WFFF Resources
The below are a collation of resources relevant to the practices and desired outcomes of the WFFF programs.
1 — Agrarian pragmatics: How women on family farms in Queensland, Australia negotiate competing discourses to enact their agrarian ideals
AUTHORS: Marlyn McInnerney, Jane Palmer (2025)
LINKS:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103878
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016725003195 >>
TEXT
Based on a new ethnographic study in south-western Queensland Australia, we explore the evolving discourses that inform the roles and lives of women in farm family enterprises. We find that agrarianism, as one of those discourses, powerfully motivates the substantial contributions women make to the construction, reproduction and maintenance of family farms, farm families, and land stewardship. The women in the study experience two other main discursive realities in their farm lives: long-standing traditional masculine hegemony and more recently, neo-liberal concepts of farm-as-business. These two narratives however can be leveraged to realize agrarian ideals through a form of agrarian pragmatics that bodes well for gender equity and land stewardship within a more contemporary form of agrarianism.
2 — Women in Farming Families in the Darling Downs and South West Queensland: Navigating Discourses Towards Wellbeing, Resilience and Empowerment
AUTHOR: Marlyn McInnerney (2022)
LINK:
https://doi.org/10.26192/yy217
TEXT
Using in-depth interviews and a post-structuralist lens, the study examined how women engage with family farm cultures, drawing motivation from love of the land while employing resilience strategies to achieve wellbeing goals. Three dominant discourses emerged: agrarianism, masculine hegemony, and neoliberal farming-as-a-business. Agrarianism fostered aspirational wellbeing, while masculine hegemony often created barriers, yet also reinforced the ideal of protecting family farms. The business discourse negatively affected family farms and communities but also provided women with opportunities for empowerment within their enterprises. The findings highlight women’s innovative thinking, holistic perspectives, and strategic resilience as vital to farm viability, sustainable land management, and rural community vitality. Acknowledging their contributions is essential for addressing current challenges like climate change and future uncertainties in agriculture.
3 — Transformational adaptation on the farm: Processes of change and persistence in transitions to ‘climate-smart’ regenerative agriculture
AUTHORS: Hannah Gosnell, Nicholas Gill, Michelle Voyer (2019)
LINK:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.101965
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378018309117?via%3Dihub
TEXT
Regenerative agriculture seeks to restore resilient farming systems by enhancing ecosystem processes and building healthy soils that provide services like carbon sequestration and improved water retention. While often linked to climate change mitigation and adaptation, its scope is broader, emphasising systems-based management of landscapes and communities. Despite rising public interest, little research explores how farmers sustain this paradigm shift. This study draws on relational thinking to examine Australian farmers’ experiences transitioning from conventional to regenerative practices. It introduces a framework of “zones of friction and traction” across personal, practical, and political dimensions, showing how challenges and supports shape the process. Findings reveal that values, emotions, and cultural norms strongly influence change, which is reinforced through positive feedback such as well-being, biophilic emotions, and expanded worldviews. Ultimately, transitioning requires more than technical solutions; it involves cultural, ethical, and emotional factors at multiple scales, informing strategies for widespread adoption.
4 — Regenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming
AUTHORS: Mathew Alexanderson, Hanabeth Luke, David Lloyd (2024)
LINK
TEXT
Rural Australia is experiencing change as more farmers explore or adopt regenerative agriculture, a holistic approach that seeks not just to sustain but to restore natural systems while maintaining farm viability. Although widely discussed in theory, little empirical research has examined what drives farmers to adopt regenerative practices. This study uses an online survey of 96 self-identifying Australian regenerative farmers, recruited through social media farming groups, to identify their attributes, motivations, barriers, and perceived benefits. Findings reveal that many farmers have recently shifted to regenerative methods, often facing feelings of isolation within local communities and instead drawing on online and international networks for knowledge. The research highlights common goals and aspirations, along with challenges that shape their transition. By grounding analysis in farmers’ own perspectives, the study contributes a farmer-derived definition of regenerative agriculture and deeper insight into the factors supporting or constraining its adoption.
5 — Towards a regulatory design for reducing emissions from agriculture: Lessons from Australia's carbon farming initiative
AUTHOR: Jonathan Verschuuren (2017)
LINK:
https://brill.com/view/journals/clla/7/1/article-p1_1.xml
https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/8197d2eb-e550-3d32-8da4-a05fd343692b/
TEXT
Agriculture and land use contribute 20–25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making the sector critical to achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming to 1.5–2°C. While agriculture also offers significant carbon sequestration potential, most countries have been reluctant to regulate emissions or incentivise sequestration at scale. Some nations allow agricultural offsets within emissions trading schemes, but usually in limited ways. Australia stands out with a comprehensive set of methodologies enabling farmers to earn credits through diverse carbon farming projects. This article reviews Australia’s experience to draw lessons for regulatory design. Findings show that effective regulation is possible when based on long-term policy frameworks, project-level implementation, and methodologies that ensure measurable, verifiable, and additional emissions reductions. Successful approaches not only reduce emissions but also promote innovation and deliver economic, social, and environmental co-benefits, supported by a robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system.