Selected Completed Projects
Programme 1: Agribusiness information systems
Project | Type of project | Partners | Stage | Completion | Description | Go there… | Contact person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valuation of supply chain information | PhD programme | Completed | 2020 | PhD student Nikki Zhang is surveying meat industry firms, farms and retailers to generate estimates of the financial value of information in the Australian red meat supply chains. | Paper on treatment of product quality information in the red meat supply chains | Nikki Zhang Derek Baker Garry Griffith Emilio Morales Nam Hoang | |
Improved livestock data collection methods | Research and pilot project | FAO, Ministries of Livestock and Agriculture in Indonesia, Botswana and Tanzania | Completed | 2017 | Under the Global Strategy for Improving Agricultural Statistics, UNE researchers Phil Morley, Michael Coleman, Derek Baker and Omphile Temoso are using survey data to test and apply new livestock data collection methods. | Report on field work Report on data gap analysis Report literature review Conference presentation on measurements on sheep and goats, Botswana | Derek Baker Phil Morley |
Application of Australian livestock data collection and processing methods for use in emerging markets | Pilot project | Funded internally by the UNE Centre for Agribusiness. | Completed | 2019 | This project built on the now-complete FAO pilot project by testing and promoting Australian expertise, equipment and systems in new markets. | Conference abstract presented 19 July 2017 in Marrakesh, Morocco | Derek Baker Omphile Temoso |
Development of the UNE SMART DATA COMMUNITY | Short consultancy | UNE SMART Regional Incubator | Completed | 2017 | UNE staff member Matthew Wysel developed a data platform that provides an entry point for business to UNE’s data, expertise and industrial applications. | Matthew Wysel Derek Baker | |
Female agricultural entrepreneurs in the Australian context | Field work to map entrepreneurship | Completed | 2020 | 56 women from across Australia who had started agricultural enterprises were interviewed from 2017-2019. This included farmers as well as women providing professional services across the agricultural value chain such as financial planning, PR, HR and ag tech. The project found evidence of female agricultural entrepreneurs seizing opportunities in key emerging markets such as sustainable and short supply chain agriculture and professional services which strengthened rural economies and the agriculture sector more broadly. | Lucie Newsome Alison Sheridan | ||
Review of CGIAR Research Program | Peer review | CGIAR Evaluation program | Completed | 2020 | A peer review of CGIAR research program. | Derek Baker | |
Food Waste Event “What a Waste” | Global Town Hall Meeting mixing stakeholders | NSW EPA Australian of Agricultural and Resource Economics Society Armidale Regional Council | Completed | 2019 | This large and high profile endeavour sought to open up the subject of food waste to a variety of stakeholders spanning local organisations through to international firms and development funding agencies. | Derek Baker |
Programme 2: Commercialisation and uptake of technologies in agribusiness
Project | Type of project | Partners | Stage | Completion | Description | Go there… | Contact person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Strategy for digital transformation in Australian Chicken meat | Desktop and Industry Consultation | Food Agility CRC Agrifutures | Completed | 2020 | An industry consultation and scoping study of the Australian chicken meat industry, focused on key technologies and development steps associated with digital transformation. | (Report in press) | Derek Baker |
Identification of Research Priorities in Enhancing Australian Food Supply Chain Resilience | Working Group’s work on enhancing the resilience of Australian Food Supply Chains | Food Agility CRC | Completed | 2020 | An 8-member team acted as an Expert Working Group to synthesise appropriate indicators of resilience and the key decision variables surrounding investments in supporting research. | (Report in press) | Derek Baker Stuart Mounter |
Identification of key investments in digital investments in the downstream supply chain in developing countries | Chapter for the World Bank’s annual investment strategic plan | Food Agility CRC World Bank | Completed | 2020 | Identification of applications of digital technologies to improve efficiency and equity within developing countries’ downstream supply chains. | (Report in press) | Derek Baker Ashely Rootsey |
Feasibility study on options for the NSW glasshouse industry | An analysis of industry potential, and policy options for industry development | NSW government | Completed | 2017 | Glasshouse development is a major new force in agribusiness and in regional economies. This project sets the scene for NSW and identifies roles for government and industry. | Report on potential for Controlled Environment Horticulture in NSW | David Hadley |
Business case for establishment of a Red Meat Processing Innovation Centre of Excellence | Survey of Red Meat processors, synthesis of foreign experience, analysis of industry research emphasis | Australian Meat Processors’ Council NSW Department of Primary Industry | Completed | 2016 | This project informed Red Meat industry decisions about the establishment and maintenance of a Centre of Excellence for Innovation in the industry. | Derek Baker | |
System Dynamics Modelling of Smallholder Systems in Developing Countries | PhD Program | CGIAR | Completed | 2017 | This PhD program addressed supply chain performance measurement while incorporating the inherent dynamics of smallholder production and marketing systems. Primarily dealing with technology adoption, the PhD provides policy guidance on design and sequencing of interventions. | Kanar Dizyee Heather Burrow Euan Fleming Derek Baker | |
Examination of factors influencing agribusiness innovation in developing countries | Study which used a World Bank international agribusiness database | Funded internally by the UNE Centre for Agribusiness. | Completed | 2019 | This project involved analysis of a an existing World Bank database on agribusiness firms from across developing and middle-income countries. | Derek Baker Masood Azeem | |
Keynote presentation for International Farm Management Association | Keynote address | International Farm Management Association | Completed | 2019 | A keynote address providing an economist’s view on innovation and farm systems in Australia. | Derek Baker | |
