In this edition:
Using the arts
Work out there
Cleaning up country living
Thinktank for capacity learnings
For the diary
In print
Handy links
CVCB funding call

IN PRINT
Research Meets Policy: improving the uptake of your research This booklet, recently published by Land & Water Australia, aims to help researchers improve communication of research findings to policy makers at all levels of government. 

To download an electronic copy from the Land & Water Australia website go to www.lwa.gov.au/downloads/publications/pdf/PK040749.pdf

You can order a hard copy through Land & Water Australia’s Products Catalogue at 
http:/ /www.lwa.gov.au/products.asp

SUBSCRIBE
To subscribe to this quarterly newsletter type "Subscribe CVCB" in the subject line and email to anne@naturallyresourceful.com.au

UNSUBSCRIBE
To unsubscribe to this newsletter type "Unsubscribe CVCBC" in the subject line and email to anne@naturallyresourceful.com.au

FOR THE DIARY
International Conference on Engaging Communities. This conference is an initiative of the United Nations and Queensland Government and will be held 14 - 17 August 2005 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

It will explore all issues related to community engagement and address the experiences, challenges and research which affect all citizens, governments and organisations alike. 

The program is designed to interest representatives from community groups, academia, government agencies, corporations, associations and the like.

Important dates:
1 December 2004 - Registration brochure available
31 March 2005 - Manuscripts and poster descriptions deadline
31 March 2005 - Earlybird and presenter registration deadline

For information contact 
Conference Managers, 
phone 07 38541611, 
email: info@engagingcommunities2005.org website: www.engagingcommunities2005.org

CVCB FUNDING CALL
John McKenzie, program coordinator for the CVCB, says that the steering committee is about to assess 70+ proposals received as a result of the recently advertised funding call. According to John the CVCB is gratified by the interest shown by research groups in working on capacity building projects. Proposals range across all the key result areas with some crossing several at once. They have been received from researchers in all states and include community and industry based projects, with catchment management being well represented. Proposals have come from consultant groups, State and Federal Government agencies, universities, CSIRO, community groups and NGOs. Because of the number received and the limited amount of funding available, competition for funding will be very strong.

STEERING COMMITTEE
The Cooperative Venture is managed by a steering committee comprising representatives from the partners. The committee is as follows:

• Caroline Lemerle, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation
• Steve Coats, Dairy Australia
• Paul Comyn, Australian Wool Innovation
• Victor Dobos, Grains Research and Development Corporation
• Tony Clancy, Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation
• Neale Price, Meat & Livestock Australia
• Craig Bradley, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia
• Alice Roughley, Land & Water Australia
• Alison Reid, Murray-Darling Basin Commission
• Tracy Henderson, Sugar Research and Development Corporation
• John McKenzie, John McKenzie and Associates (Program Manager and Executive Officer)

Contacts
For more information about the CV and its activities contact:

Caroline Lemerle, RIRDC, 
phone 02 6271 4033, 
email caroline.lemerle@rirdc.gov.au

John McKenzie, 
John McKenzie and Associates, 
phone 0402 018 318, 
email john.mckenzie@rbbs.net.au

Website
For information about the Cooperative Venture and projects go to website at http://www.rirdc.gov.au/capacitybuilding

For the last two years I have been researching how the visual and performing arts shape environmental behaviour and how they might better be used to promote environmental sustainability, particularly in rural areas.

The project was borne out of a realisation that many of the key environmental challenges that Australia is facing require the engagement of the whole of society, and I began wondering if the arts might have a role in providing that engagement. Such challenges include the greenhouse effect, soil salinity, declining water quality, declining biodiversity and urban sprawl.

The project is based on interviews with over 100 people, including farmers, extension officers, landcare group members and people working in the arts, as well as several case studies that have incorporated the visual or performing arts in environmental education initiatives.

There are three main ways the arts can be of value in shaping behaviours that are more environmentally sustainable. The first is by helping communication, whether this in the education or extension context, or whether it is more as a marketing tool. The visual and performing arts have a special ability to synthesise complex ideas and to present them in a simple, digestible form. For example, well designed images can articulate a vision for an ecologically sustainable landscape that encapsulates best practice land management.

The second is to connect us more meaningfully with the natural environment. Many artists are inspired by the natural environment, and many artworks or performances can evoke a strong sense of connection without being seen as instructional or “teaching” us something. Examples of this include performances in natural areas or sculptures in forests.

A third way is where the arts are linked with measures to improve sustainability. In the rural context there are impressive examples where the arts have been integrated with farm forestry, rural regeneration, and land rehabilitation initiatives, and other examples where farmers have redesigned their properties to incorporate conservation initiatives while being strongly influenced by principles of landscape architecture. In the urban area public and community art can be incorporated into urban planning designs which reduce greenhouse gas emissions through excellent public transport and facilities for walking and bicycling. 

More information
This project is being jointly funded by LWA and the CVCB. If you would like more information about this project contact me by email, dcurtis@une.edu.au, and provide a postal address.

