Lindsay Falvey - Summary of Works

Summary of Works

During his initial degree, he took various in-term and vacation jobs, including labouring and mustering cattle at Douglas-Daly Experiment Station in the Northern Territory of Australia, while also taking a Methodist Local Preaching qualification with The Reverend Dr. A. Harold Wood at Deepdene Methodist Church. He was supported through his studies by his parents and a cadetship from the Government of the Northern Territory. He then moved to work for that government in Darwin, from where he conducted research and other work on the Douglas-Daly Experiment Station for five years to the beginning of 1976.

During those years, his research was awarded a master's degree through La Trobe University. Disrupted by Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve of 1974, Falvey began searching for international development positions that suited his perceived vocation, and was appointed to research livestock as an alternative to opium production in the northern Thailand highlands. The research uncovered a primary sodium deficiency through much of the region and this part of his research novely integrated with sociological research formed the basis of his Doctor of Philosophy, which was granted by the University of Queensland in 1980.

Falvey then joined a small commercial cooperative delivering international aid for rural development which became known as MPW Australia, of which he soon became Managing Director. With contributions from his professional colleagues, MPW grew into a sizable consulting company and was eventually purchased by the stock-exchange-listed Coffey International to become Coffey-MPW, of which he was Managing Director until 1993. During this consulting period, he maintained an active academic interest and published regularly in scientific journals, while also working in some 20 countries. His first books, on 'Cattle in northern Thailand' and 'Working Animals' were published in this period.

In 1995, he was asked by the University of Melbourne to assume the role of Dean of a combined faculty of eight campuses with the task of merging the six colleges of the Victorian College of Agriculture and Horticulture with the university's ongoing departments related to agriculture and forestry. Completing the merger task and setting in place the adjustments required by the merger, he stepped down as Dean while retaining the position of Chair of Agriculture. Falvey was awarded a higher doctorate of agricultural science by the University of Melbourne in 2004 for a 1,500 page combined selection from his books and papers which revealed a new evolving philosophy of international agricultural development over some thirty years. He has been elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering since 1997, of his profession's institute (Australian Institute of Agricultural Science) since 1971, and in 2003 was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal for his services to rural development internationally and at home.

His most significant writing began during his term as Dean. An evolution of thought is evident from his work on Food, Environment, Education, through his joint book with Barry Bardsley on Agricultural Education in Victoria ('Land and Food'), to his acclaimed work on Thai Agriculture. This last work includes the influence of his Buddhism-related philosophy applied to the agriculture of developing nations, a theme expanded in his subsequent book 'Sustainability Elusive or Illusory' and his 2005 text 'Agriculture and Religion: Sustainability in Christianity and Buddhism.

Falvey presents essential agriculture and food as something conceptually separate from all other non-basic needs and hence requiring different mindsets for development planning and economics, and hence policy, as included in his book on Sustainability. He relates his teachings of Buddha and Jesus including an interpretation of the Christian gospels into Buddhist language in his book, The Buddha's Gospel. He also relates religion and personal spirituality to the natural environment using agriculture, the most widespread human intervention in nature, as the example to draw from ancient scriptures and modern philosophy - as detailed in his book Religion and Agriculture, which has led into a consideration of agricultural spiritualism. In additional to his writings he is a poetaster and some of his works may be found on the web. His most recent book is a spiritual allegory, ']. His recent books include: a) 'Dharma as Man' published 2008 - a brave interpretation of the Christian Gospels in Buddhist language and concepts that represents interpretations of the meaning of both traditions; b) Buddhist – Christian Dialogue: Four Papers from The Parliament of the World’s Religions, 2-9 December, Melbourne, Australia, Pp45 (with John May, Vincent Pizzuto & Padmasiri de Silva), Uni-versity Press (2010); c) An open letter to Lindsay at 60: Five Cycles of Lindsay Falvey. Pp45. (2010); d) Small Farmers Secure Food: Survival Food Security, the World’s Kitchen and the Critical Role of Small Farmers. Pp 232. Thaksin University Press in association with the Institute for International Development. (2010), and e) Re-Cultivating Agricultural Science, or What I’ve Learned in 40 Years of Professional Life. Pp139. Institute for International Development. (2011). Most books are accessible gratis online at iid.org or google books.

He was appointed as a foundation Director of Hassad Australia in 2010. Hassad Australia is a Qatar owned Australia company that invests in sound agricultural developments and is part of a global strategy to improve international food production and trade through quality and technology.He also assists on a voluntary basis Thaksin University in Songkhla Thailand in the creation of an English-language International PhD Program.