Gordon Duff, Stephen Garnett, Rolf Gerritsen and John Woinarski (2008)

Applying scenario-building being undertaken at a global or national level to our own region, this book offers perspectives on the direction northern Australia might take over the next 20 to 50 years. 

It begins with a description of factors most likely to influence the region (population, social factors, land and natural resource ownership, government policy, global economics and trade, resource availability and use, climate change, weeds and pests, technological change). It then considers how these drivers might interact to determine what our portion of the planet might look like in coming decades, identifying bottlenecks and decision points that will influence which scenarios are the most likely.

Finally, the book seeks to identify what residents and decision makers of the north might do to maximise benefits and minimise the damage (social and environmental) associated with the drivers and their interactions.

Future Options for Northern Australia is available from Charles Darwin University Bookshop, see link below.

Guide to producer software

AN audit into Queensland’s farm software, the first since 1999, has revealed there are now more than 1500 titles available—a huge increase from the 179 titles at the last audit and a confusing array for producers.

The Australian Farm Software Directory, a free publication from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, is a guide to this software. The directory covers a range of topics from animal health to insecticides to plant equipment. The directory also allows software developers to research what is already available on the market and where gaps exist.

Go to: www.dpi.qld.gov.au/cps/rde/dpi/hs.xsl/16_9303_ENA_HTML.htm