Tamara Jackson

Dr Tamara Jackson

Grant-Funded Researcher (C)

School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology


Dr Tamara Jackson has worked in South and South East Asia for the past decade with projects funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), spending most of that time living in the Lao PDR and Nepal. She has worked on farming and food systems projects that spanned a range of goals from improving farming and marketing systems, building capacity in systems thinking, and stakeholder engagement to foster communication and collaboration.

Tamara has a background in the water-energy-food nexus, as a way of framing and understanding food systems. She has undertaken applied research on these issues in the context of agriculture and food security both in Australia and internationally. Her PhD research in Australia explored water use efficiency, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission relationships for different irrigation systems. She previously coordinated a program of research for ACIAR that aimed to maximise agriculture’s contribution to sustainable food systems in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of Bangladesh, India and Nepal, for improved food, energy and water security.

Tamara currently leads the ACIAR funded Rupantar project, which aims to enable transformation of smallholder food systems in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of Bangladesh, India and Nepal. With international and national partners, the project is exploring the processes and practices project (technical options, scaling interventions, policy settings and implementation) that can be applied to achieve sustainable, efficient, diversified food systems at scale in the Eastern Gangetic Plains.

Tamara has postgraduate qualifications in applied hydrology and research management. Her current research interests include food systems transformation, sustainable groundwater development, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2021 - ongoing Senior Research Fellow University of Adelaide
    2017 - 2021 ACIAR SDIP Program Manager Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
    2011 - 2017 Research Fellow Charles Sturt University
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    2008 - 2009 Southern Cross University Australia Graduate Certificate in Research Management
    2006 - 2009 Charles Sturt University Australia PhD
    2005 - 2005 Charles Sturt University Australia Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours)
    2002 - 2004 Charles Sturt University Australia Bachelor of Agriculture (Irrigation)
  • Research Interests

  • Journals

    Year Citation
    2023 Alam, M. J., Kabir, A. N. M. F., Mastura, T., Kishore, A., Jackson, T., & Begum, I. A. (2023). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vegetable farmers in Bangladesh. Cogent Food and Agriculture, 9(1), 22 pages.
    DOI Scopus2
    2023 Brown, B., Chaudhary, A., Sharma, A., Timsina, P., Karki, E., Rashid, M. M., . . . Jackson, T. M. (2023). How diverse are farming systems on the Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia? A multi-metric and multi-country assessment. Farming System, 1(2), 100017.
    DOI Scopus2
    2023 Alam, M. J., Begum, I. A., Mastura, T., Kishore, A., Woodhill, J., Chatterjee, K., & Jackson, T. (2023). Agricultural diversification and intrahousehold dietary diversity: Panel data analysis of farm households in Bangladesh. PLoS ONE, 18(6 June), 19 pages.
    DOI Scopus2
    2023 Mastura, T., Begum, I. A., Kishore, A., Jackson, T., Woodhill, J., Chatterjee, K., & Alam, M. J. (2023). Diversified agriculture leads to diversified diets: panel data evidence from Bangladesh. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7.
    DOI Scopus1
    2022 Jackson, T. M., Newby, J., Phouyyavong, K., Vorlason, S., Simali, P., Sihathep, V., . . . Wade, L. J. (2022). Performance and adoption of submergence-tolerant TDK1-Sub1 rice in southern Lao PDR. Crop and Environment, 1(2), 108-114.
    DOI
    2022 Sengxua, P., Inthavong, S., Sihatep, V., Samson, B. K., Newby, J., Jackson, T. M., . . . Wade, L. J. (2022). Nutrients enhance genotype and water responses in rainfed lowland rice in southern Lao PDR. Crop and Environment, 1(1), 50-58.
    DOI Scopus1
    2020 Gathala, M. K., Laing, A. M., Tiwari, T. P., Timsina, J., Islam, M. S., Chowdhury, A. K., . . . Gerard, B. (2020). Enabling smallholder farmers to sustainably improve their food, energy and water nexus while achieving environmental and economic benefits. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 120, 109645-1-109645-16.
    DOI Scopus62
    2020 Dahal, H., Karki, M., Jackson, T., & Panday, D. (2020). New State Structure and Agriculture Governance: A Case of Service Delivery to Local Farmers in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of Nepal. Agronomy, 10(12), 1874-1-1874-17.
    DOI Scopus6
    2020 Samson, B. K., Sengxua, P., Vorlason, S., Douangboupha, K., Eberbach, P., Vote, C., . . . Wade, L. J. (2020). Short-duration mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek) genotypes differ in performance, water use and apparent water-use efficiency in southern Lao PDR. Field Crops Research, 245, 107662-1-107662-7.
    DOI Scopus5
    2019 SENGXUA, P., JACKSON, T., SIMALI, P., VIAL, L. K., DOUANGBOUPHA, K., CLARKE, E., . . . WADE, L. J. (2019). INTEGRATED NUTRIENT–WEED MANAGEMENT UNDER MECHANISED DRY DIRECT SEEDING (DDS) IS ESSENTIAL FOR SUSTAINED SMALLHOLDER ADOPTION IN RAINFED LOWLAND RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.)–CORRIGENDUM. Experimental Agriculture, 55(04), 526-527.
    DOI
    2019 Sengxua, P., Jackson, T., Simali, P., Vial, L. K., Douangboupha, K., Clarke, E., . . . Wade, L. E. N. J. (2019). Integrated nutrient-weed management under mechanised dry direct seeding (DDS) is essential for sustained smallholder adoption in rainfed lowland rice (Oryza Sativa L.). Experimental Agriculture, 55(4), 509-525.
    DOI Scopus16
    2018 Samson, B. K., Voradeth, S., Zhang, S., Tao, D., Xayavong, S., Khammone, T., . . . Wade, L. J. (2018). Performance and survival of perennial rice derivatives (Oryza sativa L./Oryza longistaminata) in Lao PDR. Experimental Agriculture, 54(4), 592-603.
    DOI Scopus8
    2018 Clarke, E., Jackson, T. M., Keoka, K., Phimphachanvongsod, V., Sengxua, P., Simali, P., & Wade, L. J. (2018). Insights into adoption of farming practices through multiple lenses: an innovation systems approach. Development in Practice, 28(8), 983-998.
    DOI Scopus19
    2017 Sengxua, P., Samson, B. K., Bounphanousay, C., Xayavong, S., Douangboupha, K., Harnpichitvitaya, D., . . . Wade, L. J. (2017). Adaptation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes in the rainfed lowlands of Lao PDR. Plant Production Science, 20(4), 477-484.
    DOI Scopus11
    2015 Mushtaq, S., Maraseni, T. N., Reardon-Smith, K., Bundschuh, J., & Jackson, T. (2015). Integrated assessment of water-energy-GHG emissions tradeoffs in an irrigated lucerne production system in eastern Australia. Journal of Cleaner Production, 103, 491-498.
    DOI Scopus14
    2012 Hanjra, M. A., Blackwell, J., Carr, G., Zhang, F., & Jackson, T. M. (2012). Wastewater irrigation and environmental health: Implications for water governance and public policy. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 215(3), 255-269.
    DOI Scopus247 Europe PMC31
    2011 Jackson, T. M., Hanjra, M. A., Khan, S., & Hafeez, M. M. (2011). Building a climate resilient farm: A risk based approach for understanding water, energy and emissions in irrigated agriculture. Agricultural Systems, 104(9), 729-745.
    DOI Scopus28
    2010 Jackson, T. M., Khan, S., & Hafeez, M. (2010). A comparative analysis of water application and energy consumption at the irrigated field level. Agricultural Water Management, 97(10), 1477-1485.
    DOI Scopus104
    2008 Jackson, T. M., Khan, S., & Hafeez, M. M. (2008). A framework for evaluating the consumption patterns and environmental impacts of irrigation methods: A case study from South-Eastern Australia. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 112, 245-254.
    DOI Scopus2
  • Book Chapters

