Signposts for Australian Agriculture Stage 2a

Product Information

This report describes refinements to the design of the framework in response to the structured consultations, BRS work with the grains industry, and the recommendations of the ABARE review and investigates three additional features:

1. Opportunities and threats that could affect an industry’s contributions to ecologically sustainable development (ESD)
2. Pathways by which governments and other parties seek to influence industry contributions to ESD
3. Management practices - a key component of many pathways and of particular interest to research and development corporations (RDCs) and many government programs.

The main findings of this report are:

• There is strong support for the Signposts concept and framework and a clear message that the main focus should be on reporting, that is, finalising the draft outcome statements and indicators, populating the framework with available data and using it to both describe and analyse natural resource issues.
• The Signposts framework has received some refinements, but has withstood scrutiny in terms of its basic form and underlying conceptual framework. Opportunities and threats, pathways and management practices can be adequately handled within the existing structure and there is no need to delay the basic task of populating the framework.
• There is potential for further development of the pathways concept. Some of this development may occur spontaneously as Signposts develops into a usable product and particular programs or institutions find an advantage in linking their activities to the Signposts outcomes.