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Dr James Quilty

Dr James Quilty is the Research Program Manager for Soil and Land Management.  Prior to joining ACIAR, James worked at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in the Philippines for seven years. After completing his PhD, James worked with Forests New South Wales studying the impacts of managed pine forests on soil carbon and soil respiration in the central tablelands of NSW.  He completed his PhD in Soil Science at the University of Sydney studying the soil health implications of organic amendments in conventional irrigated cotton systems in central western NSW. 

Extending findings and transferring knowledge from SMCN/2014/049 on soil management in slopping lands of Northwest Vietnam and Northern Laos

Consolidating the knowledge and outputs from projects SMCN/2014/049 and LPS/2015/037 to support the transfer and ownership of information to the next users to support scaling and impact.

Project code
SLAM/2023/106
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
08 May 2023
Project end date
09 Feb 2024

Managing heavy metals and soil contaminants in vegetable production to ensure food safety and environmental health in the Philippines

Characterising short- and long-term soil constraints to vegetable production on upland acidic soils in the Philippines. Developing strategies to address these constraints.

Project code
SLAM/2020/117
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
01 Feb 2023
Project end date
31 Jan 2027

Better soil and land information for improving PNG’s agricultural production and integrated land use planning – building a revitalised PNGRIS2

Developing and integrating the revitalised PNGRIS2 to demonstrate its value proposition to the PNG Government, the agriculture sector, and international agencies in PNG.

Project code
SLAM/2019/106
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
01 Oct 2022
Project end date
31 Aug 2026

Assessment of the adoption and adaptation of conservation agriculture and direct seeded rice in South and South-East Asia

Review of adoption, adaptation and scaling of Conservation Agriculture and Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) and non-puddled transplanting rice (NPTR) in major rice growing regions of the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) and draw from lesson on these processes in South-East Asia (SEA).

Project code
SLAM/2022/172
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
19 Dec 2022
Project end date
30 Apr 2024

Embedding knowledge and exploring future research opportunities in sloping land agricultural systems in northern Laos and northwest Vietnam

Developing a Theory of Change for economically and environmentally sustainable and climate change resilient sloping land agricultural systems in northern Laos and northwest Vietnam with stakeholders that represent the agricultures chains, research, extension and development in the region.

Project code
SLAM/2021/152
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
01 Dec 2021
Project end date
31 Dec 2022

Optimising soil management and health in Papua New Guinea integrated cocoa farming systems - Phase 2

Providing soil and agronomic management knowledge to farmers that will enable practice change to improve the productivity and sustainability of cocoa production and their farming systems.

Project code
SLAM/2019/109
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
21 Jun 2021
Project end date
31 Dec 2026

Effective agricultural research for development (AR4D) pathways, partners and opportunities in Myanmar

Arrangements for joint agricultural research and development investments in partner countries, between in-country organisations and Australia, occasionally need to adapt to rapidly changing governance arrangements. This project aimed to provide guidance on possible partners and commissioned organisations that can effectively and appropriately be engaged to work within ACIAR research projects focused primarily on upland agricultural issues in Myanmar, and to explore potential research and development pathways with non-government agencies. 

Project code
SLAM/2021/105
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
21 Jun 2021
Project end date
30 Jun 2022

Trial of techniques to empower community and government monitoring and evaluation of Indonesian peatland restoration

This project aimed to empower local communities and government agencies to monitor and evaluate the success of peatland restoration. Peatland restoration has become a high priority in Indonesia, due to the devastating effects of peat fires on local and regional public health and economies. The Indonesian Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) is mandated to restore 2 million hectares of degraded peatlands by 2020. This ambitious initial target will trial a range of methods in a variety of peatland sites.

Project code
SLAM/2018/122
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
06 Jun 2018
Project end date
30 Jun 2020

Testing and refining the Comprehensive Framework of Response Assessment in the Philippines

This project aimed to refine a standardised methodology for response assessment for the sustainable management of land, water, and soils in the Philippines. The recent ACIAR project, SLAM/2020/138, brought together Australian expertise to develop the Comprehensive Framework of Response Assessment. This framework aligns with the 2021 FAO decadal report on the State of Land and Water (SOLAW), and is expected to act as a central component in SOLAW-Live, an initiative being led by FAO.

Project code
SLAM/2021/104
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
12 May 2021
Project end date
31 Mar 2022

Validating technologies for assessing and monitoring the impacts of re-wetting of peatland Indonesia using eddy flux towers coupled with the Chameleon sensors

Empowering communities and government to monitor and evaluate peatland restoration by integrating environmental data on peatland water and carbon fluxes with local decision-making structures.

Project code
SLAM/2020/118
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
01 Sep 2020
Project end date
30 Jun 2023

Development of a cost-benefit assessment framework in support of the State of Land and Water (SOLAW) report 2021

Contributing to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) led SOLAW21 report by providing a strong comprehensive response framework for better understanding the effectiveness of technical, Institutional and policy responses to mitigate and adapt to land, soil and water degradation.

Project code
SLAM/2020/138
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
27 Apr 2020
Project end date
30 Sep 2021

Farming system diversification and nutrient management options for pulse-based cropping in Myanmar

The project aimed to investigate whether Myanmar's cropping systems could include diversified crops (such as sorghum, millet and wheat), and how to manage nutrients including fertilisers. It did so in the context of a perceived climate change in the Central Dry Zone.

Project code
SMCN/2016/051
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
15 Dec 2016
Project end date
30 Apr 2018

Inoculants for plant nutrition use in Greater Mekong Region

A growing concern on the deleterious effects of chemical inputs to the environment has been on the rise from the excessive use of chemical inputs leading to soil and water pollution, destruction to fauna and microbial communities, reduced soil fertility and increased crop disease susceptibility. In the Great Mekong Region (GMR), a large majority of the population relies on agriculture and faces severe challenges including decline of soil fertility and sustainability, increases of occurrence of pests and diseases, thus leading to lower ecosystem productivity and income.

Project code
SLAM/2018/123
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
11 Jun 2018
Project end date
28 Jun 2019

Soil management in the Pacific to achieve improved crop yields and resilience to climate change

Inadequate soil knowledge is constraining the sustainable intensification of agriculture in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Management practices in traditional gardening systems are intensifying and this is depleting the soil’s nutrient capital. Comprehensive nutrient budgeting is essential for improving farm productivity and agricultural resilience on volcanic islands and sand atolls. At present, extension officers are unable to reliably ascertain which nutrients (or other factors such as diseases) are limiting production let alone recommend optimal nutrient inputs.

Project code
SMCN/2016/014
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
01 Aug 2016
Project end date
30 Jun 2017

Opportunities to improve the sustainable utilisation and management of water and soil resources for profitable farming in south central coastal Vietnam

This SRA follows two previous ACIAR projects in south central coastal Vietnam (SCC VN); SMCN 2003/035 and SMCN 2007/109. Recommendations emerging from both projects highlighted a need to evaluate the sustainability of groundwater utilisation for agriculture in the region. ACIAR commissioned this SRA with the purpose of scoping opportunities for new water, soil and crop management projects in SCC VN. The objectives for this scoping study were to:

Project code
SMCN/2012/017
Program
Soil and Land Management
Project start date
01 Nov 2012
Project end date
30 Apr 2013