For the agricultural sector to thrive in Australia, the ability to freight input onto farms and production out is critical to growing our nation’s agricultural capacity. AgriFutures Australia was pleased to partner with the University of New England to conduct research to examine alternative approaches to cost-benefit analysis of improved quality in rural roads.
In particular, the research focused on direct and in-direct variables, namely agricultural production and social benefits, as part of the cost-benefit analysis – two factors not generally included in the analysis of upgrades for rural and regional roads.
The analysis conducted in this research is exploratory, focusing on a small region in the Moree Plains and Gwydir Shire Councils. However, it provides some interesting findings that are highly useful in the national context.