Research from the Sustainable Farms initiative highlights both the importance and complexity of farmers engaging in natural resource management (NRM) practices on their mental health.
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Improving natural assets on farms delivers valuable public benefits, such as biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and enhanced ecosystem health. However, the private benefits of improving natural assets on farms, such as improved productivity and ecosystem services, are unevenly distributed.
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The ANU Fenner School of Environment & Society are seeking a PhD student to work on a new cross-cultural project focused on supporting the re-emergence of cultural burning in south-eastern Australia.
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A new scientific research article on farm dams has been published in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.
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Our 2024 Sustainable Farms calendar features stunning images of the remarkable biodiversity that can be found at farm farms. It also highlights the important role that these critters play in these special ecosystems and the benefits for sustainable agricultural production.
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Shared values presenting collaborative opportunities for the Muttama Creek Catchment Area.
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The Sustainable Farms team from The Australian National University has been named the Biodiversity Award Winner for the NSW Sustainability Awards 2022.
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Our 2023 Sustainable Farms calendar features stunning images of the woodland flora and fauna that is found on farms.
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The Sustainable Farms team from The Australian National University has taken out one of the country’s top science prizes for our work on a powerful tool that helps farmers predict how what they do on their farms could impact different bird species.
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Corben Hart and Erin Brinkley from Upper Shoalhaven Landcare Council wrote this article about a recent field day held in collaboration with Sustainable Farms.
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The Sustainable Farms team, creators of a powerful tool that helps farmers identify management actions that could support threatened birds on their properties, is in the running for Australia’s top science prize, the Eureka Prize.
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Studies undertaken by Deakin’s Blue Carbon Lab on Sustainable Farms farm dam sites in north east Victoria and NSW reveal that dam enhancement leads to reduced greenhouse gas emissions
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BirdCast, a webtool created by the Sustainable Farms project enabling land managers to estimate the birds present in woodlands on their farms and thus helping protect Australia’s precious biodiversity, has received a Highly Commended in the 2022 National Trust Heritage Awards.
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A new publication arising from Sustainable Farms mental health research demonstrates the potential positive benefits to farmers’ lives of engaging in natural resource management (NRM) practices.
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Michelle Young, Director of Sustainable Farms, will make the case for protecting and restoring natural assets on farms at the Fenner Conference on Environment – Making Australian Agriculture Sustainable – next week in Canberra.
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We’re delighted to announce the publication of our new book, Natural Asset Farming. The book provides practical guidance on enhancing seven natural assets on farms, bringing together the stories and experiences of farmers with the results of extensive on-farm research undertaken by Sustainable Farms.
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New webtool enables land managers to estimate the birds present in woodlands on farms.
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Our 2022 Sustainable Farms calendar features stunning images of woodland landscapes and wildlife. The calendar also provides insights from our research on the management of natural assets on farms.
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New Sustainable Farms research looking at the potential net benefits from enhancing farm dams has yielded promising results.
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Sustainable Farms is delighted to launch the new resource, Enhancing farm dams: What to plant in and around your dam.
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Ever wondered which birds might live on your farm? The Sustainable Farms webtool, Bird Checker: A bird occupancy estimator, enables the user to estimate which birds are likely to be found on a farm in the box-gum grassy woodlands.
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In May-June, Sustainable Farms will hold three Research Results Workshops across the project area. Researchers from ecology, mental health and economics will share latest research results to help support practice change on farms in the temperate eucalypt woodlands.
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Each year we create a calendar highlighting nature on farms. For this year’s calendar we asked farmers in our project area to share a photo and story about their favourite tree.
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In an era of climatic uncertainty and increasing droughts, farm improvement projects that restore degraded land, enhance natural assets and improve drought resilience are becoming ever more important. However, sustainable funding of these projects presents a challenge that requires novel solutions.
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This week our senior field ecologist, Dr Mason Crane (pictured above checking a nest box), leaves us to join the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust, marking the end of an era and passing the baton to a new team of field staff for Sustainable Farms.
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Sustainable Farms is delighted to launch our new booklet, Ten ways to improve the natural assets on a farm. The booklet highlights ten discrete projects that farmers can undertake to improve the health of natural assets – such as dams, shelterbelts or riparian areas – on their properties.
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One small change on a farm could create new habitat for native animals and lead to increased stock productivity. That’s the message of a new publication launched this week by The Australian National University’s Sustainable Farms project.
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Is there a big tree on your property that’s special to you? If so, we’d love you to participate in our “farmer’s favourite tree challenge 2021”.
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Research by Professors Bruce Chapman and David Lindenmayer, Research Directors of Sustainable Farms at The Australian National University, has identified a new way of financing farm improvement investments that minimises the financial risk and accompanying stress that often comes with the use of traditional bank loans.
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The Morrison Government’s new drought policy announced last week is big news in agricultural circles and has sparked debate about the best way to support farmers through what many are describing as the toughest drought they’ve encountered.
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Sustainable Farms have been given $5.93 million in Australian Government funding to measure the benefits of improving farm dams. For the first time, researchers will be able to quantify the gains made in biodiversity, productivity and wellbeing when farmers improve their dams. Professor David Lindenmayer said, “You’d be hard pressed to find a better investment for a farm than making small improvements to their dams.”
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Professor David Lindenmayer has had a busy month…
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Kent Keith recently made a gift of land to help improve farming communities.
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The Greater Murray Biodiversity Monitoring Program has been running for more than a decade, and it is always exciting when new native species are found. During this winter’s bird surveys, one of our Sustainable Farms ecologists was thrilled to discover the threatened Southern Bell Frog, also known as the Growling Grass Frog, while randomly checking under […]
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Our team of field ecologists has been conducting regular wildlife surveys at the same sites in the woodland ecosystems west and northwest of Canberra for nearly 20 years.
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Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) will play an important role in a five-year initiative that aims to improve environmental, economic and social outcomes in rural Australia by helping farmers better manage their natural assets.
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