Our Approach to Research

Most of the world’s food is produced by farming systems that are dependent on imported minerals, manufactured fertilisers and herbicides and diesel-dependent operating practices. These farming systems have a limited lifespan due to their dependence on finite resources and also due to their side effects which have tended to include deterioration of soils and destruction of ecosystems that provide essential resources.

For the benefit of future generations, we need to transition to farming systems that can create and operate with renewable energy and that can keep soils optimised using renewable resources. We need to implement consumer systems that are capable of recycling minerals, nutrients and unused produce back to soils. Farmers need to be equipped with the knowledge and tools they need to operate a farm with renewable fuels, optimise soils and manage pest plants and animals with renewable resources plus relationships with consumers to return resources such as food waste and nutrients back to farms. Farmers also need to be supported by society so they can invest effort to restore our natural systems to a better state of health: to move CO₂ from our atmosphere to stable storage in soils and forests, to return our soils to optimum health and build ecosystems functions that restore resources such as rainfall and clean, safe water supply.

Building these farming systems based on renewable resources and building ecosystems functions to improve our resource base requires building knowledge about the functions and processes of natural systems and how to enhance or inhibit different functions to achieve the desired natural resource goals and agricultural productivity and resilience.

Knowledge we can rely on to help us take immediate action

We wish to provide an environment for the development and dissemination of knowledge about natural functions and processes so they can be used by farmers who are supported by civil society to build productive and resilient natural capital that produces food, fibre and fuel. With our research partner, the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University, there is opportunity for scientific investigation unbiased by commercial interest. This research will quantify and qualify natural functions and processes that can be used to benefit farming and rural society.

We don’t have time to wait for 20 years for conclusive proof of innovative agricultural systems before we make changes to agricultural practice. We need to support an evidence-based discussion of fundamental natural processes and functions and how some techniques may enhance or inhibit them would assist farmers to make improved decisions now and to enable them to monitor leading indicators of performance.