    Year Citation
    2014 Jackson, T., & Hanjra, M. A. (2014). Energy, water and food: Exploring links in irrigated cropping systems. In J. Bundschuh, & G. Chen (Eds.), Sustainable Energy Solutions in Agriculture (pp. 171-193). CRC Press.
    DOI Scopus2
    2013 Hanjra, M. A., Ferede, T., Blackwell, J., Jackson, T. M., & Abbas, A. (2013). Global food security: Facts, issues, interventions and public policy implications. In Global Food Security: Emerging Issues and Economic Implications (pp. 1-35).
    Scopus9
  • Conference Papers

    Year Citation
    2015 Jackson, T., Sengxua, P., Kirk, E. R., Bouahom, B., & Wade, L. J. (2015). Capacity building and external linkages assist use and integration of technology options for research and development projects
    • Sengxua, P., Jackson, T. M., Kirk, E. R., Bouahom, B., & Wade, L. (2015). Capacity building and external linkages assist use and integration of technology options for research and development projects. Paper presented at the Australian Society of Agronomy Conference.. In Australian Society of Agronomy Conference. Hobart.
    2015 Jackson, T., Bouahom, B., Wade, L. J., & Sengxua, P. (2015). Drawing together information and practice through integrated on-farm research. In Australian Society of Agronomy Conference. Hobart.
    2007 Jackson, T. M., Khan, S., & Ahmad, A. (2007). Exploring energy productivity for a groundwater dependent irrigated farm using a system dynamics approach. In MODSIM 2007 - International Congress on Modelling and Simulation - Land, Water and Environmental Management: Integrated Systems for Sustainability, Proceedings (pp. 156-162).
    Scopus2
  • Memberships

    Date Role Membership Country
    2021 - ongoing Member Peter Cullen Trust Australia
  • Position: Grant-Funded Researcher (C)
  • Phone: 83133579
  • Email: tamara.jackson@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: Waite
  • Building: Waite WT74, floor G
  • Org Unit: Agricultural Science

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