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HATRI news
20 December 2021
The Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, Australia, invites applicants for a PhD project and scholarship that will examine, amongst other things, economic, environmental and social benefits of intensive silvopastoral systems.
About project
Intensive silvopastoral systems (ISS) typically farm livestock, often cattle, using intensively programmed rotational systems. In subtropical regions, silvopastoral systems may be conducted using a leguminous understory (e.g. leucaena) as a fodder crop. These systems are land-use efficient, producing livestock, livestock feed, trees, timber and ecosystems services in the same landscape, while also conducive to high animal welfare. Evidence suggests that ISS have considerable production benefits and greenhouse gas emissions mitigation if appropriately managed, enabling higher livestock unit yields, improving carbon sequestration and inhibiting enteric methane emissions.
This project will build a triple bottom line methodology within a spatial decision support system that enables comparison of climatic, management, genotypic and other elements within the landscape. The DSS will be used to encourage wider adoption of ISS, where appropriate. Considerable progress has been made in the genetic development of sterile leucaena varieties to address invasiveness, and also dwarfing to allow browsing access. The candidate may work on genetic development of tropical legumes, if this aspect is desirable.
The triple bottom line assessment may include analysis of fixed versus variable costs to indicate profitability trade-offs with farm size, while biodiversity assessments will feed into the richness versus resilience debate, analysing the value of habitat for farmland species. The assessment would have the potential to quantify the potential contribution of ISS to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while encouraging biodiversity rehabilitation and building natural capital.
Scholarship opportunity
Applicants will be considered for a tuition plus living allowance scholarship that provides:
- Living allowance stipend of $AU28,854 per annum (indexed annually) for 3.5 years
- Relocation allowance up to $AU2,000
- An offset covering the cost of tuition fees for up to four years (Australian and New Zealand applicants only)
- If successful, international applicants may receive a University of Tasmania Fees Offset for up to four years.
Eligibility
- Equivalent of an Australian Bachelor degree with upper second class Honours or higher
- Must be willing and able to undertake domestic travel within Australia
- If your previous degree was not undertaken in English, an IELTS score of 6.5 of higher with test undertaken within the last 12 months
Associate Professor Matthew Harrison
Director of the Carbon Storage Partnership
Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania
