Uncertainty has been under-recognised as an impediment to the adoption of innovative land conservation practices. High levels of uncertainty inhibit adoption because (a) most farmers are psychologically averse to risk and uncertainty, (b) uncertainty leaves room for misunderstanding and...

The on-farm conservation and management of native grasslands, especially those that are botanically diverse or support threatened species is now an important policy issue for State and Commonwealth Governments. Economics is important to achieving public policy goals because farms ore primarily...

A changing agricultural extension environment has seen the private sector in Australia assuming an increased responsibility for the delivery of agricultural information to farmers. This paper is a "work in progress" report of a project being undertaken, with RIRDC funding, to document the public...

The capacity of farmers to adapt their businesses and adopt management practices that improve environmental outcomes varies greatly from case to case. Factors influencing this include the state of the farm business and its resources, the extent of the environmental problems, condition of native...

Perceptions are known to play an important role in the innovation adoption decision. Once influential perceptions have been identified, there is the potential for information to influence adoption by changing these perceptions. In this paper, the influence of an extension workshop targeting...

Management agreements for the delivery of environmental services by farmers typically relate to that part of the farm that is of immediate public interest. However, the decision-making unit with which the farmer is primarily concerned is the farm business as a whole. This provides the context...

Dryland salinity is one of the most pressing land management problems in Western Australia. A number of projects are in progress to provide a more comprehensive picture of the location and extent of potentially saline areas in the landscape. Associated with some of these projects, a large number...

Dryland salinity has been conceived of as a problem involving massive off-site impacts and therefore requiring coordinated action to ensure that land managers reduce those off-site impacts. In economic terms, salinity is seen as a problem of market failure due to externalities, including...