Economic Value of Recreational Use of South Australia’s National Parks and Reserves: Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail Case Study

Eco­nom­ic val­ue of SA’s Parks – Tech­ni­cal report 3 (Kan­ga­roo Island Wilderness Trail Case Study)By: A/Prof Adam Loch, Christopher Auricht and A/Prof Patrick O’Conno

The Golden Gift of Groundwater in Australia’s MDB

The Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) has the second-most variable surface flows in the world. The unreliable nature of MDB surface water supply is expected to increase under climate change. To partially address this future problem, Australia’s government released 927 gigalitres (GL = 1 billion litres) of groundwater rights to agricultural users in the basin under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan (2012-2026). A key argument for that action was the perception that groundwater resources in the basin are sustainable, and more reliable, than surface water resources. Access to more reliable water often transforms agricultural cropping choices. This chapter uses an optimization model of the MDB to explore how basin agriculture may transform in response to reliable water access—particularly in the northern part of the MDB. We find that traditional opportunistic cropping systems (i.e., annuals) shift towards high-value systems (e.g., perennials) and change irrigation practices when access to groundwater resources is increased. We also examine the change in value for those new groundwater rights as climate change impacts take hold.David Adamson, Christopher Auricht and Adam Loc

Value of South Australia’s National Parks and Reserves. Study 1: Economic value of nature-based tourism. Part 2. Secondary economic value

Eco­nom­ic val­ue of SA’s Parks – Tech­ni­cal report 2 (Sec­ondary eco­nom­ic value)By: A/Prof Adam Loch, Christopher Auricht and A/Prof Patrick O’Conno

Genetic algorithm optimization of operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions for water distribution systems

Abstract not availableL.J. Blinco, A.R. Simpson, M.F. Lambert, C.A. Auricht, N.E. Hurr, S.M. Tiggemann, A. March

A farming system framework for investment planning and priority setting in Ethiopia

This study highlights the diversity of farming systems in Ethiopia and their significance as a basis for planning agriculture-led development interventions in diverse landscapes. This report has been developed as an output of the ACIAR Small Research Activity (SRA) ‘Farming systems approach to supporting national CAADP [Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme] investment planning for sustainable intensification and climate-smart agriculture in Africa’

Integrating user experience validation into a new engineering development process for advanced driver assistance systems

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems play a leading role in the revolution of cars; it has become a high priority for the automotive industry and now is no longer reserved for only premium cars. In this paper, a process is to be introduced, which allows to capture the User Experience (UX) already on the Model-in-the-Loop level (where only abstract models exist) to be fed back directly into the development process. This process allows for a more efficient work relationship between system development engineers and test & validation engineers. Furthermore the work in progress of a new tool is shown: MINARGUS. It allows a connection between a simulation model and the measurement of physiological data in one environment. The Advanced Active Cruise Control (Advanced ACC) system is used as a continuous example to support the paper

Breeding lucerne for Australia's southern dryland cropping environments

A. W. Humphries and G. C. Aurich

Markets, mis-direction and motives: A factual analysis of hoarding and speculation in southern Murray-Darling Basin water markets

There is a long history of concern about speculation in water markets, and potential adverse impacts on agricultural water users. However, applications of traditional analysis into price increase drivers in water markets are challenging due to data limitations. To address this, we use speculation theory, most notably Hirshleifer’s four fundamentals for speculative trade, to examine whether speculation or hoarding price increase drivers are evident in Australia’s largest water market, the southern Murray–Darling Basin. While speculation is likely, and with good reason given the gains possible, we find no evidence of hoarding behaviour in market price or volume trends. It is more plausible that agricultural sectors - notably horticultural users - have driven price increases given their requirements to access water at any cost during periods of low supply. These findings conform to theoretical expectations and help to inform badly needed insights into water market fundamentals required for future analysis. Overall, calls for stricter market controls on non-agricultural water users are not supported by our findings. However, greater transparency in water market and broker activity, arising from substantial improvements in the underlying data and trade regulations associated with water markets, would be an ideal outcome from any public police extension.Adam Loch, Christopher Auricht, David Adamson and Luis Mate

Over-cropping lucerne with wheat: effect of lucerne winter activity on total plant production and water use of the mixture, and wheat yield and quality

Two field experiments in southern Australia investigated a farming system of over-cropping wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) into established lucerne (Medicago sativa subsp. L.) varieties of different winter activity ratings. The study was completed at Roseworthy, South Australia, and Katanning, Western Australia, between August 2000 and May 2003 in seasons receiving below average and average rainfall. Comparative lucerne persistence and biomass, wheat biomass, grain yield and protein contents, and soil water contents were measured. Wheat grain yield was reduced by 13–63% by over-cropping lucerne compared with wheat monoculture. Winter-dormant lucerne (winter activity Classes 0.5 and 2) reduced the yield penalty compared with winter-active varieties (Classes 6 and 10) in 2 of the 4 evaluations. The positive response to applying N at sowing in the second year of over-cropping wheat at Katanning was greatest in the most winter-dormant lucerne treatment (winter activity 0.5). Soil water contents were similar under the lucerne/wheat over-cropping and lucerne monoculture treatments irrespective of lucerne winter activity. Deficits of up to 43 mm at Roseworthy and 88 mm at Katanning were measured in the 0–200-cm soil profile at the start of the third summer of the study. The study shows that it can be more efficient in terms of land area to over-crop wheat into lucerne than to grow monocultures on separate parcels of land akin to phase farming. The improved productivity of over-cropping is associated with the separation of growth patterns of winter wheat and summer-active lucerne. This farming system offers great potential for improving sustainability and productivity in southern Australian cropping rotations