Lankester, Ally (2013) Understanding producers' change to more sustainable grazing practices in the tropical savanna rangelands of North Queensland. Report. Meat & Livestock Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

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Abstract

Understanding the factors and processes that facilitate and inhibit beef producers to become 'more sustainable' is essential for designing policy that will be effective in achieving sustainability. However, understanding of the social and psychological dimensions of beef producers' natural resource management is still limited. The purpose of this project was to increase understanding of beef producers' learning and self-identity, as it relates to their roles in life and sense of place, through a case study in north-eastern Queensland. Twenty eight producers were interviewed face-to-face and another 91 participated in a telephone survey. Results revealed that beef producers identified with a mix of more and less 'traditional' roles in life, were strongly attached to the family property for belonging, lifestyle, occupation and livelihood meanings, and were mainly engaged in non-organised learning to improve production skills and techniques. Findings of the research also emphasised the importance of collective and experiential learning, experiencing adversity and alternative practices and networks for fostering critical reflection and perspectives that favour sustainability. Further, results showed that producers who had an emotional connection to the family property, identified with a wide range of roles in life, and who were attracted to business innovation were more likely than those attached to the lifestyle and occupation of cattle grazing to favour beliefs aligned with sustainability. These findings suggest that planned interventions to foster sustainability need to be based on learning among all stakeholders that is experiential, collaborative, and involves critical reflection, alternative and business-orientated discourses.

Item ID:	29084
Item Type:	Report (Report)
ISBN:	978-1-74191-988-2
Projects and Grants:	B.NBP.0467
Date Deposited:	30 Aug 2013 02:31
FoR Codes:	05 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 0502 Environmental Science and Management > 050209 Natural Resource Management @ 33% 07 AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY SCIENCES > 0701 Agriculture, Land and Farm Management > 070108 Sustainable Agricultural Development @ 34% 16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1604 Human Geography > 160403 Social and Cultural Geography @ 33%
SEO Codes:	83 ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND ANIMAL PRIMARY PRODUCTS > 8303 Livestock Raising > 830301 Beef Cattle @ 33% 97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970116 Expanding Knowledge through Studies of Human Society @ 34% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9609 Land and Water Management > 960904 Farmland, Arable Cropland and Permanent Cropland Land Management @ 33%
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