	JOINT VENTURE AGROFORESTRY PROGRAM The Joint Venture Agroforestry Program was established in 1993 and is jointly funded by the Rural Industries, Land & Water Australia, and Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporations (RIRDC, L&W Australia and FWPRDC). The Natural Heritage Trust, the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, the Grains R&D Corporation, and the Australian Greenhouse Office also contribute to the program.
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Click here for information on the application process, and to apply for RIRDC scholarships
Objective:
To provide knowledge to underpin profitable, sustainable and resilient agroforestry within Australian farming systems and landscapes.
Research Managers:
Lisa Robins, phone: 02 6230 6779, email robins.consulting@bigpond.com
Bruce Munday, phone 08 8538 7075, email bruce@clearconnections.com.au
New:

The Joint Venture Agroforestry Program brochure (PDF 960k)

Farm Forestry and Agroforestry Reference Library Database - now online

JVAP Research Results:
JVAP research publications for sale	Free downloadable research reports
Free Short Reports (research summaries)	Five-year JVAP R&D Plan
Completed Projects in 2007-2008 & Research in Progress as at June 2008
Agroforestry Agfacts (factsheets)
About the JVAP Research Program:
Strategies for 2007-2008	Key longterm strategies
Some key performance indicators	Background
Strategies for 2007-2008	Expected key outputs in 2007-2008
Expected key outcomes in 2007-2008	New Projects funded in 2007-2008
Total program budget 2007-2008	RIRDC sponsored events
Related links:
The Biomass Task Force- Bioenergy Australia Australian Greenhouse Office

Key long term strategies

Develop new commercial products and value-add existing products to promote profitable agroforestry industries
Analyse markets for product suitability, value and regional development options, to facilitate improved product-market linkages
Develop and improve agroforestry designs to optimise social, economic and environmental factors at the paddock, farm and regional-landscape scale
Demonstrate mechanisms for valuation and trading of environmental services provided by agroforestry (including private native forestry and farm forestry) and their impacts.
Investigate new policy and institutional arrangements that stimulate agroforestry investment.

Background
The Joint Venture Agroforestry Program (JVAP), a partnership since 1993, assists the development of profitable agroforestry industries while delivering beneficial natural resource management outcomes. Farm forestry (or agroforestry) differs from industrial forestry, in that it is integrated into existing agricultural farms, generally as mixed farming enterprises. Woody perennials are combined with cropping and livestock, with decisions made by farmers and landholders and a focus on commercial returns (DAFF 2005). There are six main product streams and services: wood and fibre, eucalyptus oil and oil products, other extractives, energy, carbon sequestration and environmental services, and food and fodder.

Farm forestry includes both planted and native forests. In Australia, estimated gross value of production at mill gate (i.e. unprocessed) for the forestry sector is $1637.3 million per annum, including $799.7 million hardwood species (ABARE 2006). Farm forests and joint ventures currently represent approx. 11% of the plantation estate, with a significant increase in farm planting since 1995. Native forests represent $649.3 million, of which private (farm) native forestry remains a significant contributor (e.g. 45% in some regions). Emerging markets are carbon, biomass for energy, and environmental services, with scope for broadscale expansion on Australia’s land base. Much of this expansion must be on private lands. There is also increased interest in the use of woody fodder (agroforestry) to improve farm resilience to drought and climate change.

Australian and State policies support plantation expansion through the Plantations for Australia 2020 vision, and revegetation through major Natural Resource Management (NRM) initiatives. Planting of deep-rooted woody perennials (trees, mallee, saltbush etc) is a key strategy to address biodiversity, salinity, soil erosion, water quality and carbon sequestration. There is a changing political environment recognising opportunities for carbon sequestration and renewable energy in response to global warming and climate change.

The key challenges for the farm forestry and agroforestry sector are: 1) improving resource information for plantation activity and private native forestry, 2) improving regional coordination to expand scale, market access, and infrastructure, 3) long rotation times, and 4) multiple small scale growers leading to difficulty in extension and adoption. R&D can provide benefits through improving genetic material suited to the land resource available, demonstrating commercial farming systems (despite long crop cycles), analysing infrastructure, harvesting technology and marketing needs, and addressing impediments to creation of regional scales of resource. The JVAP Five-year R&D Plan addresses these challenges via research on products, product-market linkages, and agricultural systems design at the paddock, farm and landscape scale. Complementing these research priorities, JVAP will emphasise information delivery and national coordination of agroforestry research.

