By improving the use of scarce resources for production and distribution of food and fibre, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems researchers are working towards a sustainable farming future. Global food security is the greatest challenge of the next century, and it is essential that the agricultural industry is supported with innovative research, advanced technology and societal adjustments to make this possible.
If our nation is to have any hope of living in harmony with our dry, flat, ancient continent, with its unique biodiversity and its soils that are naturally depleted in nutrients and high in salts, we need a radical change to the economics of land and water management in Australia
Peter Cosier, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists
Our academics are experts in plant molecular biology and biotechnology, animal science and production, soil and plant nutrition, food science and biotechnology, efficient use of water for irrigation and in dairies, innovative and environmentally sustainable agricultural, horticultural and viticultural production systems and agribusiness processes.
Major research activities underway include the development of simulation models of the soil-plant-animal system and their application to problems of improving pasture consumption and adaptation, regulation of growth and development of farm animals, animal and human nutrition, and options for the abatement of methane and nitrous oxide from Victorian agriculture.
Our experimental farm at Dookie is the ideal setting for practical exploration of ideas and observation of results in a productive farm enterprise.
Discover more about our research projects on our Research Domains page.
Our research informs our teaching to provide you with the opportunity to enhance your professional knowledge and experience through our graduate coursework and research programs and contribute to research in the sustainable production, processing, marketing and distribution of food and fibre products amid the pressures of great environmental change.
Read more about the Undergraduate and Graduate study options available to you at MSLE.
Contact us if you would like to enquire about our post-doctoral researcher and employment opportunities or partner with us as research collaborator or collaborating sponsor.