Current research projects
Explore the Applied Social Science and Communication (ASSAC) Research Hub's research projects.
Pest READI
Macquarie University is a partner in Pest READI (Regionally Enabled Agroecological Decision Intelligence), a five-year, $12 million project led by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and funded through Hort Innovation Frontiers.
The project works with growers, advisors and industry in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales to co-design digital tools that support better pest and disease management across farms and landscapes. The focus is on integrated pest management approaches that reduce chemical use, support beneficial species and build more sustainable farming systems.
The Macquarie contribution analyses the forms of social capital and different types of social networks that exist in four horticultural industries to give voice to growers and aid in the design, delivery and adoption of the digital tool.
Learn more about the Pest READI project.
Researchers include:
- Dr Sunita Chaudhary
- Dr Kirt Hainzer
- Dr Nicholas Harrigan
- Dr Hangyoung Lee
- Professor Andrew McGregor
Partners include:
- GrowCom
- Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation
- NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
- Queensland Department of Primary Industries
- with contributions from the Australian Government.
Next generation agricultural extension: Social relations for practice change
Macquarie University is a research partner in this six-year Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) funded project working with smallholder farming communities in Battambang and Pailin Provinces in northwest Cambodia.
For decades, agricultural extension has focused on providing farmers with new technologies and information. This project explores innovative community-driven approaches to agricultural extension that incorporate off-farm influences on farm success and respond to locally identified priorities and interventions.
Rather than only measure agricultural productivity the project also examines the wellbeing and social connections built through project interventions. To help farmers build new connections and opportunities, the team works directly with them through:
- assets-based community development
- crop studies
- household surveys
- photo-response.
Researchers include:
Partners include:
- National University of Battambang
- Partners for Rural Development
- provincial agriculture departments in Cambodia
- University of Melbourne.
Fresh Produce Bioactives
Led by Macquarie University and funded by Hort Innovation, Hort Innovation Frontiers and contributions from the Australian Government, this project investigates the health benefits of bioactive compounds found in fresh produce including fruits, vegetables, nuts and mushrooms.
Bioactives are natural compounds in whole foods that influence health and wellbeing when eaten as part of a balanced diet. With diet related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes on the rise, the project aims to help people understand which plant foods carry the strongest bioactive benefits and how preparation methods like heat affect the nutrients our bodies absorb.
The project involves researchers working together across the molecular sciences, social sciences and communications to explore the science of bioactives and its communication.
Learn more about the Fresh Produce Bioactives project.
Researchers include: