Centre for Agribusiness Project Pipeline

Programme 1: Agribusiness information systems

Project in pipeline Type of projectPartnersStageFinishDescription Contact person

Data Sharing Platforms as mechanisms for generating value from data

PhD programme

Arthur Rickards Scholarship for Innovation in Agribusiness

Ongoing

2021

PhD student Matthew Wysel is examining the mechanisms by which Data Sharing Platforms are used to generate value from data. His work lays out the mechanisms by which such value is generated and then examines the decisions made by the owners of data about how much of it to share and in what form. He is examining applications to Australian cattle and sheep breeding systems, where breeders face decisions regarding the sharing of their data on animal performance.

Matthew Wysel

Derek Baker

William Billingsley

Contribution to improvement of the Ethiopian livestock inventory for improved measurement and management of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Field research and pilot project

ACIAR

Unique Forestry and Land Use

Field work and pilots completed

2021

Ethiopian livestock systems contribute significantly to GHG production in that country. Improvement in the country’s livestock inventory will enable a better approach to management of GHG. This project identifies and tests improved methods for quantifying animal numbers, animal performance and aspects of husbandry and waste management.

View the Emissions Roadmap

Derek Baker

Improved methods of livestock data collection for Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Ethiopia

Field research and pilot project

USAID FAS

Unique Forestry and Land Use

Contracting

2022

This project applies past work to enhanced sampling and data collection in the Oromia region of Ethiopia.

Derek Baker

Assessment of agency for women in smallholder livestock systems

PhD program

ICARDA and CGIAR

Ongoing

2023

PhD student Wole Kinati Wakjira is using a large scale survey of smallholder livestock systems in Ethiopia to examine women’s agency. Various development-oriented indices of women’s empowerment and agency are used. Analysis centres on the factors affecting agency, and looks ahead to ways to improve it in inclusive development initiatives.

Wole Kinati Wakjira

Elizabeth Temple

Derek Baker

Alternative management systems for grassfed cattle systems in Northern NSW

PhD program

 

Mid-way

2022

A survey-based study of management systems in the context of drought.

Lorraine Gordon

Paul Kristiansen

Derek Baker

Measurement and Management of factors affecting Resilience in Food Supply Chains

Assembly of best practice materials; Field work

Seeking Partners

Started

2022

This project targets the development and use of metrics for supply chain resilience. Further research will identify factors affecting resilience along the supply chain.

Derek Baker

Programme 2: Commercialisation and uptake of technologies in agribusiness

Project in pipeline Type of projectPartnersStageFinishDescription Contact person

Identification of farmers’ constraints to achieving NSW’s $30 billion agricultural economy by 2030

Survey and analysis of farm enterprise level data in NSW

NSW Farmers

Future Food Systems CRC

Contracting

2021

This project addresses NSW’s target of generating $30 Billion in farm products by 2030: so-called 30X30. NSW’s farmers are variously placed to take advantage of technologies and systems to the constraints faced in participating in

Derek Baker

Michael Coleman

Mary Goodacre

Brian Sindel

Uptake of contracts and advanced agricultural marketing by Vietnamese coffee producers

PhD program

 

Ongoing

2023

This project uses a survey of smallholder coffee producers in two locations in Vietnam to examine incentives and mechanisms by which contracts and other connections to the modern supply chain can benefit the producers.

Lan Vu

Paul Kristiansen

Mitchell Welch

Derek Baker

Influence of the use of a Commodity Exchange in the impact of COVID 19

Analysis of secondary data and field work with farmers

ACIAR ARSF

Ongoing

2021

This project measures the impact of COVID 19 on farm gate and wholesale prices of a range of commodities in Ethiopia. The research assesses the extent to which the operation of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange has offset price volatility

Yohannis Mulu

Derek Baker

Innovation in agricultural sector Green House Gas abatement in NSW

Development of economic models for greenhouse gas abatement, food production and environmental outcomes

ARC LINKAGE GRANT

University of South Australia.

NSW DPI

Deakin U

Ongoing

2023

This project aims to develop a land sector greenhouse gas abatement, food production and environmental economics model for NSW. We expect to identify innovation in carbon payment policy and brokerage business models to achieve agricultural GHG abatement, while simultaneously improving sustainability. The project expects to provide benefits to landholders, governments involved in land management and the public through increased productivity, profitability, biodiversity and ecosystem health in the context of future climate, agricultural commodity and carbon market uncertainties.

Oscar Cacho

Identifying the Value Proposition for Digital Transformation in the Australian Agrofood sector

Industry consultation

Seeking partner

Started

2022

This project employs multiple sources of data to address the well-documented constraint on digital transformation in Australian Agrifood: that the nature of the investment, and the return on it, are not clear. The study examines the nature of the Value Proposition across a range of sectors, technologies and management systems.

Derek Baker

Programme 3: Policy and decision tools

Project in pipeline Type of projectPartnersStageFinishDescription Contact person

Measurement and management of Social Enterprises in Agricultural Development

PhD program

 

Ongoing

2021

Social enterprises and social entrepreneurship are seen as good candidates for grappling with global challenges. This is particularly the case where private sector action and government programs have failed in the past. This project takes a quantitative approach to the specification and measurement of

Peter Musinguzi

Renato Villano

Nicolette Larder

Derek Baker

Survey of short supply chains in food systems in New England and the Northwest

Analysis of private sector firms

Internally funded by Centre of Agribusiness

Ongoing

2022

This project targets a more resilient agri-food system and improved models of operation that are socially and environmentally just and sustainable. The project is documenting the diversity of regional agri-food supply chains in the New England region and exploring consumers’ experiences and perspectives of in engaging with just and sustainable diverse agri-food supply chains.

