The bioenergy industry is relatively small in Australia. The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as future oil security issues will, however, provide drivers for the growth of the bioenergy industry. This report reviews the sustainability issues that have arisen through rapid international expansion of the biofuels industry. It also reports on the...

This research report is about factors that will improve adoption of safety practice and systems on Australian farms. The review describes approaches and evaluation reports of Australian farm safety programs and other relevant studies that provide information about individual safety behaviour change and community/organisation factors associated with safety change. This research examines the evidence for...

This RIRDC publication examines one of Australia's most pressing economic problems - a shortage of labour. Without adequate supplies of labour, the economic and social functions of businesses are restricted, and the capacity for expansion reduced. Industries and communities within rural Australia have been particularly hard hit by labour shortages, with many small and medium...

Commercial sustainable use of wildlife has received increasing attention in recent years, both internationally and in Australia, as a tool to achieve both improved conservation and land management outcomes and support diverse, resilient rural economies and societies. While the concept remains relatively unfamiliar in Australia, a wide range of forms of wild resource utilisation offer...

In Australia, diversification is being implemented by farming families and promoted by extension personnel to build economic resilience to maintain rural landscapes and communities in the face of increasing financial and environmental pressures. The purpose of this report is to gain a better understanding of why farming families diversify their on-farm activities and what the...