Sustainable Farms
Sustainable Farms draws upon research programs across the Australian National University, focussing on three key research topics: Healthy Farms, Healthy Farmers, and Healthy Profits.
Research themes
About
Sustainable Farms draws upon research programs across the Australian National University, focussing on three key research topics:
Healthy Farms: Monitoring biodiversity and valuing ecosystem services in production landscapes
Healthy Farmers: Exploring links between farmer mental health and natural resource management.
Healthy Profits: Estimating the value of natural assets for farm profitability and financial resilience, and identifying financial tools to support farmers.
Some of the types of projects include:
- Farm dam enhancements to provide higher quality drinking water, farm productivity and native wildlife habitat
- Revegetation for increased biodiversity
- Management of rocky outcrops for farm biodiversity and nutrient cycling
- Studying the application of ‘shelter belts’ on farms to reduce moisture loss and protect livestock from windchill
- The conservation and management of scattered paddock trees
- Application of riparian Restoration (revegetation corridors along streams and rivers)
- Drought resilience
For detailed information please see the Sustainable Farms website.
Members
Researcher
Professor
External members
News
Michelle Littlefair is a PhD student at the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society researching frogs in agricultural landscapes. She is also a dancer who uses her performances to spread awareness about frog declines. We spoke to her about how frogs have become such a large part of her life.
Managing the water quality of farm dams is critical to the health of livestock as well as boosting crop production, according to new research from the ANU Sustainable Farms group.