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1
Curtis, A., and T. de Lacy. "Landcare, Stewardship and Sustainable Agriculture in Australia." Environmental Values 7, no. 1 (February 1, 1998): 59–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.3197/096327198129341474.
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Williams, Jacqueline. "Soils Governance in Australia: challenges of cooperative federalism." International Journal of Rural Law and Policy, no. 1 (March 26, 2015): 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/ijrlp.i1.2015.4173.
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This paper analyses soil governance in Australia and the challenges facing sustainable natural resource management within the context of a cooperative system of federation and a globalised market economy. With only 6 per cent of the Australian landmass considered arable, one would assume that protecting Australia’s valuable soil resource would be of national significance. However, Australia currently lacks nationally consistent policies and legal instruments to ensure that its soil is protected, maintained and enhanced for future generations. While recognising that soil governance is a broad discipline encompassing many areas of soil science and management, this discussion will only focus on the soil conservation aspects of sustainable ecosystems and sustainable food and fibre in Australia; it will not explore in depth issues of soil contamination and other pollution related areas. The paper discusses: the state of Australian soils and the managers of these resources; current soil governance in Australia (based on the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations definition); and a case study example of an Australian state approach to landuse conflict and the protection of agricultural lands. The paper highlights policies and institutional arrangements required for the protection of Australian soil and the very communities that are attempting to steward these resources for future generations.
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Schoknecht, Noel. "Report card on sustainable natural-resource use in the agricultural regions of Western Australia." Soil Research 53, no. 6 (2015): 695. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr14267.
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A ‘Report Card’, which summarises the current knowledge of the status and trend in land condition in the agricultural areas of the south-west of Western Australia, was published in 2013 by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia. The Report Card draws on best available evidence from government and industry on the current condition and trend of 10 soil- and water-related natural resource themes relevant to agriculture, and discusses the implications of these results for the agricultural industries. The report also discusses the three main factors driving the performance of the land, namely climate, land characteristics and land management. The first two factors are largely out of the control of land managers, but in a drying and warming climate of the agricultural areas of Western Australia, land-management practices need to be able to respond to these changing conditions. The paper briefly explains the methodologies used to assess the seven soil-related themes in the Report Card and summarises the major findings. The results indicate that, for soils, the situation and outlook for our natural resources is mixed. Although there has been progress in some areas, such as managing wind and water erosion, the status and trend in many indicators of resource condition, such as soil acidity, soil compaction and water repellence, are adverse. The predicted growth in global demand for food and fibre brings many opportunities to the Western Australian agri-food sector but also challenges, especially in light of the Report Card findings. One of these challenges is our need to achieve agricultural productivity growth while ensuring our natural resources are healthy and resilient.
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Mathew, Supriya, Benxiang Zeng, Kerstin K. Zander, and Ranjay K. Singh. "Exploring agricultural development and climate adaptation in northern Australia under climatic risks." Rangeland Journal 40, no. 4 (2018): 353. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj18011.
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The agriculture sector in northern Australia is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and climate variability. Climate change risks for future agricultural development include higher atmospheric temperature, increased rainfall variability and an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, heatwaves and fires. An uncertain future climate can affect agricultural production, efficient resource use and sustainable livelihoods. A balance needs to be achieved between resource use and livelihood security for sustainable agricultural development amid stressors such as climate change. This paper examines sustainable agricultural development in northern Australia using the environmental livelihood framework, a new approach that explores the relationships between water, energy and food resources and the livelihoods they sustain. The study shows that developments in the renewable energy sector, water infrastructure sector and advances in research and development for climate resilient infrastructure and climate resilient species are likely to improve agricultural production in northern Australia. Measures to attract and retain agricultural workforce is also key to maintaining a sustainable agricultural workforce in northern Australia. Adequate monitoring and evaluation of agricultural investments is important as future climatic impacts remain uncertain.
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Branagan, Marty, Jacqueline Williams, and Amanda Kennedy. "Editorial: Mining in a Sustainable World." International Journal of Rural Law and Policy, no. 1 (September 9, 2014): 1–2. http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/ijrlp.i1.2014.4144.