Webinar on inclusive supply chains and development. | A series of presentations by alumni of ACIAR’s Meryl Williams Fellowship scheme | UNE’s international development “GEAReD” program ACIAR | Completed | 2020 | This webinar examines practical issues of securing inclusivity in developing countries’ supply chains. It features input from ACIAR on the centrality of inclusiveness in its commissioned research. | Derek Baker | |
Workshop on establishment of the Circular Economy in NSW’s regions | Stakeholder consultation and workshop | NSW Circular | Completed | 2019 | This workshop drew participants from around New England and Northwest NSW, for the purpose of identifying suitable pilot projects and suitable support structures for them. | Derek Baker |
Programme 3: Policy and decision tools
Project | Type of project | Partners | Stage | Completion | Description | Go there… | Contact person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Improved decision tools for infrastructure planning in regional Australia | Development of alternative and broadened sets of measures and analysis for evaluation of rural road improvement | Rural Roads Australia Moree Plains Shire Council Gwydir Shire Council | Completed | 2018 | The upkeep and improvement of rural roads is a major cost item to central authorities and so is subject to certain criteria and analytic procedures. These may not recognise certain key roles in value addition to the products of regional Australia, nor the nature such regions of road use. This study will offer a way forward based on a case study, and illuminate policy options. | Derek Baker, David Hadley | |
Modelling farm-scale trade-offs between production and carbon farming | Development of optimisation models for policy analysis and extension | NSW DPI | Completed | 2021 | This project is contributing to the NSW DPI Climate Change Research Strategy. Outputs include (1) a farm-system model that includes options to participate in carbon markets by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases at the whole farm level; (2) applications based on real-farm case studies to test how typical farming systems in NSW can benefit from opportunities under the Emissions Reduction Fund of the Federal Government; (3) training materials for application of the model. | Outputs pending | Oscar Cacho |
Evaluation of project proposals | Evaluation of proposals for small research grants to study the impacts of COVID-19 on agrifood supply chains in developing counties | ACIAR ARSF program | Completed | 2020 | Derek Baker | ||
A study of the impact on food shoppers’ behaviour of the opening of an Aldi store in Armidale NSW | A survey-based analysis of change in peoples’ shopping behaviour | Funded internally by the UNE Centre for Agribusiness. | Completed | 2020 | Much is made of the dominance of Australia’s duopoly food retail structure, and the entry of Aldi is being followed with interest. Few studies directly address the period surrounding the opening of an Aldi store and the response of consumers. | Rene Villano, Stuart Mounter, Garry Griffith and Derek Baker Masood Azeem | |
Developing and testing the concept of value chain failure in the pig meat and fruit and vegetable industries | Building on previous work with Beef supply chains, applications for improved supply chain performance are extended to other commodities | MLA, University of Bonn, Germany | Completed | 2018 | In this project, the concepts of chain failure and chain goods are being applied to sustainability questions in the Australian and German pig meat and fruit and vegetable industries. The aim is to understand how different trading and policy environments help or hinder whole of chain solutions. Animal welfare and food waste are particular concerns in this project. | Publication on industry clusters | Garry Griffith Euan Fleming, Stuart Mounter |
Measuring the benefits of beef genomic technologies in the Wyoming cattle industry | Building on Australian experience, application is made to a State-level commodity beef industry in the USA. | University of Wyoming, USA | Completed | 2017 | This project measures the benefits of beef genomic technologies in the Wyoming cattle industry. The project also builds on partnership with the University of Wyoming, the hosts of our student agribusiness study tour in June 2017. | Garry Griffith | |
Designing and implementing new free range value chains in the small scale and emerging sector of the South African beef industry | Development and testing of smallholder capacities for action on competitive supply chains. | Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Agricultural Research Council (South Africa), National Agricultural Marketing Council (South Africa) | Completed | 2020 | New value chains for pasture finished beef from small-scale and emerging cattle farmers are being developed and trialed with some of South Africa’s major supermarket chains. Typically the cattle owned by these farmers are not suited to feedlot finishing (70% of beef consumed in South Africa is grain fed), and the farmers have to sell into low value local markets. A high value market for pasture finished beef is currently met by imports. The project tests local supply in this role. | Heather Burrow Garry Griffith | |
Design of tertiary education programmes for Australian agribusiness | Survey and consultation with Australian agribusiness firms about securing and retaining employees with suitable qualifications. | DFAT Australia under the COALAR programme, Universidad Nacional del Sur (Argentina), Australian Meat Processors’ Corporation, Armidale Business Chamber, IT International | Completed | 2018 | Experience with study scholarships, recruitment of graduates and postgraduates, retention of graduate staff, and industry-level collaboration will be surveyed. Elements of industry strategy will be formulated and partnerships established between commercial firms and UNE. | Derek Baker | |
Links between the regional economy and agribusiness | Development of regional development indicators, and extensions to agribusiness | Funded internally by the UNE Centre for Agribusiness. | Completed | 2018 | State-level economic performance measures do not necessarily reflect that of the regions and the primary industries, and this project disaggregates data to provide a fuller picture. | Shawn Leu Ed Lefley Derek Baker |
