Natural Asset Farming

Farm dams, creeklines, vegetation and rocky outcrops are natural assets that are essential for healthy, sustainable farms. Protecting and enhancing these elements of natural capital on farms not only supports biodiversity, but also contributes to farm productivity and to the well-being of farmers and farming communities.

Natural Asset Farming: Creating Productive and Biodiverse Farms reveals seven key natural assets and why they are so valuable for biodiversity and productivity on farms. Drawing on two decades of long-term ecological monitoring and knowledge exchange with farmers, Landcare groups and natural resource management experts, this book is a tool for building and enhancing natural assets in agricultural landscapes. In bringing together ecological science and the experience of farmers in the wheat–sheep belt of south-eastern Australia, Natural Asset Farming will help foster ideas, boost resilience and improve the sustainability of agricultural production.

Features:

• Shows why protecting and enhancing natural assets can be a fantastic investment for a farm, delivering biodiversity, productivity and well-being benefits.
• Includes insights and experience from farmers who have undertaken natural asset management actions.
• Explores the science of managing natural assets on farms.
• Provides principles on how to manage natural assets on farms.
• Includes images that show the key features of an enhanced natural asset.