WORK OUT THERE
Cleaning up country living
Farm productivity is inextricably linked to the health and wellbeing of the people who operate the business. The Sustainable Farm Families project is working on improving the fortunes of both. 

The healthy country lifestyle is a misnomer according to a growing number of statistics that prove otherwise. Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicate that people in rural communities have above-average rates of heart disease, cancer, suicide and workplace injuries. 

The Sustainable Farm Families research project, which is half way through its 3-year term, is led by the Western District Health Service, Hamilton, Victoria. It is funded by the Farm Health and Safety Joint Research Venture, which is a partnership between several CVCB partners.

Monitoring health. The project involves 127 men and women from farming properties in Victoria, South Australia and southern New South Wales, who have agreed to monitor their health and make lifestyle changes to improve their well-being. They have also agreed to a one-on-one assessment and participate in annual workshops and discussions over the three years. 

The principle behind the project is to empower people to take responsibility for their family’s health and well being as a business priority, as well as a personal priority. By encouraging participants to be more proactive about their family’s health and therefore the farm business the aim is to reduce injuries and premature deaths in farming families and subsequently enable farmers to manage their properties more productively for longer.

Pressures of modern living. For many participants, the pressures of life in the new millennium have caught up with the farming sector, with reports of increased stress, limited time for personal pursuits and less physical activity due to advances in technology.

The Sustainable Farming Families program aims to address these factors by working with individual participants and in groups, to generate change and build capacity in rural communities. Although the project has only just reached the half-way mark, it is already delivering results.

Participants are making significant lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, improving family relationships, having moles removed, reducing stress and exercising more. Some participants have even discovered significant health risks, which would have gone undiagnosed had they not been involved in the project. 

Part of the success of the program has been to involve a wide range of family members, including parents, children, grandchildren and in-laws. Many of the younger generation have a different view of health and wellbeing to their parents and are more likely to make changes, e.g. they view occupational health and safety as part of the business, not only for their future, but the future of their children as well.

The challenge for the second half of the Sustainable Farming Families project is to refine and enhance the outcomes and make it repeatable and transferable into the health systems across Australia.
 

10 tips for better health and better farms Make allowances in your work for possible sick days. Take time to relax each day.  Take a minimum two-week holiday away from the farm each year. Participate in physical exercise five times per week.  Have a yearly checkup with your doctor. Be aware of your family health history.  Reduce health risks like weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and stress. Address farm safety. Prevention is better than cure. Laugh often!

Thinktank for capacity learnings
The Department of Sustainability and the Environment in Victoria has been running a 'Thinktank for Capacity Learnings’ as part of its Social Capacity Building Project. The thinktank, which finishes up in February next year, is aimed mainly at those who deliver the social outcomes of the regional catchment strategies in the Victorian catchment management context.

The broad aims are:

• to develop an inventory of what's gone on , positive and negative trends and recommendations for the future 
• to gain greater clarity on language, expectations, targets and reporting
• requirements to reflect what goes on on the ground
• practitioner networking.

NEW MANAGER FOR LWA, SOCIAL & INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAM
LWA recently welcomed its new People Arena Manager for the Social & Institutional Research Program, Michael Lester.

Michael is a senior executive with skills and experience across the public and private sectors, in Australia and internationally. He has worked for the World Bank and lawyers Blake Dawson Waldron. He also held a number of positions in the NSW Government during the '90s, including in Premiers and in State Development and was a Senior Executive and Trade Commissioner in the Australian Trade Commission.

This breadth of experience gives Michael a great perspective from which to manage the challenges of the program. Michael can be contacted on 02 62636023 or michael.lester@lwa.gov.au

HANDY LINKS
Citizen Science: Linking communities, scientists and decision-makers
If you are involved in working with groups or are looking for resources on how to work with groups to ensure their meaningful involvement indecision-making, the Citizen Science Toolbox, created by the Coastal CRC is a great, free information resource. 

One of the key elements of using the toolbox is that strategies need to be tailored to fit unique issues and stakeholders. In many cases, a combination of different tools is required to effectively involve all stakeholders in decision-making. Included in the toolbox are:

• Over 60 community involvement tools, from public meetings to consensus conferences
• Case studies of the uses of various tools and the reflections of stakeholders who participated
• An annotated bibliography of over 500 citizen science references
• Theoretical discussions of citizen science issues

Go to website http://www.coastal.crc.org.au/toolbox/index.asp and check it out.

Running better field days
This handy article in the Journal of Extension presents six best practices for creating field days that are both exciting and educational. While the information is written for events that involve schoolchildren, the principles are equally as applicable to adult audiences. Go to http://www.joe.org/joe/2004october/tt4.shtml

How to work with dysfunctional committees 
The November issue of Our Community Matters newsletter includes information on identifying and avoiding characteristics of dysfunctional boards and committees. Find the article at http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/files/OCM804.pdf