This report provides an overview of current and future drivers of structural adjustment for Australia's agricultural industries. It describes the ways these adjustment pressures impact on the rural and regional sectors, and options for farmers to manage these changes. The report also provides some preliminary analysis, by way of selected case studies, of the nature...

Rural and farming populations in Australia have above average rates of premature morbidity and mortality through heart disease, cancer and suicide. The Sustainable Farm Families (SFF) project is designed to influence farmers' behaviours with respect to health, safety and wellbeing. This report presents the results of an economic evaluation of SFF. The report analyses four...

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...

Rapid change in the international economy - globalisation, improved communications and reduced transportation costs, changing trade patterns for commodities, and the emergence of important non farm activities in rural regions - confront rural regions with some obvious threats but also with significant opportunities. Against this background, policy makers increasingly recognise that traditional sectoral policies need...

The report describes the entry paths by which people commonly take up a career in farming and discusses some of the problems which may compromise a successful entry into farming. Programs and policy approaches used overseas to deal with these problems are reviewed, and the implications for Australian educational provision discussed.