|
 Key
long term strategies
-
focus on practical solutions to environment
and farm management problems that cross industry sectors
-
support innovative production and frontier
technologies which can be incorporated into farm systems
-
improve the scope for multiple resource
use and reductions in resource waste
-
identify and encourage environmental management
that meets market demand
Background
Over past decades, Australian farmers
have responded to Australia's declining terms of trade for many rural products
by reducing costs and increasing productivity. Yet there are physical and
environmental limits to the capacity of Australia's natural resources to
do so - particularly in drought. The Environment and Farm Management Sub-program
focuses on cross sectoral issues and sponsors research and development
into ways that farm-based agribusiness systems can be made both sustainable
and more profitable.
The Sub-program has evolved, together
with the Sub-program 3.3 Rangeland and Wildlife Systems, from former Resilient
Agricultural Systems (RAS). RAS has also been progenitor of other programs
both within RIRDC and beyond on Weeds, Climate Change, Climate Variability,
Organic, and Integrated Aquaculture.
The Sub-program supports innovative
commercial opportunities. It seeks to maintain profitability while assuring
that production techniques are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
It also operates in the context of trends that affect many sectors such
as:
declining water quality and quantity,
increasing soil salinity, acidification and degradation, loss of
biodiversity and climate change
adoption of resource conserving technologies
including precision farming and information management
increased globalisation and the growing
power of trans-national companies, especially in the food industry, research,
processing and marketing
the need to be less production-driven
and more market-driven with increased vertical integration and implementation
of industry-wide quality assurance
lower numbers of mainstream commercial
farms, increasing farm size, and a rise in the number of part- time farmers.
The Sub Program strategies are
strongly linked to the Australian Government research priorities seeking:
A whole of industry approach to production
processing and marketing to ensure the chain works to its best advantage
maintenance and enhancement of clean green
image and addressing food safety concerns of consumers, and
development of biotechnology along with
sensitive handling to accommodate consumer concerns
A key focus for the Sub-program
is supporting research aspects of trials of EMS in agriculture. An EMS
is an integrated management system that businesses can use to identify
and manage their impact on the environment and improve production efficiencies.
On current experience landholders who adopt them are likely to benefit
from improved resource use efficiency. Through connections to the marketplace,
they could also benefit from consumer demand for products that are EMS
certified.
However research indicates consumer
confusion or indifference, and shortcomings in labelling and branding strategies.
It is not currently feasible to successfully market food as produced to
environmentally sustainable standards. Research also indicates a lack of
veracity and certification of claimed production and processing practices
and a lack of a credible environmental management system for food products.
These issues are in part being addressed
by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
EMS pilots and trials encouraging industry involvement through the Industry
Pathways Program. Many RDCs are investing in trialling and testing EMS.
Much of current activity has built
on the RIRDC initiative of six years ago. The Environment and Farm Management
Sub-program is supporting research on EMS issues which cross sectors, and
is especially seeking to avoid the duplication which has beset QA systems.
There is an urgent need for improved strategic planning and cross sectoral
coordination. Landholders and industry don't want duplicated EM Systems.
Strategies
for 2005–06
Sustainable production
support investigations into practical
solutions to cross- sectoral problems affecting sustainability
-
Weeds projects and salinity mitigation
projects will be referred to programs which specifically focus on those
topics
-
Any soil or salinity projects which are
supported should be part of farm systems approaches
identifying legal, financial and
administrative incentives for more efficient resource use
Frontier Technology and new products
developing technologies that are cross
sectoral for food, fibre and bioenergy production and which contribute
to sustainability goals.
supporting aquaculture projects that are
part of systems eg "Farm aquaculture & aquaponics systems"
EMS and Accreditation systems
supporting the development of clear protocols,
guidelines and accreditation processes for green food marketing
developing markets for sustainably produced
food products
minimising the costs of operationally
effective EMS, for example by avoiding duplication of audit and certification
procedures
supporting the coordination of EMS research
across the research and development corporations
Expected
key outputs for 2005–06
a review of the environmental impact of
aquaculture production of trout in inland saline water
an assessment of consumer reluctance to
pay extra for trout which has environmental protection attributes
reports indicating that EMS as yet produces
elusive marketplace benefits and that there is a paucity of environmental
information for use in farm EMSs
data showing that the costs of EMS implementation
and certification, plus the costs of being audited, are too high for most
farms which are micro businesses
investigations into legumes with pharmaceutical
and aquaculture potential
demonstrations of what precision farming
is it delivering to farmers
technologies showing how to maintain biodiversity
in a piped water supply system; to map roots electronically; to utilise
Near Infra Red (NIRS) and DNA technologies to manage rangeland sustainability
quantification salinity risk from modern
agriculture in brigalow landscapes
Expected
key outcomes in 2005–06
development of agronomy and aquaculture
technologies for agarophyte and carrageenophyte seaweed cultivation
better coordination of EMS research
across the research and development corporations.
greater clarity on the barriers to environmental
management systems (EMS) implementation and certification in agriculture.
stronger research into managing climate
variability
better understanding of opportunities
for Integrated agri-aquaculture through a demonstration facility
alliances to assist implementation
of environment management systems
3.2:
Environment and Farm Management–new projects being funded or under consideration
in 2005–06 include:
|
Project No
|
Title
|
Researcher
|
Phone
|
| EFM05-08 |
Tramlines,
trees...trouble? Keeping trees in the tramlining equation |
Dr
Peter Stone |
08
9333 6461 |
| EFM05-11 |
Greening
EMS products, drivers and impediments to sustainable value chains |
Mr
David Dumaresq |
02
6125 0349 |
| EFM05-13 |
Fourth
national conference on environmental management systems in agriculture |
Ms
Eloise Seymour |
02
6030 4577 |
| EFM05-29 |
Development
of a desiccant solar drying system for agricultural products |
Dr
Kame Khouzam |
07
3864 2483 |
| EFM05-31 |
Assessment
of lotus (nelumbo nucifera) in wastewater bioremediation |
Mr
Brett Herbert |
07
4092 9913 |
Research
Budget: $694,580
|