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Humanity has reaped great benefits from mining. Over the millennia that humans have practiced mining, there have been many obvious improvements in mining’s environmental and social impacts. However, some aspects of mining still involve an element of ecological violence and, in Australia, there is a growing amount of conflict concerned with mining. These two related issues – ‘ecological violence’ and ‘conflict’ – were explored at the ‘Mining in a Sustainable World’ conference on 13 to 15 October 2013 at the University of New England campus in Armidale, Australia. The conference was a joint initiative of the University of New England’s Peace Studies and Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law. Specifically, conference delegates were interested in exploring the work being done to reduce ecological violence and conflict. Articles in this special edition of the International Journal of Rural Law and Policy arose from that conference. This editorial provides an overview of the rationale for the conference and the issues explored.
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Greenland, Steven, Elizabeth Levin, John F. Dalrymple, and Barry O’Mahony. "Sustainable innovation adoption barriers: water sustainability, food production and drip irrigation in Australia." Social Responsibility Journal 15, no. 6 (September 2, 2019): 727–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/srj-07-2018-0181.
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Purpose This paper aims to examine impediments to the adoption of sustainable water-efficient technological innovation in agriculture. Farming is the largest water consumer and food production expansion in response to global population growth, combined with increasing droughts from climate change, threatens water and food insecurity for many countries. Yet, climate smart agriculture (CSA) innovation adoption has been slow, and in this regard, governments and the agricultural sector are not fulfilling their social responsibility and sustainability obligations. Design/methodology/approach Barriers to water-efficient drip irrigation (DI) adoption in Australia were investigated via 46 depth interviews with agricultural stakeholders and a survey of 148 farmers. Findings While DI water efficiency is recognised, this is not the key determinant of farmers’ irrigation method selection. Complex interrelationships between internal and external barriers impede DI adoption are identified. These include costs, satisfaction with alternative irrigation methods, farmer characteristics that determine the suitability of the innovation and the extent it is incremental or radical, plus various multidimensional risks. Government support of alternative, less water-efficient irrigation methods is also a critical barrier. Originality/value A conceptual framework for understanding barriers to sustainability oriented innovation adoption is presented. Its insights should be applicable to researchers and practitioners concerned with understanding and improving the adoption of socially responsible and sustainable innovation in a wide range of contexts. Recommendations for overcoming such adoption barriers are discussed in relation to the research focus of water-efficient agriculture and encouraging uptake of DI.
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George, David, Jeff Clewett, Colin Birch, Anthony Wright, and Wendy Allen. "A professional development climate course for sustainable agriculture in Australia." Environmental Education Research 15, no. 4 (August 2009): 417–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504620902946978.
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Sriskandarajah, Nadarajah, and Danielle Dignam. "The quest for sustainable agriculture: the current position in Australia." Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 39, no. 1-2 (March 1992): 85–100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0167-8809(92)90206-q.
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Velasco-Muñoz, Juan, José Aznar-Sánchez, Luis Belmonte-Ureña, and Isabel Román-Sánchez. "Sustainable Water Use in Agriculture: A Review of Worldwide Research." Sustainability 10, no. 4 (April 5, 2018): 1084. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su10041084.
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Sustainability of water use in agriculture is a line of research that has gained in importance worldwide. The present study reviewed 25 years of international research on sustainable water use in agriculture. A bibliometric analysis was developed to sample 2084 articles. Results indicate exponential growth in the number of articles published per year, with research in this field having acquired a global scale. Environmental Science and Agricultural and Biological Sciences are the main categories. Three journals—Agricultural Water Management, Water Resources Management and Nongye Gongcheng Xuebao Agricultural Engineering—published the most of the articles. China, the U.S., Australia, India and Germany produced the most research. The three institutions that published the most articles were all Chinese (Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Agricultural University and Northwest A&F University). The most cited authors were Ridoutt, Hoekstra and Zhang. The keywords most frequently used include: water-use, irrigation, water-management, water-supply, and sustainability. A network map shows three clusters that focus on the environmental, agronomic and management aspects. The findings of this study can assist researchers in this field by providing an overview of research on the sustainability of hydric resources.
