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| Rural Industries |
At a national level, the
Australian government initiated an ecologically sustainable development
(ESD) strategy in response to international concerns about the
harmful effects that human activities can have on natural resources,
and hence the capacity to sustain such practices into the future.
The Standing Committee for Agriculture (SCA) responded
to this initiative and established a Working Group on Sustainable
Agriculture to work with an ESD Working Group to develop and implement
strategies for agriculture.
While efforts to focus on sustainability issues have intensified and inevitably will lead to the development of new opportunities for agriculture in Australia, changes from traditional practices and agricultural systems will not be made quickly or easily.
While work on existing agricultural systems must
proceed, opportunities for diversification and alternative systems
could well prove a profitable area for research. Conversely,
a number of areas facing unique problems, such as peri-urban environments,
will need to be given special consideration.
RIRDC's achievements in this program include the
development of AUSTRALIAN RAINMAN, the most extensive national
rainfall prediction and drought management software yet produced,
containing climatic data from 4,000 locations across Australia.
RIRDC has also completed a major feasibility project,
which looked at the integrated management of water, nutrients
and salt reuse in the irrigation areas of northern Victoria.
The findings have application for water management planning in
irrigation areas throughout Australia, as they can lead to lower
water tables, minimise nutrient losses and dispose of salt.
Last updated: 10 October 1996
Copyright © RIRDC
Index of RIRDC Projects URL
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/pub/compendium/93-94/index.html