Rural development from the ground up: agro-food initiatives in Tasmania

Concerns about the decline of rural agricultural communities have recently refocused on new economic opportunities available in regional food production. This article analyses three on-the-ground case studies of rural development projects in Tasmania, Australia that aimed to develop new regional food opportunities. It analyses these projects to identify how local food producers can create viable economic alternatives in rural settings. The projects illustrate that the existence of regional food assets alone is not enough to guarantee economic development success: rural producers need connections into relevant knowledge networks if they are to identify and respond to new agro-food market opportunities.     

Forensic analysis of bicomponent fibers using infrared chemical imaging

The application of infrared chemical imaging to the analysis of bicomponent fibers was evaluated. Eleven nominally bicomponent fibers were examined either side-on or in cross-section. In six of the 11 samples, infrared chemical imaging was able to spatially resolve two spectroscopically distinct regions when the fibers were examined side-on. As well as yielding characteristic infrared spectra of each component, the technique also provided images that clearly illustrated the side-by-side configuration of these components in the fiber. In one case it was possible to prepare and image a cross-section of the fiber, but in general the preparation of fiber cross-sections proved very difficult. In five of the 11 samples, the infrared spectra could be used to identify the overall chemical composition of the fibers, according to a published classification scheme, but the fiber components could not be spatially resolved. Difficulties that are inherent to conventional "single-point" infrared spectroscopy, such as interference fringing and sloping baselines, particularly when analyzing acrylic type fibers, were also encountered in the infrared chemical image analysis of bicomponent fibers. A number of infrared sampling techniques were investigated to overcome these problems, and recommendations for the best sampling technique are given. Chemical imaging results were compared with those obtained using conventional fiber microscopy techniques.