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Exploring Farmers’ Decision-Making about Soil Health: A Case Study in Central West New South Wales
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Exploring Farmers’ Decision-Making about Soil Health: A Case Study in Central West New South Wales

Louise Hunt
Southern Cross University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25918/thesis.517
Appears in  Recent Southern Cross PhD Theses
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Abstract

Soil health Ecosystem services Agriculture Farmer Decision-making Intuition Practice change Soil security
Soil is vital for essential ecosystem and agricultural services and must be managed responsibly. An increase in the uptake of farming practices that restore and sustain healthy soil is needed by many of the farmers managing 58% of Australia’s soil. However, change to date has not been sufficient to mitigate widespread soil health decline. This research explores farmers’ decision-making focussing on how management decisions are made, intuition in decision-making and how farmers respond to change. A critical realist theoretical approach is applied to a mixed-method exploration of a case study of farmers in Central West NSW. Qualitative semi-structured interview findings are augmented by quantitative data from a social benchmarking survey conducted by the Soil Cooperative Research Centre in Central West NSW. Farmers’ management decisions in general and about soil are found to be characterised by family farming, business style planning, collaboration with colleagues and consultants, desire to demonstrate stewardship and profession specific knowledge. Soil management change decisions are mostly reactive, driven by declining soil health. Intuition extends into all farm and soil decisions. Used daily, it corresponds with what feels right and is influenced by farming experience, supplemented with deliberative thought processes and favoured over deliberation in most cases, correlating with increased wealth, wellbeing, and self-assessed knowledge about farming. Intuition is found to be integral to contemplation of and preparation for practice change, and with goals regarding regenerative and sustainable farming practices. Farmers are open to and exhibited practice change over time, typically using Best Practices for Soil Health (BPSH), however, actioned change is mostly imposed by physical and social factors. One best practice stood out as hard to implement – the reduction of chemicals used for soil amendments and cropping. My recommendations for organisations and individuals are to support collaboration between ‘farmers who do and farmers who want to’, improve availability of alternatives leveraging innovation and policy in this sector, ensure necessary changes address a need for ease, and support farmers to remain viable during transition towards new practices. These beneficial actions would serve to mitigate the main constraints to farmers carrying out their own BPSH plans and help secure future provision of the ecosystem and agricultural services provided by soil.

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