Rural Practice Change: Opening Remarks

www.RuralPracticeChange.org

Department ofPrimary Industries

Understanding Practice Change by Farmers— a national symposium

University of Melbourne 14.11.08

Andrew Campbellfacilitator

The genesis of this event

Why is this important?

Rural Australia is under pressure, and facing rapid & sustained

change

The community has multiple requirements of rural landscapes Food, fibre, export income

Biodiversity, water, landscape amenity, tourism

Residential and commercial space

The rapidly evolving carbon & energy agendas

These objectives are often in tension

currently amplified by climate change and economic & policy uncertainty

There are major public policy (and commercial) interests in being able to understand, predict and influence rural practice change

Education