Unique co-operative landcare venture in the Avon catchment

The Avon catchment is bustling with landcare activity generated by a unique co-operative venture between farmers, the Department of Agriculture, the National Soil Conservation Program and Alcoa of Australia Ltd. The Avon Catchment Landcare Program was initiated by the Department of Agriculture and Alcoa, in support of the national Decade ofLandcare. The program provides financial, human and technical resources to undertake catchment and farm planning and demonstrations of rehabilitation techniques that tackle soil and water degradation problems. We know that without specially planned landcare programs and substantial changes in land management, land degradation will continue and further losses of agricultural production will follo

An investigation of soil conservation programs and practice

Group Conservation Areas (GCA's) have been recognised by the Soil Conservation Authority of Victoria as potentially the most efficient strategies for controlling soil erosion and achieving soil conservation on agricultural land. GCA's had several economic and technical advantages over individual farm programs, because conservation programs could be carried out in a planned and co-ordinated manner over contiguous farms. There has been concern in recent years that farmers were not seeing the relevance of and accepting responsibility for maintenance of their mechanical environmental works, nor were they adopting environmental management and improvement practices they had agreed to in their farm conservation plans. The factors which influenced farmers' behaviour as soil conservationists in GCA's were investigated in this research. The focused interview and repertory grid techniques were used to gather information concerning farmers' perceptions about their Soil Conservation programs and practices. This information was interpreted in relation to a theory which explained adult learning and change in soil conservation - Personal Construct Theory. The results show several weaknesses in GCA programs. If such programs are to remain viable several changes are recommended in their strategies. The major areas of weakness are derived from methodological failings; a paternalistic attitude by the Authority is limiting farmers' involvement in direct experience of conservation practices and extension education activities. Recommendations were made for possible changes to help redirect GCA strategies so they became better aligned with the philosophy of adult education

Unique co-operative landcare venture in the Avon catchment

The Avon catchment is bustling with landcare activity generated by a unique co-operative venture between farmers, the Department of Agriculture, the National Soil Conservation Program and Alcoa of Australia Ltd. The Avon Catchment Landcare Program was initiated by the Department of Agriculture and Alcoa, in support of the national Decade ofLandcare. The program provides financial, human and technical resources to undertake catchment and farm planning and demonstrations of rehabilitation techniques that tackle soil and water degradation problems. We know that without specially planned landcare programs and substantial changes in land management, land degradation will continue and further losses of agricultural production will follo