PhD Scholar

Assessing socio-economic and cultural drivers advancing and impeding environmental certification in the Blackwood Basin, SW Australia

E-mail: saan.ecker@anu.edu.au

Australia is at an early stage in developing accredited Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and even earlier in developing certification processes for agricultural products. The principle objective of this study is to determine the role of attitudes, values and beliefs in driving environmental certification systems for agricultural products in Australia, focusing on the Blackwood Basin in the South West of WA. The study runs in tandem with an environmental certification process - 'BestFarms' - in that catchment.

The study focuses on attitudinal influences on products, from production to consumption, considering attitudinal influences that occur throughout the cycle. The study explores five of the Blackwood Basin's major agricultural products - grains, milk, wool, wine and fruit using a conventional and a certified example for each product type. Assessment of the product's environmental 'career' will be developed through informal interviews with best practice case study farmers and other actors in the supply chain, including processors, distributors and consumers. An abbreviated life cycle assessment will also be undertaken to estimate each product's ecological footprint.

Potentially, this knowledge can be used by organisations promoting environmental certification to target and develop systems that recognise the role of attitudes, values and beliefs, thereby positively influencing rates of adoption.