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Abafe, Ejovi Akpojevwe, Yonas T. Bahta, and Henry Jordaan. "Exploring Biblioshiny for Historical Assessment of Global Research on Sustainable Use of Water in Agriculture." Sustainability 14, no. 17 (August 26, 2022): 10651. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su141710651.
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There are quite a lot of studies from global and regional perspectives that touch on sustainable water use in agriculture. As a result, we explored Biblioshiny to review the scholarly research on the sustainable use of water in agriculture. Using data analysis and visualization technique of 4106 documents authored by 12,686 scholars in 724 journals published between 1990 and 2022, we find that research on this topic gained momentum in 2007 and has followed a steady increase with an annual growth rate of ~16.12%. The results of the co-occurrence network mappings highlight five trendy topics in research on sustainable water use in agriculture, which were categorized based on five (5) Word Minimum Frequency and Number of Words per Year. These topics include the AquaCrop model, Agroforestry, Biochar, No-tillage, and Diet. While renowned journals such as Agricultural Water Management, followed by Sustainability and Water, have taken leading roles in pushing research on sustainable water use in agriculture. Regarding the impact of perspective, in terms of institutional affiliation and countries, we found that the top three most prominent affiliated institutions producing publications allied to research on the sustainable use of water in agriculture are Northwest A&F University in Xianyang, China, China Agricultural University, and Hohai University in Nanjing, China, while the top three countries are China, the USA, and Australia, accounting for 45,039 (43.4%) of the total 103,900 global citations. The study’s findings can be helpful to scholars in presenting an overview of the literature on the sustainable use of water in agriculture.
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Pittock, Jamie. "Are we there yet? The Murray-Darling Basin and sustainable water management." Thesis Eleven 150, no. 1 (February 2019): 119–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0725513618821970.
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In 2007, then Australian Prime Minister Howard said of the Murray-Darling Basin’s rivers that action was required to end the ‘The tyranny of incrementalism and the lowest common denominator’ governance to prevent ‘economic and environmental decline’. This paper explores the management of these rivers as an epicentre for three key debates for the future of Australia. Information on biodiversity, analyses of the socio-ecological system, and climate change projections are presented to illustrate the disjunction between trends in environmental health and the institutions established to manage the Basin sustainably. Three key debates are considered: (1) conflict over the allocation of water between irrigated agriculture versus a range of other ecosystem services as the latest manifestation of the debate between adherents of the pioneering myth versus advocates of limits to growth in Australia; (2) cyclical crises as a driver of reactive policy reform and the prospects of the 2008 Water Act forming the basis of proactive, adaptive management of emerging threats and opportunities; and (3) subsidiarity in governance of the environment and natural resources in the Australian federation. Implementation of the 2012 Basin Plan as promised by the Federal Government ‘in full and on time’ is a key sustainability test for Australia. Despite Australian claims of exceptionalism, the Murray-Darling Basin experience mirrors the challenges faced in managing rivers sustainably and across governance scales in federations around the world.
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Chapman, AL, JD Sturtz, AL Cogle, WS Mollah, and RJ Bateman. "Farming systems in the Australian semi-arid tropics-a recent history." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 36, no. 8 (1996): 915. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea9960915.
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The recent history of dryland farming in the Australian semi-arid tropics is discussed briefly against the background of national and state policies, established following World War II, aimed at increasing the population and development of northern Australia. Some reference is also made to irrigation as a means of overcoming limitations imposed by rainfall and to complement dryland farming systems. The environmental and socio-economic constraints whch have so far limited commercial agriculture in the Australian semi-arid tropics are highlighted. Efforts, particularly in north-west Australia, to develop sustainable farming systems based on legume pasture leys and livestock production in conjunction with annual cropping, as a basis for closer settlement, are reviewed. These attempts, which began in the 1960s and stemmed from earlier post-war agricultural research in the region, initially relied on a pasture legume (Stylosanthes humilis cv. Townsville stylo) and conventional tillage. Farming system development continues today using new legume species (e.g. Stylosanthes hamata cv. Verano and Centrosema pascuorum cv. Cavalcade) and no-tillage cropping technology. This paper documents the history of agricultural and research development, and commercial practice in the Australian semi-arid tropics.
