Farm diversification is an activity common to rural landowners across the developed world. Within Australia, diversification is being implemented by farming families and promoted as a system by extension personnel to build economic resilience to maintain rural landscapes and communities in the face of increasing financial and environmental pressures. This report is an attempt to better understand why farming families diversify their on-farm activities and what the outcomes of those diversifications are.
The report is targeted at farm families who are considering diversifying, as well as Governments and other regulatory bodies to provide a greater understanding of the social implications of diversifying enterprise activities on a family farm. It is hoped this information also will be used by policy and decision makers.