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Dr Neil Barr is the leader of the Rural, Social Research Team with the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria.
Why do some country football teams find it hard to survive? Why are Beaut Blokes weekends so popular? Why are some small country towns dying and others thriving? Will the corporate farm supersede the family farm? What is the 'grass change'? Where does the city end and the country begin? What are the environmental concerns of farmers? Why are wind generators so controversial? How do we shape the countryside and its environment by what we choose in the supermarket?
These are just some of the questions that researcher Neil Barr is being asked by rural communities in an effort to understand, explain and manage change in their communities.
The nature of Dr Barr's rural social research work is changing as he responds to a growing number of requests to explain his research.
'From once seeing these requests as an interruption to the work of a researcher, I am now seeing these requests as the reason for my career,' said Dr Barr.
'As a researcher, I find I am learning as much from the community as they learn from me. Their questions increasingly set my own preferred research agenda.'
The increasing need for explanations of the commercial applications and social implications of his research is changing the nature of Dr Barr's career as a researcher.
The various reports of Dr Barr and his colleagues do not fill the expansive gap that remains beyond the reach of personal involvement. These reports are not always accessible, are often written for a specialised audience and most importantly, do not offer an holistic interpretation of the present and future of farming and rural communities.
The Land & Water Australia Senior Research Fellowship award will allow Dr Barr the breathing space he needs to complete a manuscript based on his experiences as a rural social researcher. Much of the research that will be used as the basis for the book, including case studies, has already been completed or is well underway.
The work that remains is that of review, integration and rewriting. It is expected that the book will entertain and stimulate. Above all, the book will challenge the preconceptions of Australian farming, the forces that have created our rural communities and what part we all play in shaping the future of our farms and farming landscapes.