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Fitzhardinge, Guy. "Australia’s rangelands: a future vision." Rangeland Journal 34, no. 1 (2012): 33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj11059.
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The rangelands of Australia and their communities can be represented as a diverse and interrelated complex of social and ecological systems. For the development of a sustainable future for both social and ecological systems, thinking needs to be at a level that accommodates the interaction of all systems and not just part of them. Historical trends show that continued emphasis on increased production in agriculture does little to improve the real wealth of the industry in the long term. Changing community attitudes in relation to the value of the rangelands present both threats and opportunities for the inhabitants of the rangelands. It is argued that capitalising on the wider range of values represented by the landscape beyond only production of generic agricultural products and mining presents a more viable path to an ecologically sustainable and socially acceptable future for the Australian rangelands.
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Salazar, Osvaldo, Claudia Rojas, Cecilia Baginsky, Sofía Boza, Gabriela Lankin, Andrés Muñoz-Sáez, Jorge F. Pérez-Quezada, et al. "Challenges for agroecology development for the building of sustainable agri-food systems." International Journal of Agriculture and Natural Resources 47, no. 3 (December 2020): 152–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.7764/ijanr.v47i3.2308.
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Environmental and social crises in agriculture have led to growing recognition that more ecologically sustainable and socially just food and agricultural systems are needed. This thematic number of the International Journal of Agriculture and Natural Resources gathers the papers submitted to the workshop “Challenges for agroecology development for the building of sustainable agri-food systems,” an OECD Co-operative Research Programme-sponsored conference. The aim of the workshop was to promote the transition from conventional agriculture towards agroecology as a science, practice and social movement through sharing the experiences of different OECD countries: Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United States. The main topics discussed at the workshop included i) agroecology development in OECD countries: local experiences and international collaboration; ii) agroecology as a social movement and related public policies; iii) agroecology education to promote sustainable agri-food systems; and iv) science, innovation and technologies in agroecological systems. While not a comprehensive assessment of the state of agroecology in OECD countries, this thematic number integrates diverse perspectives on some main research and policy advances and uncovers some existing gaps in agroecology practice as an approach for transitioning towards ecologically sustainable and socially just agricultural systems
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Tan, Poh-Ling, David George, and Maria Comino. "Cumulative risk management, coal seam gas, sustainable water, and agriculture in Australia." International Journal of Water Resources Development 31, no. 4 (January 21, 2015): 682–700. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2014.994593.
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Sun, Yi, Baojing Gu, Hans J. M. van Grinsven, Stefan Reis, Shu Kee Lam, Xiuying Zhang, Youfan Chen, et al. "The Warming Climate Aggravates Atmospheric Nitrogen Pollution in Australia." Research 2021 (June 7, 2021): 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/2021/9804583.
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Australia is a warm country with well-developed agriculture and a highly urbanized population. How these specific features impact the nitrogen cycle, emissions, and consequently affect environmental and human health is not well understood. Here, we find that the ratio of reactive nitrogen (Nr) losses to air over losses to water in Australia is 1.6 as compared to values less than 1.1 in the USA, the European Union, and China. Australian Nr emissions to air increased by more than 70% between 1961 and 2013, from 1.2 Tg N yr-1 to 2.1 Tg N yr-1. Previous emissions were substantially underestimated mainly due to neglecting the warming climate. The estimated health cost from atmospheric Nr emissions in Australia is 4.6 billion US dollars per year. Emissions of Nr to the environment are closely correlated with economic growth, and reduction of Nr losses to air is a priority for sustainable development in Australia.
