Jacqui Dibden

Jacqui Dibden
Senior Research Fellow, Sustainability, Environment and Society

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  The research aims to generate insights into the impact of national and regional social and economic changes upon communities and individuals at the local level, and to contribute to rural, farm and environmental policy development.

 

Fields of interest:

• social change in rural Indonesia and Australia
• social impacts of rural restructuring
• regulation and governance of agriculture and natural resources
• sustainability of farming, rural areas and country towns
• environmental management on farms
• ecosystem services and land stewardship
• social movements
• regulation and conflicts surrounding agricultural biotechnology
• land-use change and environmental history

Research focus:

My research forms part of a broader suite of research activities under the auspices of the Monash Regional Australia Project (MRAP). This project was first established in 1999 to contribute to an understanding of a widely perceived ‘crisis’ in the bush. The research aims to generate insights into the impact of national and regional social and economic changes upon communities and individuals at the local level, and to contribute to rural, farm and environmental policy development.

Major current research topics are:

1. Regulation and Governance of Agricultural Biotechnology: GMOs in Australia and the United Kingdom (with Professor Chris Cocklin, James Cook University, and Professor David Gibbs, University of Hull, UK).
   
   This ARC Discovery Project (2008-2010) is concerned with the development, social contestation, growth and regulation of the biotechnology sector, specifically genetically modified organisms in the form of seeds, crops, animals and foods. The research is examining the interplay between the suggested benefits of adopting and encouraging the new technology and the negative aspects that may arise. It will also analyse the attempts that have been made through regulation and governance to mediate the debates and manage the associated risks. The project aims to increase public understanding of the changes occurring in rural and regional areas and to make a contribution to the development of State and Federal government policies which more effectively address the needs of rural communities. As part of this research, I have been interviewing people with interests in the regulation of GM crops, as well as people living and working in rural areas where these crops are already grown or are likely to be grown in future. We are seeking to understand their views, experiences and knowledge of the changes occurring in their region or within their industry sector.
   
   
2. From Productivism to Multifunctionality? Agri-environmental Governance in Australia and the United Kingdom (with Professor Chris Cocklin, and Professor Geoff Wilson, University of Plymouth, UK).
   
   This research is concerned with the policy debate surrounding the governance of farming and natural resource management – in particular with the problem of how to combine competitive agriculture with the need to move towards more sustainable land management and viable rural communities. The research has contributed to an understanding of the concept of 'multifunctionality', which has policy implications for agriculture, trade and international relations. ‘Multifunctionality’ – the notion that farming provides multiple benefits – originated in Europe and has been viewed with suspicion by Australian governments as a stratagem to permit continued subsidisation of agriculture. A dilemma for Australian governments is how to reconcile their long-standing opposition to farm subsidies with the need to help farmers deal with environmental problems. In recent years, there have been signs of a shift by governments at both state and federal levels towards a recognition that farmers cannot be expected to undertake ‘public good’ environmental work without public support. (This project received ARC Discovery Project funding in 2005-07.)
   
   
3. Sustainable farming in Australia: Market instruments for improved land management (with Dr Vaughan Higgins, HUMCASS, Monash - Gippsland).
   Australian farmers are under increasing pressure to adopt improved land management practices at a time when farm viability is threatened by climate change and volatile global markets.
   
   Sustainable farming has become a national priority. As climate change and global economic pressures increase the problems facing rural areas, Australian governments have attempted to combine more sustainable land management with a competitive agricultural sector. Several policy instruments using market incentives have been proposed to manage the competing demands of farm viability and environmental sustainability. Research conducted thus far has examined the adoption of environmental management systems in the beef and dairy industries, and the use of ‘auction systems’ providing incentives to farmers to (for example) preserve habitats, manage areas of native vegetation and plant trees to prevent salinity.

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