Small towns big returns: economic and social impact of the Karen resettlement in Nhill

Increased resettlement of migrants and refugees in regional Australia has been an on-going focus of the policies of successive governments. One recent regional resettlement experience, initiated at the local level, has yielded significant outcomes for a small regional community and the refugees involved. This case study – Small towns, Big returns – provides new and important insights into the economic and social value that can accrue through these initiatives, and identifies factors that contribute to their success. These insights can both create the case for, and inform planning of, resettlement in other Australian communities. Since early 2010, approximately 160 Karen refugees have resettled in Nhill, in north western Victoria. Nhill is a small, relatively isolated agricultural town in the wheat-belt Wimmera region of Victoria. Like a number of small regional towns, Nhill has faced a declining working-age population, which has had flow-on implications for the economic and social prosperity of the town. The context of a declining population, combined with very low unemployment, was a key catalyst in this resettlement. In particular there was a need for labour to support expansion of Luv-a-Duck, the largest local commercial business, and driven by a combination of economic and humanitarian motivations, Luv-a-Duck management identified the Karen as potential employees. Through a staged recruitment and resettlement process, the Karen community now comprises approximately 10% of the Nhill population, including significant numbers of working age adults and families with young children. Furthermore, labour force participation linked to this population increase is high. Fifty-four Karen are directly employed in Luv-a-Duck, and seven are employed in businesses that supply Luv-a-Duck. Beyond this, the increased population has enabled the creation and filling of additional jobs across a number of broader community businesses and services. A total of 70.5 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions have been added to the regional economy over the five year period of analysis, representing approximately 3% of total employment across Hindmarsh. The economic impact of this increased labour supply, in terms of Gross Regional Product – as modelled by Deloitte Access Economics, is estimated to be $41.5 million in net present value terms. The wider social impacts of the resettlement of the Karen in Nhill provide the story behind the numbers. In short the Karen resettlement in Nhill has helped to: • redress population decline for the township • revitalise local services and attract increased government funding • increase social capital across both communitie

Baseline Outlook: Missouri Representative Farms

This report presents a five-year outlook for the set of 38 Missouri representative farms using the FAPRI 2008 U.S. Baseline.Material in this publication is based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service; US Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2006- 34228-16979

FAPRI 2005 Outlook for Missouri Agriculture

This report presents a five-year outlook for the set of 40 Missouri representative farms using the FAPRI 2005 U.S. Baseline

Baseline Update for US Agricultural Markets

This document serves as a mid-year update to the 2007 FAPRI baseline prepared in January 2007. It reflects market developments and incorporates estimate information available in early August 2007.This report examines the impacts of the commodity provisions of the legislation introduced by U.S. Representative Ron Kind entitled the “Food and Agriculture Risk Management for the 21st Century Act of 2007.”Material in this publication is based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service; US Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2006-34149-16987

Analysis of Loan Outlays for the 1999 Crop Under Alternative Loan Rate Formulas

Prepared at the request of Senator Blanche Lincoln.The analysis estimates the increase in government outlays that would result from increasing 1999 commodity loan rates

FAPRI Short-term Livestock Outlook

FAPRI-Missouri Livestock Update includes short-term supply and utilization outlook for U.S. beef, pork and poultry. Quarterly outlook remains positive for cattle; hog production to expand in 2001

Fertilizer and Fuel Prices and Cost of Production

The near term outlook for fertilizer and diesel prices would tend to support modest increases in costs from last year in addition to the potential for added volatility in the market. Analyzing these potential impacts on overall farm production expenses has been one of the recent focuses for FAPRI

Analysis of NFU's Loan Rate Provisions and a Farmer-Owned Reserve Program

In response to Congressional requests, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) is preparing an analysis of the agricultural policies similar to those included in the National Farmer's Union's (NFU) testimony presented to the House Committee on Agriculture. The results presented in this document are divided into two parts. First, the impacts of the loan rate provisions and elimination of fixed payments are analyzed. Second, a variation of the Farmer-Owned Reserve (FOR) is added to the loan rate provisions. Analysis of other provisions such as the voluntary land idling will be presented in subsequent reports