BRS SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTS: Friday 9 June 2006 Sea changers, tree changers, lifestylers and downshifters in rural Australia: implications for policy Howard Conkey, DAFF Product Integrity & Heather Aslin, BRS The character of parts of rural Australia is changing rapidly as increasing numbers of rural lifestyle landholders purchase rural land in and around the major cities. The traditional distinctions between rural and urban Australia need to be re-considered as urban values, and access to city services and city-based jobs, become a dominant influence over much of the more densely settled parts of rural Australia. Rural lifestyle landholders form part of the groups now popularly described as ‘sea changers’ or ‘tree-changers’, and those who are ‘down-shifting’ from city lifestyles. They are also described as hobby, peri-urban or lifestyle farmers. In comparison with mainstream commercial farmers, these landholders may be distinctively different in characteristics, values, attitudes and behaviour; may raise new policy issues and challenges; and may need different communication strategies. Rural policy makers need to understand these kinds of landholders better and apply this understanding in their work. This will often require targeted approaches at the local and regional levels that tap into local knowledge and use local expertise to help identify issues and design activities to cater for this landholder segment. The seminar will illustrate these points by referring to recent work on biosecurity issues.
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BRS SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTS: Friday 9 June 2006
Sea changers, tree changers, lifestylers and downshifters in rural Australia: implications for policy
Howard Conkey, DAFF Product Integrity & Heather Aslin, BRS
The character of parts of rural Australia is changing rapidly as increasing numbers of rural lifestyle landholders purchase rural land in and around the major cities. The
traditional distinctions between rural and urban Australia need to be re-considered as urban values, and access to city services and city-based jobs, become a dominant
influence over much of the more densely settled parts of rural Australia. Rural lifestyle landholders form part of the groups now popularly described as ‘sea changers’ or
‘tree-changers’, and those who are ‘down-shifting’ from city lifestyles. They are also described as hobby, peri-urban or lifestyle farmers. In comparison with mainstream
commercial farmers, these landholders may be distinctively different in characteristics, values, attitudes and behaviour; may raise new policy issues and
challenges; and may need different communication strategies. Rural policy makers need to understand these kinds of landholders better and apply this understanding in their work. This will often require targeted approaches at the
local and regional levels that tap into local knowledge and use local expertise to help identify issues and design activities to cater for this landholder segment. The seminar
will illustrate these points by referring to recent work on biosecurity issues.
Sea-changers, tree-changers, lifestylersand downshifters in
rural Australia
Howard Conkey &Heather Aslin
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
9 June 2006
Hobby farmers
• 40,000 in WA• 29,000 in Vic - 14 per cent of
farms change ownership each year
• Diverse group – major communication challenge
www.brs.gov.au
Some questions:• Who are these people?• Where do they live?• What do we know about them?• How significant are they?• What are the implications?• Where to from here?
www.brs.gov.au
So who are these people?• Lifestyle farmers• Rural lifestyle landholders• Hobby farmers• Part-time farmers• Small farmers• Peri-urban landholders• ‘Sea changers’ and ‘tree changers’• ‘Downshifters’
www.brs.gov.au
• Sea changers – ‘ … people making a fundamental change to their lifestyles … accompanied by re-location to certain favoured non-metropolitan areas’
• Tree changers – ‘a move from a city environment to a rural location away from the coast … usually to escape stress and other deleterious aspects of city life’
• Downshifters – ‘a voluntary, long-term, lifestyle change that involves accepting significantly less income and consuming less’
‘The trouble with the rat race is, even if you win, you are still a rat.’
What do we know about them?- Commonly own smaller properties- Tend to be better educated than farmers- Likely to be engaged in low capital agriculture - May not spend much time on-property- Likely to be mature age and older
www.brs.gov.au
Small lifestyle farmers in Victoria (after Hollier et al., 2004)Characteristics
Land size – smallConnection to major centres –
moderate to highDisposable income – highOutside labour – moderateOff-farm income – highDistance from regional centre – lowLand management expertise – lowBusiness expertise – highFarming history – lowConnections to industry bodies – low
ValuesValue rural lifestyleStrong land stewardship ethicLow value on agricultural production
Social networksFavour horizontal not vertical
networks
Information and learning preferencesMajor sources – newspapers,
newsletters and neighboursFavour group-based and adult-
learning principles
www.brs.gov.au
How significant are they?
www.brs.gov.au
• Numbers of landholders and land transactions– Surveys of rural landholders with properties >10 ha in
– Estimated 40,000 landholders with properties between 1 ha and 100 ha in WA in 2005
– Of more than 4,000 rural land sales per year in Victoria, more than 56% are <20 ha
www.brs.gov.au
• Impacts on agricultural land and production – At least 25% of total gross value of Australian
agricultural production from areas subject to peri-urban influence
– In Sydney Basin:- ave estimated agricultural land return of
$5,500/ha - compared with NSW ave of $136/ha- total annual agricultural production valued at
approx. $1 billion (2003)
www.brs.gov.au
• Significance of non-agricultural employment and off-farm income in rural areas
– Total rural area employment in non-agricultural occupations:
- Up from 67.7% in 1986 to 76.3% in 1996
– For broad-acre farm families:- Off-farm income averaged around 65% of total family
income 1989-90 to 2002-03
www.brs.gov.au
What are the implications?
www.brs.gov.au
Case studies – biosecurity issues
City of Swan, WA
City of Greater Bendigo, Vic.
Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Qld
www.brs.gov.au
City of Swan, WA• population approx. 85,000,
projected to increase by 2.8%/yrto 2016
• attracting people from Perth’snorthern and eastern suburbs
• in 2001, 14.3% spoke languageother than English at home
• small farms producing poultry andeggs, fruit and veg, beef, wine,plant nurseries
• local produce markets and somelarger farmers’ markets
www.brs.gov.au
City of Swan - biosecurity issues and rural lifestylers• Low awareness and understanding of
agriculture• Lack of connection to agricultural and NRM
services; lack of experience on land• Poor pasture, stock and land management• Weed and pest management• Plant and animal disease
www.brs.gov.au
City of Greater Bendigo, Vic.
www.brs.gov.au
City of Greater Bendigo, Vic.• Total population 93,000, growing by approx.
1.5%/year• Largely Australian born, 6% from overseas• In-migration from other areas of Vic.• Sub-division mainly near township fringes• Agriculture includes grazing, dryland
cropping, boutique wineries, orchards, olive groves, and some intensive production
• Small local markets
www.brs.gov.au
City of Greater Bendigo - biosecurity issues and rural lifestylers• Influx of new landholders, mainly urban;
people with less NRM background; newcomers and turnover
• Absentee owners• ‘Grower to grower’ exchanges• Introduction of new weeds and control of
existing ones• New pests• Plant and animal disease
www.brs.gov.au
Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Qld• Includes inland of 2 Local Govt Areas• Total population 220,000 (2003) – 60% within
5 km of coast• Population growing rapidly – ave growth
4%/yr over period 1991-2001• Much sub-division, rising house and land
values• Low ethnic diversity – 3.5% spoke language
other than English at home in 2001• Expanding service and retail sectors• Influence of ‘alternative lifestylers’• Many produce markets
www.brs.gov.au
Sunshine Coast Hinterland - biosecurity issues and rural lifestylers• Many people coming and going – high mobility• Retiree landowners and travel• Agricultural production ‘right slap bang’ up
against peri-urban development• Illegal importation of plant material• Chemical residues, spray drift, illegal plant sprays• Weed and pest control• Plant and animal disease
www.brs.gov.au
Conclusions• Important segment of rural landholder
populations in favoured areas• May be distinctively different from mainstream
commercial farmers• Live in varied contexts, often with high
population mobility and land turnover• Raise new policy issues and challenges• Re biosecurity, issues related to lack of
experience and risk awareness, and location• Few communication and extension activities
specifically directed to this segment
www.brs.gov.au
Further information
•
www.brs.gov.au
Acknowledgments
• Howard Conkey and Greg Flaherty, DAFF• Nicki Mazur, formerly of BRS (WA case study)• Case study interviewees and State agency staff• The project’s advisory committee• BRS colleagues, particularly Shannon Kelson and
Jodie Smith for maps, and Ian Byron for landholder data
• BRS Communications, particularly Clare Ryan and Tracey Lutton, for help with the seminar and brief