Lucie Newsome

Nicolette Larder

Amy Lykins

Agricultural Policy Research to Support Natural Resource Management in Indonesia’s Upland Landscapes

Policy to enable adoption of sustainable agriculture practices in smallholder systems in Indonesian highlands

ACIAR

Ongoing

2022

This project provides advice to the Indonesian Government on policy interventions that would enhance long-term agricultural productivity, reduce negative environmental externalities and improve household welfare in Indonesia’s upland catchments. The projects combines household surveys, spatial data and modelling to provide alternative policy pathways to improve the environmental and long-term performance of agriculture in upland catchments.

Oscar Cacho

Low Carbon and the Agroindustrial Supply Chains: impacts on Australian Farmers

Development and analysis of real-world scenarios

Agrifutures

Common Capital

Contracting

2022

This project assembles information from the national and international agrifood value chains in order to model the likely impacts of changed Carbon management on Australian farmers.

Derek Baker

“She’ll be right!”- The intersections of gender, law and socio-economics on intergenerational farm succession in rural Australia.

Field work to understand the role of gender in intergenerational farm transfer

UNE Foundation Research Project Grant

Seeking partner

Ongoing

2022

This cross-disciplinary project seeks to better understand how gender may impact on contemporary succession decisions. This research will provide deeper insights into the impact of succession decisions on the intergenerational transfer of farming assets, and will assist farm succession planners and affected community members to address gender equity issues in succession practices.

View the Research paper.

Lucie Newsome

Developments in the smallholder coffee value chain

PhD program

 

Ongoing

2024

This project examines the relationships within the coffee supply chain in developing countries. In particular, it examines the extent to which benefits form advances in supply chain performance are shared along the supply chain. Its analysis addresses factors affecting performance, and design of future systems.

Daniel Hill

Daniel Gregg

Oscar Cacho

Derek Baker

Innovation-driven Business Models in the Indonesian Smallholder cattle value chain

PhD (Innovation) program

ACIAR

Global Food Studies, U of Adelaide

Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

Indonesian Center for Agricultural Socio Economic and Policy Studies (ICASEPS), The World Agroforestry Centre

WWF Jakarta,

Ongoing

2021

This project addresses the connection between Indonesian smallholder cattle producers and the nation’s commercial feedlot and beef industry. Using a unique data set, the study identifies innovation activities carried out by smallholder producers and uses analytic tools to identify and characterise Business Models according to current business organisation theory. Identification of the Business Models, based on their innovation behaviour, offers substantial insight into the direction to be taken by government and private sector actors in developing inclusive marketing systems.

See:

Business Models and Innovation in the Indonesian Smallholder Beef Value Chain

Zenal Asikin

Derek Baker

Renato Villano

Relationship quality in Western Australian lamb supply chains, and its relationship to innovation in supplying export markets

Survey at farm level and along the value chain

Greenleaf Enterprises

Completed

2021

Penny Graham’s dissertation work looks at the ways in which relationships between producers and processors can contribute to innovation in Australian export lamb marketing.

In press

Penny Graham

Derek Baker

Garry Griffith

Strategies for offsetting impacts of COVID 19 on the Vietnamese flower and vegetable value chain

Survey along the entire value chain in a locality in Vietnam

ACIAR ARSF

Ongoing

2021

This project assesses the production and retail levels of the Vietnamese supply chains for flowers and vegetables. It uses a unique survey dataset to characterise impacts of COVID-19 and effectiveness of strategies implemented by the public and private sectors, and by smallholder producers.

View:

Thi Hoa Pham

Derek Baker

Impacts of COVID 19 on consumption of vegetables in Indonesia

Survey of consumers across Indonesia

ACIAR ARSF

Ongoing

2021

This project assesses the impact of COVID-19 on vegetable purchase behaviour across Indonesia. In the context of low vegetable consumption, this study uses a unique survey dataset to identify forces at work in changing vegetable consumption.

Available in press.

Nur Fajrina

Derek Baker

Food Waste in the Australian Apple Supply Chain

PhD program

 

Ongoing

2021

This PhD project quantifies waste in the Australian Apple supply chain.

See:

Sarah Rohr

Stuart Mounter

Decision tools for managing Digital Transformation in the Australian Agrifood sector

Industry consultation and formulation of decision tools

Seeking partner

Started

2022

This project quantifies the elusive “value proposition” for digital transformation in the agri-food sector and facilitates investment decisions while identifying perverse incentives to be addressed by policy.

Derek Baker

Roles for universities and other research and teaching organisations in the Digital Transformation of Agrifood industries

Analysis of research organisation data, with surveys of regional business communities and Industry actors.

Seeking partner

Started

2022

This project targets desirable and existing knowledge flows between research and educational organisations and the rural sector and its business community. It identifies best practice for research and training formulation, delivery, and uptake.

Derek Baker