Welcome from the Dean

Our focus is on providing the knowledge that will underpin solutions to the most significant and challenging issues of our time;

• How can we feed the world, especially when climates and resources such as water are changing constantly?
• How can Australia meet its commitments to improve our balance of:
  
  • emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases;
    
  • their sequestration or removal from the atmosphere
• How can we use all of our resources in a sustainable way, for all purposes, including the production of energy?
• How can we produce nutritious food and high quality fibre without degrading environmental values such as the quality of soil, water and the atmosphere?
• How do we use markets and other economic and policy instruments to help us do all of the above?

Two points can be made immediately. Real solutions to the above questions lie not in our cities but “in the bush”. Australia has a wealth of land and it is our use of that land that will determine how well we meet the challenges.

We welcome students who share our passion for application of science and economics to these major issues. It is increasingly clear that providing solutions is an exciting career path. Opportunities for skilled graduates in these “new science” areas are growing exponentially. Previously unheard of opportunities in fields such as carbon and water trading, food futures, ecohydrology, and sustainability complement recent developments in catchment management, land rehabilitation, molecular biology and many more. Our graduates can be found in merchant banks, in environmental consultancies, in scientific research organizations around the world, in government departments and a host of other progressive institutions. When coupled to the on-going demand for both generalists and specialists within traditional fields such as agronomy, urban and rural horticulture, plant breeding and pests and diseases, the future for graduates is bright indeed.

Obviously, our degrees emphasise quantitative and analytical skills. However we focus our teaching on “learning by doing” and students get ample opportunity for adding to theory via learning during field trips, study tours, work experience and practical classes.

Research is our other primary focus and meshes seamlessly with our teaching. It is thus no surprise that much of our research is based “in the bush” and students thus engage with land-owners, industry and government agencies, especially in senior years as they develop their knowledge of the cutting edge of their chosen fields of endeavour. Our research is world-leading in fields across environmental and agricultural sciences and our researchers and students are involved in international collaborations that span the globe. Our increasing emphasis on the ecosystem sciences – those that truly impact at local, regional and global scales – meets head-on the challenges of the future.

Professor Mark Adams
Dean Faculty of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources