapt to climate change, help reduce the impact of climate change and ensure crop production and food security.Read moreRead less
How to make antibiotics in pig feed redundant, naturally. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major issue in human and veterinary medicine being partially caused by the use of in-feed antimicrobials in farm animals. This project aims to completely eliminate antimicrobials from piglet feeds. The key differential approach is based on helping the physiology of the animal rather than testing interventions against bacteria. The project will consist of developing a novel nutritional strategy of natu ....How to make antibiotics in pig feed redundant, naturally. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major issue in human and veterinary medicine being partially caused by the use of in-feed antimicrobials in farm animals. This project aims to completely eliminate antimicrobials from piglet feeds. The key differential approach is based on helping the physiology of the animal rather than testing interventions against bacteria. The project will consist of developing a novel nutritional strategy of naturally (through maternal conditioning) boosting the natural appetite and the capacity to digest in piglets early in life. The anticipated outcome is that the new peri-natal program will result in minimal bacterial proliferation and diarrhoea thus, negating the need for in-feed antimicrobials in piglets. Read moreRead less
Globalisation, Sustaining Rural Livelihoods and Organics: The Impacts of the Transformation in the Production and Consumption of Organic Foods. The production and consumption of organic foodstuffs has been transformed in recent years, from a focus on small-scale production for local consumption to a global industry dominated by large agribusiness companies and supermarkets. This not only raises questions about the role of organic agriculture in achieving sustainable development in Australia and ....Globalisation, Sustaining Rural Livelihoods and Organics: The Impacts of the Transformation in the Production and Consumption of Organic Foods. The production and consumption of organic foodstuffs has been transformed in recent years, from a focus on small-scale production for local consumption to a global industry dominated by large agribusiness companies and supermarkets. This not only raises questions about the role of organic agriculture in achieving sustainable development in Australia and elsewhere, but is also creating relationships of dependency within the less developed world which may well reduce food security and make the problem of feeding growing populations more difficult. This study seeks to develop a range of policy alternatives in order to enhance sustainability through organic farming.Read moreRead less
Managing the social, environmental & economic impacts of high density-living within inner-urban sub-tropical environments. Higher-density (HD) living is a popular strategy for managing urban growth (i.e., reducing greenhouse gas emissions). In sub-tropical environments, it represents a significant change from the traditional suburb, but provides a potential solution to the impacts of population growth on resources/infrastructure. By identifying the impacts associated with HD living & developing ....Managing the social, environmental & economic impacts of high density-living within inner-urban sub-tropical environments. Higher-density (HD) living is a popular strategy for managing urban growth (i.e., reducing greenhouse gas emissions). In sub-tropical environments, it represents a significant change from the traditional suburb, but provides a potential solution to the impacts of population growth on resources/infrastructure. By identifying the impacts associated with HD living & developing strategies (including design solutions & impact management strategies) to enhance the sustainability of HD, this research will have immediate and long-term triple bottom line benefits for Australia - encouraging the uptake of HD living achieving an environmentally sustainable Australia (Research Priority 1). Read moreRead less