Some Key Performance Indicators

Quantified assessment of the environmental services provided by agroforestry on-farm and for key regions, for use by land managers and regional groups
Cineole and lignin derivates evaluated for extraction efficiency, and promoted for industry evaluation of new product potential
Evaluations available for regional industry potential for selected new agroforestry products and systems in low to medium rainfall zones.
Guidelines for landholders to demonstrate the effect of management decisions on agroforestry outcomes and whole-of-farm commercial viability

Strategies for 2007–08

On a regional basis, project existing and potential volume of supply from agroforestry tree products, and predict planting and marketing needs

Coordinate a regional assessment and prioritisation of catchments suitable for significant expansion in agroforestry to address regional economic, social and environmental targets. Identify new products from woody perennials, particularly for broadscale planting in low to medium rainfall zones to address dryland salinity and manage landscape hydrology

Define the nature, quantity and impacts of environmental services provided by agroforestry (including private native forestry and farm forestry)

This sub-program has its own five year R&D plan which is accessible in hardcopy and on the Internet at www.rirdc.gov.au/pub/aft5yr.htm

Expected key outputs for 2007–08

Evaluations of regional industry potential for new agroforestry products and systems in low to medium rainfall zones, including current resource, and regional infrastructure and marketing needs

Farm case studies to demonstrate the contribution of agroforestry to whole-of-farm commercial viability (based on quantified financial returns and environmental service outcomes)

Cineole, lignin and other tree-based chemicals evaluated for extraction efficiency for industrial applications, and results communicated to industry

Expected key outcomes in 2007–08

Increased understanding at government and industry level of the triple-bottom line contribution of agroforestry to regional economies

Greater acceptance by landholders of the financial returns and management decisions for commercial and sustainable farm forestry and agroforestry

This sub-program has its own Five Year Plan which is accessible in hardcopy and on the Internet at www.rirdc.gov.au/pub/aft5yr.htm

New projects being funded or under consideration in 2007–08 include:

Project No Title Researcher Phone

URS-2A Agroforestry industry evaluation: product groups, industry size, market penetration, regional coordination and value-adding opportunities URS Australia P/L 03 8699 7592

CSF-68A Prioritisation of regional opportunities for agroforestry investment Philip Polglase 02 6281 8204

TBA *Improving direct seeding of commercial native plants through improved understanding of germination, moisture management and weed control Geoff Woodall 08 9898427

TBA *Adoption and impact of farm forestry Hassall and Associates 02 6884 6250

TBA *Markets for ecosystem services for vegetation management – building capacity, sharing knowledge and communications the results of research

TBA * Research highlights from the Joint Venture Agroforestry Program – fourteen years on

Note: An asterisk (*) indicates that the Corporation is still to finalise amendments to the project.

Research Budget: $1,254,440

RIRDC sponsored events

Events JVAP has previosuly sponsored:

The Australian Forest Growers conference, 22-25 October 2006, in Launceston Tasmania. "Sustainable forestry - everybody benefits" (http://www.afg.asn.au/conferences/2006_conference.html, and http://www.conferenceplus.com.au/AFG/)
XXII IUFRO World Congress 8-13 August 2005, Brisbane Australia "Forests in the Balance: Linking Tradition and Technology"
The First World Congress on Agroforestry in Orlando, Florida on 27 June-2 July 2004. "Working together for Sustainable Land use Systems" http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/WCA/#update
The Australian Forest Growers conference 3-5 May, 2004 in Ballarat Victoria. "Integrating forestry into farms, communities and catchments "

(http://www.afg.asn.au/conferences/conferences.html)

AgFacts - Agricultural information from around Australia

In an effort to bring you the latest and most comprehensive collection of agricultural information from around Australia, we have compiled this list of links to fact sheets produced by State agricultural departments and research agencies. Each agency retains full copyright and we ask you to respect that copyright and to contact each organisation before using their material for other than personal, educational or any other fair dealing purpose.