Hanabeth Luke

This research contributes to debates regarding the disconnect between climate risk perception and actual adaptation strategies among farmers. This disconnect is particularly concerning in the context of increasing climate-related disasters affecting agricultural systems. We challenge the assumption of a direct link and explore alternative factors influencing adaptation behaviour. We investigate the role of climate risk perception, alongside socio-economic and non-climatic factors, on farmers’ adoption of soil health practices in Australia. Using survey data from Australian farmers (n=531), we employ Poisson regression to model the intensity of adaptation, measured as the count of soil health practices adopted. Our analysis finds that innovation attitude, risk aversion, training attendance, rainfall zone, age, location, and formal education are significant predictors of the intensity of adaptation, while climate risk perception is not directly significant. Our findings suggest a “risk-action gap” where climate risk perception does not necessarily translate into increased soil health adaptations. This highlights the need for targeted interventions beyond awareness-raising, focusing on location-specific needs, risk management, fostering innovation, and improving access to training.

Social survey research is often used to achieve an improved understanding of land and natural resource management. The question for many land agencies and organisations working to support farmers and other rural landholders is how to gain this information in a scientifically rigorous and cost-effective way. This paper summarises findings from a purposeful review of survey methods applied for understanding rural landholders, including how land and natural resource management may be changing around the globe. Social surveys play a crucial role in understanding the complexities of land management, with survey methods evolving over time as they adapt to technological advancements and shifting research paradigms. Key findings of this review underscore the significance of pre-testing, drawing on diverse sampling techniques, and tailored survey methods to uphold data integrity and enhance response rates. Effective survey design, coupled with integration of conceptual models and identity constructs, can enrich insights into land management practices. Embracing mixed methods and leveraging AI for data integration offer promising avenues for future research, albeit with ethical considerations and challenges in data integration. Previous reviews are extended to describe four main eras in social survey research for natural resource management, being: 1) the Invention Era (1930–1960); 2) the Expansion Era (1960–1990); 3) the Integration Era ('Designed Data' + 'Organic Data') (1990s to 2022); and 4) the Brave New Era (2022 to present). Prioritising longitudinal studies and expanding survey research globally can inform evidence-based policymaking, addressing critical gaps in knowledge as land and natural resource management continues to evolve and respond to changes and challenges worldwide.

Digital tools and platforms are universally used, however their application for knowledge and information sharing in agriculture is less understood. In Australia, grower groups (also known farming systems groups) are integral to information dissemination with farmers, and other industry stakeholders.
Research was conducted to investigate the use of digital tools for knowledge and information sharing by staff at grower groups by examining their perceptions about the implementation, intended audience, impact monitoring, and the facilitators and barriers associated with using digital tools.
This case study involved semi-structured, in-depth interviews at three time points with staff at four grower groups located in four states in Australia to understand their perceptions about using digital tools for knowledge and information sharing with different industry audiences.
The findings demonstrate that grower groups are embracing digital technologies: they are applying digital tools broadly and monitoring their uptake closely for the dissemination of industry-specific knowledge and information sharing. Groups were found to be utilising multiple, digital tools and adopting a range of approaches that are regularly monitored for impact, while continuously refining the use of digital tools over time. Despite the broad adoption of digital tools, various challenges were identified, including low audience uptake with some digital methods, limited staffing capacity and expertise to implement digital tools, poor digital infrastructure and unreliable connectivity in remote regions. A set of guidelines to support the application of digital tools for engagement within the agriculture sector have been developed, informed by this research. They include the provisioning of activities for digital engagement for planning, audience engagement, content assessment, piloting and reviewing, and establishing communities of practice for shared learnings.
This research provides important insights about the application of digital tools for knowledge and information sharing with stakeholders in the Australian grains industry, by grower groups. This case study highlights the overwhelming commitment of grower groups to adopt digital tools for sharing knowledge to a wide and varied audience. The adoption of digital tools was ubiquitous by grower groups however their application represents just one component of a broader strategy of information sharing that also incorporates non-digital approaches (paper-based; face-to-face) to meet the information delivery preferences of stakeholders.

Australian agriculture and the rural communities that depend upon it are expected to experience significant impacts from climate change. The recognition of the human role in climate change is central in the design and implementation of effective strategies to mitigate and adapt to its impacts. Understanding the extent to which members of the public, such as private landholders, acknowledge human-caused climate change is critical, given their role as custodians of large tracts of natural resources. Rural social benchmarking studies are a useful tool for understanding landholder values and beliefs. Here, we use a rural social benchmarking survey to examine landholder agreement regarding the extent to which humans contribute to climate change across four Australian agricultural regions. We perform hierarchical clustering analysis to determine subgroups of landholders with similar patterns of survey responses. We then evaluate this effect of cluster membership and demographic characteristics using Bayesian ordinal regression on levels of agreement with the statement "that human activities are influencing climate change." Our findings reveal three distinct clusters based on patterns of responses to survey questions eliciting participants values beliefs and norms. Cluster membership exhibits the strongest positive influence on agreement (0.52, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.67). This was followed by higher education levels (0.32, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.41). Gender showed a moderately uncertain but positive influence. Years residing on the property, participant age, and property size showed very little influence, while rainfall zones showed a negative influence of-0.29 (95% CI: -0.47 to-0.12). Our results underscore the need for extension programs to consider landholder typologies based on a combination of lived experience and demographics.

The agricultural and social landscape of rural Australia is changing, with many farmers interested in, and some actively moving towards, regenerative agriculture-but what do we understand of the farmers undertaking these transitions? Regenerative agriculture is a holistic way of managing landscapes that aims to move beyond sustainability to regenerate natural systems, while supporting farming system viability. While several authors have discussed the higher-level philosophical underpinnings of regenerative agriculture, there are few empirical studies exploring the motivators for farmers to implement a suite of practices within the regenerative agriculture tool-kit. By undertaking an online survey targeting regenerative farmers, this study identifies common attributes of regenerative farmers, as well as key motivators for, and barriers to change, including perceived benefits arising from the approach. An online survey was promoted through the social media pages of three farming groups, resulting in 96 self-identifying Australian regenerative farmers included in this analysis. Results demonstrate that a clear and recent shift has taken place for this group, who may feel ostracized within their local community, hence often rely on information from online and international sources of agricultural information. This article builds a core understanding of the goals, attributes, aspirations and challenges of regenerative farmers and offers a definition of regenerative agriculture that is derived from farmer responses.

First Nations people of Australia sustained complex grassland grain production systems prior to colonisation. The revival of these foodways could aid in mitigating the interlinked issues of land degradation, reduced landscape resilience and declining food security. For the Gamilaraay people, original custodians of the grasslands of north-west New South Wales and south-west Queensland, efforts are underway to bring their ancient food system into a modern context with authenticity and integrity. The aim of this transdisciplinary study was to investigate the nutritional quality of Australian native grains to identify functional properties that may help promote this nascent industry; complimented by using autoethnography to understand how the original custodians, like the Gamilaraay people, might equitably benefit. Ethnographic findings highlight that Gamilaraay people aspire to improve their health and wellbeing through economic development and consumption of native grains, particularly Elders who disproportionately suffer from non-communicable disease. However, many First Nations people have lived experiences of being systemically exploited and excluded, particularly in the food and agriculture space. To prioritise the interests of the Traditional Custodians, the species used in the biochemical assays were de-identified. Wholegrains from seven culturally significant species, with domesticated brown rice as control, were threshed, milled, and analysed in triplicate for proximate, elemental, non-starch fatty acids, and total free phenolic content. Compared to brown rice, protein was significantly higher in all native species (9.4-32.6 g/100 g); whilst carbohydrates were significantly lower (36.5-53.7 g/100 g). One of the native species had exceptionally high total phenolics (569 mg GAE/100 g) compared to brown rice (60 mg GAE/100 g). All native species had generally higher elemental content, with significantly higher levels of Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mg, P, and K in two native species. All samples were dominated by unsaturated fats with significantly higher polyunsaturated fats in two native species. The generally low carbohydrates, high protein, good fats, high mineral content and high phenolic content suggests that native grains may be beneficial to human health by improving nutrient intake and protecting against non-communicable disease, thus marketable as functional foods. To ensure a flourishing industry where all of Australia benefits from these healthful grains, future research and industry development must be First Nations led.

Regenerative agriculture is an alternative approach to farming that has been gaining traction and interest among farmers due to its potential to reduce input costs, improve soil health, and increase the resilience of farming systems. This paper undertakes a practice-based analysis of farmers, applying a lens of regenerative agriculture. Surveys were developed as a part of a broader project using an established methodological framework. Topics were developed and adapted with input from local stakeholders before being mailed out to three farming regions across Australia (the Western Australian Wheatbelt, the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and Central West New South Wales). The research clustered farmers into two groups: those who are using best-practices that fall inside the scope of regenerative agriculture, and those who are not. The similarities and differences in farmer attributes, as well as self-reported knowledge levels and information sources used by each group are explored. Results indicate that a belief in anthropogenic climate change may be one of the primary divides between the two groups, and therefore a possible driver of best-practice implementation. The findings provide insight into perceptions of regenerative agriculture for Australian farmers, and may assist with knowledge dissemination amongst those managing our environment.

Industrial farming contributes significantly to feeding and clothing the world's population of nearly eight billion people. While the use of mechanized, chemical and scaled-up farming practices have enabled increased food and fiber production, the practices associated with industrial agriculture also have the potential to adversely impact soils, environment and climate. Organic agriculture began as a movement to counter industrial farming, and organic certification has played a significant role in expanding organic agriculture worldwide. Regenerative agriculture is a fast-developing industry that also offers an alternative to industrial farming. It has been dubbed as going 'beyond organic' to take a more holistic view of agricultural production and practices. Based on 15 key-informant interviews with experts in the Australian organic and regenerative agricultural industries, this case study presents insight into the challenges that the organic industry has faced in its relationship with certification, thus offering a guide to the regenerative agricultural industry in developing its own approaches to labeling or certification.

This paper explores the socio-economic legacy created by an extractive industry as it developed, or sought to develop, in nine different communities or regions across Australia, Canada, the United States, and Wales – drawing on mixed-method research collected between 2011 and 2018. By the early 2010s, a number of unconventional fossil fuel companies were securing land access agreements for seismic and drilling exploration in the Western Downs region of South-East Queensland, the Northern Rivers region of North-Eastern New South Wales, the states of New York and Pennsylvania, the Province of New Brunswick, and southern Wales. Stark cultural, social and environmental contrasts between communities within each nation shaped community responses to potential industry development – levels of social license for developments, community responses and subsequent unconventional fossil fuel development varied widely. This article explores the impact of the industry on community resilience. A resilient community is likely to have high social capital, including strong social networks, feelings of safety and trust, sense of belonging, diversity, citizen power and participation. These social responses to the industry, combined with the existing local contexts and the differing regulatory frameworks of each community/region, can be argued to have led to divergent effects on overall community social and economic resilience across our case studies. Power, industrial impacts, relationships, resources, social action, timing of the debates, equity concerns, and strategic decision making (or lack thereof) shaped the degree of resilience with which each community/region responded. In four of our cases, resilience declined (e.g., due to increased economic homogenisation, decreasing social connectivity and citizen power); in five cases resilience increased (e.g., the legacy created by the emergence of social movements substantially increased social connectivity, sense of belonging and citizen power).