Sustaining chicken-meat production with alternative protein sources. This project aims to secure sustainable chicken-meat production by the radical reduction or even elimination of imported soybean meal as the primary protein source in Australian broiler diets by its replacement with feed-grade amino acids and local feedstuffs. This project will expand our comprehension of starch/glucose and protein/amino acid digestive dynamics in poultry diets based on wheat, the primary feed grain in Australi ....Sustaining chicken-meat production with alternative protein sources. This project aims to secure sustainable chicken-meat production by the radical reduction or even elimination of imported soybean meal as the primary protein source in Australian broiler diets by its replacement with feed-grade amino acids and local feedstuffs. This project will expand our comprehension of starch/glucose and protein/amino acid digestive dynamics in poultry diets based on wheat, the primary feed grain in Australia; however, wheat does inherently possess nutritional disadvantages. Expected outcomes include soybean meal-free feed formulations for the Australian chicken-meat industry to enhance the affordable and environmentally viable production of chicken-meat coupled with improved bird welfare and flock health. Read moreRead less
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
Governance and economic incentives for reducing the contribution of tropical deforestation to climate change. The project will contribute toward global efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, thus mitigating the potential economic and environmental impacts of future climate change on Australia. Australia's neighbours will benefit from the project by putting them in a better position to gain financial transfers for foregone benefits of deforestation, and by insights on better systems o ....Governance and economic incentives for reducing the contribution of tropical deforestation to climate change. The project will contribute toward global efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, thus mitigating the potential economic and environmental impacts of future climate change on Australia. Australia's neighbours will benefit from the project by putting them in a better position to gain financial transfers for foregone benefits of deforestation, and by insights on better systems of governance. The positive effects enjoyed by neighbouring countries are likely to translate into improved relations with Australia. At the level of international negotiations, the research will support Australia's ambitions for a meaningful post-Kyoto climate change agreement.Read moreRead less
Managing subsoil constraints for increased productivity and water use efficiency. Subsoil constraints limit crop production in up to 60% of agricultural land. This project examines the impacts of organic matter incoporation, deep placement of nutrients, use of primer crops, calcium addition and their combination on amelioration of subsoil constraints and thereby on the improvement of root growth, water use and crop yield in high-rainfall region. The best-bet management strategy will be developed ....Managing subsoil constraints for increased productivity and water use efficiency. Subsoil constraints limit crop production in up to 60% of agricultural land. This project examines the impacts of organic matter incoporation, deep placement of nutrients, use of primer crops, calcium addition and their combination on amelioration of subsoil constraints and thereby on the improvement of root growth, water use and crop yield in high-rainfall region. The best-bet management strategy will be developed.Read moreRead less
Roads to the Future: Infrastructure and the New Development in Africa. This project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of new road schemes in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean (a region which sits at the intersection of several major global transport and development corridors), in order to understand their economic, socio-political, cultural and public health effects. As global road-building accelerates at an unprecedented rate, especially in the developing world, there is an urgent n ....Roads to the Future: Infrastructure and the New Development in Africa. This project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of new road schemes in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean (a region which sits at the intersection of several major global transport and development corridors), in order to understand their economic, socio-political, cultural and public health effects. As global road-building accelerates at an unprecedented rate, especially in the developing world, there is an urgent need for new models for understanding roads' potential economic benefits, as well as their risks, including their environmental risks. This project is benefitting citizens, NGOs, donors and governments, by generating new knowledge about how we have in the past, do at present, and should in the future, engage with roads.Read moreRead less
Evolution of diverse symbiotic phenotypes among native soil bacteria following spread of a genomic island from a rhizobial inoculant. The quality of legume protein depends on symbiotic nitrogen fixation by root nodule bacteria (RNB). Sustainable legume production in Australian agriculture depends on legume inoculation with effective strains of these bacteria. Unfortunately inoculant strains transfer DNA to other soil bacteria resulting in soil populations of RNB that compete for nodulation but a ....Evolution of diverse symbiotic phenotypes among native soil bacteria following spread of a genomic island from a rhizobial inoculant. The quality of legume protein depends on symbiotic nitrogen fixation by root nodule bacteria (RNB). Sustainable legume production in Australian agriculture depends on legume inoculation with effective strains of these bacteria. Unfortunately inoculant strains transfer DNA to other soil bacteria resulting in soil populations of RNB that compete for nodulation but are less effective in nitrogen fixation. This transfer of DNA threatens a $2 billion asset in Australian agriculture. We will use molecular microbial ecology to investigate the mechanisms of genetic transfer of symbiotic DNA in RNB, and use this knowledge to prevent it.Read moreRead less
Ten years is enough: the life and afterlife of Rick Farley. This project documents, for the first time, Rick Farley's contribution to our understanding of the urgent questions of Australia's economic, cultural and environmental sustainability. By analysing Farley's advocacy and action at all levels of government and society, and across the political spectrum, it provides a broadly accessible study of the shaping of agendas on these matters. Farley's insistence that community alliances were vit ....Ten years is enough: the life and afterlife of Rick Farley. This project documents, for the first time, Rick Farley's contribution to our understanding of the urgent questions of Australia's economic, cultural and environmental sustainability. By analysing Farley's advocacy and action at all levels of government and society, and across the political spectrum, it provides a broadly accessible study of the shaping of agendas on these matters. Farley's insistence that community alliances were vital to meeting global challenges, magnified by Australia's degraded landscapes and the alienation of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous custodians of those lands, remains as relevant now as it was when he brokered initiatives such as Landcare. 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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101319
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$373,857.00
Summary
Building a carbon neutral future for Australian agriculture . The aim of this research is to design an economically sound policy strategy for making the Australian agriculture sector carbon neutral by 2040. This strategy will provide policy makers with a menu of policy packages to improve the sector’s international competitiveness, in the context of growing demands from consumers and international markets for low emission products while meeting the challenges of a changing climate. To assist in ....Building a carbon neutral future for Australian agriculture . The aim of this research is to design an economically sound policy strategy for making the Australian agriculture sector carbon neutral by 2040. This strategy will provide policy makers with a menu of policy packages to improve the sector’s international competitiveness, in the context of growing demands from consumers and international markets for low emission products while meeting the challenges of a changing climate. To assist in developing this strategic knowledge a national-scale quantitative economic model will be developed. Given the absence of a clear national strategy for agricultural GHG emissions and the growing global urgency addressing climate change, this research fills an important gap and comes at an opportune time. Read moreRead less