Perceptions of Beef Cattle Producers and Scientists Relating to Sustainable Land Use Issues and Their Implications for Technology Transfer.

Abstract

Selected results are presented for two sub-groups drawn from a postal survey of perceptions of sustainable grazing management issues in the beef cattle-grazed rangelands of Queensland. The sub- groups include beef cattle producers and research scientists, both of which are key stakeholders for effective technology transfer from R&D projects that address sustainable grazing land management problems. Some important similarities and differences are highlighted between the sub-groups which are believed potentially to impact on the design and operation of R&D projects, the principal aim of which is to improve sustainable management practices. These relate to land use objectives and perceived sustainability of current grazing practices, and to the feasibility of rectifying present land degradation problems. Similarities are evident in the high proportions of both groups which do not believe that present practices are sustainable and with the same perceptions about the principal causes of grazing land degradation and the feasibility of rectifying present land degradation problems. Major differences relate to the perceived management objectives of beef producers, the scale at which land degradation problems occur, and the key sources of information or knowledge on which sustainable grazing systems might be developed.