What drives farmer decisions?

Following on from Dr Luke’s first Soil CRC project, ‘Surveying farm practices’, this project completed the surveying of land management practices in Tasmania and the Wimmera region of Victoria.

Farmers and their on-farm management strategies are critical to the ongoing health of Australia’s economy and environment.  It is important to understand what drives farm management decisions, so that research can be better targeted.

The surveys have been conducted across regions and industries for an improved understanding of current practices, and to better understand farmer aspirations and motivations, as well as perceptions of existing and proposed research and development initiatives.

In the initial project, four surveys were administered: in North Central Victoria, the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, the Northern Wheatbelt in Western Australia and in Central West New South Wales.

For this follow-on project, another two surveys were completed, in Tasmania and the Wimmera region of Victoria, and the data was spatially analysed. All survey instruments were co-developed with local Soil CRC partners and Soil CRC scientists.

The survey results help the Soil CRC to better understand grower’s needs and intentions, so that other projects can be better targeted to meet those needs.

Improved understanding of farmers and their practices will help the Soil CRC and the farmer groups to better target their innovations, communications and contribute to their strategic planning.

The surveys addressed regional and industry nuances of different farming groups, enabling follow-up surveys, which will provide a means to evaluate the impact of the CRC.