We should not be complacent about our population-based public health response to the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century

Background: More than a year after an influenza pandemic was declared in June 2009, the World Health Organization declared the pandemic to be over. Evaluations of the pandemic response are beginning to appear in the public domain. Discussion. We argue that, despite the enormous effort made to control the pandemic, it is now time to acknowledge that many of the population-based public health interventions may not have been well considered. Prior to the pandemic, there was limited scientific evidence to support border control measures. In particular no border screening measures would have detected prodromal or asymptomatic infections, and asymptomatic infections with pandemic influenza were common. School closures, when they were partial or of short duration, would not have interrupted spread of the virus in school-aged children, the group with the highest rate of infection worldwide. In most countries where they were available, neuraminidase inhibitors were not distributed quickly enough to have had an effect at the population level, although they will have benefited individuals, and prophylaxis within closed communities will have been effective. A pandemic specific vaccine will have protected the people who received it, although in most countries only a small minority was vaccinated, and often a small minority of those most at risk. The pandemic vaccine was generally not available early enough to have influenced the shape of the first pandemic wave and it is likely that any future pandemic vaccine manufactured using current technology will also be available too late, at least in one hemisphere. Summary. Border screening, school closure, widespread anti-viral prophylaxis and a pandemic-specific vaccine were unlikely to have been effective during a pandemic which was less severe than anticipated in the pandemic plans of many countries. These were cornerstones of the population-based public health response. Similar responses would be even less likely to be effective in a more severe pandemic. We agree with the recommendation from the World Health Organisation that pandemic preparedness plans need review

Accounting for agriculture in place-based frameworks for regional development: Discussion paper

The Cairns Institute, James Cook University and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation have established a project focused on the contribution of agriculture to regional development. Agriculture is important to many regions of Australia contributing directly to regional economies as well as indirectly making social and environmental contributions to regional sustainability. To continue to make this significant contribution agricultural industries have had to adjust to changes in markets, cost structures, government policies and technology as well as environmental risks including drought and natural disasters. How agriculture responds to these changes, however, varies from region to region with some industries remaining static or declining while others have evolved and adapted more readily to change

A place-based agriculture development framework

This project aimed to explore agriculture’s economic contribution at a regional level and by understanding this contribution, identify ways to improve regional development and planning. The Wet Tropics of North Queensland was used as a focal area to research agriculture’s contribution to place-based regional development.The Wet Tropics region has recently gone through significant change as a result of industry deregulation and globalisation. The tobacco industry has disappeared, the dairy industry has more than halved in size and the sugar industry has experienced significant reform. In response, the region has sought to diversify, with the emergence of new horticultural industries, and a developing agri-tourism sector. In the past decade, the region has also been impacted by two severe tropical cyclones, highlighting the increasing risks of climate change to agriculture. Governments have responded to these pressures through a range of industry adjustment, environmental and regional development programs. This diversity of regional industries and experiences, and the region’s position in northern Australia (where both governments and industry have prioritised growing agricultural production) made the Wet Tropics an ideal location to focus this research.The research is well placed to inform debates on the development of northern Australia, and inform regional development processes where agriculture is a key contributor to a regional economy. A framework has been designed to support the development of a new regional vision for agriculture; one focused on maximising agriculture’s contribution to overall regional development based on a region’s competitive advantage.It is hoped that the report will be useful to regions seeking to develop their own place-based strategies, in order to maximise agriculture’s contribution to regional development. It is also hoped that the report provides useful information in order for government, industry and communities to better consider ways to maximise agriculture’s overall contribution to regional development

Connections: The contribution of social capital to regional development

This article explores perceptions of social capital and sustainability of farming and its contribution to regional development. A review of the literature highlights challenges in the operationalization of social capital as a development tool and the limits of research that gauges community perceptions of the role of social capital in their region’s development. The current study investigated stakeholder attitudes regarding regional development within a target region in North Queensland, Australia. Focus groups were conducted at regional, state and national levels. Findings suggest stakeholders perceived social capital to be important for farming sustainability and regional development, but thought it could variously help or hinder effective development. Future research should embrace social capital as a multi-dimensional construct with positive and negative implications for regional development depending on stage and context. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Tourism development in agricultural landscapes: The case of the Atherton Tablelands, Australia

This paper demonstrates how the landscape is an integral component in the development of tourism experiences in agricultural regions. It proposes that agricultural landscapes are composed of three components: naturescape, farmscape and culturescape. Building on the tourist gaze, this research demonstrates how tourists can move from viewing the landscape to engaging with it. A case study of the Atherton Tablelands, located in the Wet Tropics region of Australia, was conducted using content analysis and field observations. The results show that the development of activities within the culturescape enables tourists to engage with the agricultural landscape. This finding has important implications for the farmscape, where agricultural resources (produce) are often used in the creation of memorable tourism experiences in agricultural regions. © 2016 Landscape Research Group Ltd

A place-based agriculture development framework

This project aimed to explore agriculture’s economic contribution at a regional level and by understanding this contribution, identify ways to improve regional development and planning. The Wet Tropics of North Queensland was used as a focal area to research agriculture’s contribution to place-based regional development.The Wet Tropics region has recently gone through significant change as a result of industry deregulation and globalisation. The tobacco industry has disappeared, the dairy industry has more than halved in size and the sugar industry has experienced significant reform. In response, the region has sought to diversify, with the emergence of new horticultural industries, and a developing agri-tourism sector. In the past decade, the region has also been impacted by two severe tropical cyclones, highlighting the increasing risks of climate change to agriculture. Governments have responded to these pressures through a range of industry adjustment, environmental and regional development programs. This diversity of regional industries and experiences, and the region’s position in northern Australia (where both governments and industry have prioritised growing agricultural production) made the Wet Tropics an ideal location to focus this research.The research is well placed to inform debates on the development of northern Australia, and inform regional development processes where agriculture is a key contributor to a regional economy. A framework has been designed to support the development of a new regional vision for agriculture; one focused on maximising agriculture’s contribution to overall regional development based on a region’s competitive advantage.It is hoped that the report will be useful to regions seeking to develop their own place-based strategies, in order to maximise agriculture’s contribution to regional development. It is also hoped that the report provides useful information in order for government, industry and communities to better consider ways to maximise agriculture’s overall contribution to regional development