Role of Trust and Relationships in Collaborative Research on Natural Resource Management with Farmers on Private Lands in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia

Complex socio-ecological issues involving climate change and fresh water management highlight the importance of trust in interactions amongst humans in highly variable landscapes subject to multiple pressures. This study investigated the role of trust in establishing and maintaining relationships between individuals in research teams that included private landholders in southeast Australia as well as researchers. Using social constructivist grounded theory methodology, interviews with members of a university research institute, a government agency and a farmer group in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin were visualized using the Trust/Distrust Matrix. Findings emphasized the importance and differing impacts of trust amongst individuals, and within and between organizations. Interviewees highlighted the impacts of time and location on trust and relationships for effective natural resource management (NRM) research projects on private lands. The authors examined the implications for research managers and multidisciplinary groups seeking to influence NRM in highly contested socio-ecological spaces on agricultural lands.