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Marland, Angus. "An Overview of Organic Farming in the UK." Outlook on Agriculture 18, no. 1 (March 1989): 24–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/003072708901800105.
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The dramatic effect of artificial fertilizers and agrochemicals on agricultural productivity tends to obscure the fact that their impact has been made only within the past century. Today, environmental problems arising from this technology have led to a consumer-led interest in organic agriculture. This approach will focus our sophisticated development and analytical techniques towards the principles of sustainable production, and now commands some support from governments and is a recognized study in some universities and agricultural colleges. In Australia over a million acres are under organic cultivation and in Britain alone sales in 1987 were $pD34 million.
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Stoneham, G., M. Eigenraam, A. Ridley, and N. Barr. "The application of sustainability concepts to Australian agriculture: an overview." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 43, no. 3 (2003): 195. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea00173.
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This paper reviews the concepts of sustainable development in an economic, environmental and social context. Weak and strong versions of sustainable development are reviewed and applied to the agricultural sector. The paper demonstrates that despite any degradation of the natural resource base, the agricultural sector is more productive now than in the past. This has occurred because the rate of investment in research and development (resulting in increased reproducible capital) has more than offset the rate of degradation in the natural capital stock. Science, it is argued, is part of the economic system that allocates productive capacity between current and future generations. Increases in expenditure on agricultural R&D since the 1950s have ensured that past generations have transferred productive capacity to future generations. With respect to the environment, the authors argue that a strong version of sustainable development may be appropriate, particularly where there are uncertain and irreversible outcomes. Finally, it has been observed that a hybrid version of social sustainability has been adopted in Australia. While resource mobility in the agricultural sector has been generally encouraged (weak sustainability) this has been underpinned by a welfare system that ensures basic standards of well-being and opportunity (strong sustainability).
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Loi, A., J. G. Howieson, B. J. Nutt, and S. J. Carr. "A second generation of annual pasture legumes and their potential for inclusion in Mediterranean-type farming systems." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45, no. 3 (2005): 289. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea03134.
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A second generation of annual pasture legumes and their root-nodule bacteria has been released to agriculture in Mediterranean-type environments. These new species emanate from selection activity focussed upon ‘alternative legumes’. In 1992, in response to changing constraints upon production, a program was initiated which sought species with different ideotypic traits to the traditional annual medics and clovers used in agriculture in southern Australia. Traits sought in the new species were deeper root systems, improved persistence from higher hardseed levels, acid tolerant symbioses, tolerance to pests and diseases and ease of harvesting with conventional cereal harvesters. Several cultivars of species new to Australian agriculture such as biserrula (Biserrula pelecinus), French serradella (Ornithopus sativus), gland clover (Trifolium glanduliferum) and improved varieties of arrowleaf clover (Trifolium vesiculosum) and yellow serradella (Ornithopus compressus) were developed and have had rapid adoption and impact in southern Australian ley- and phase-farming systems. This paper reviews the importance of ley farming for Australian agriculture, the shortcomings of the traditional medics and clovers and the imperatives for a second generation of annual pasture legume species to be developed. In addition to enhancing ley farming, the commercial availability of a second generation of annual pasture legume species has provided a much needed impetus for the development of more flexible and sustainable farming systems.
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Pearson, Diane, Muhammad Nawaz, and Robert Wasson. "Creating sustainable future landscapes: a role for landscape ecology in the rangelands of Northern Australia." Rangeland Journal 41, no. 1 (2019): 13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj18040.
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The principles and theory of landscape ecology can be used with careful spatial planning to maintain ecosystem function and services in the face of urbanisation and agricultural intensification of the rangelands. In the largely undisturbed catchment of Darwin harbour in Northern Australia, an area of cattle grazing, some agriculture and small urban areas, seasonally waterlogged grassy valley floors known as dambos are demonstrated to be of vital importance for the minimisation of fine sediment transport to the harbour. If the dambos are disturbed fine sediment from them will have potentially detrimental effects on the biodiversity of the upper harbour and may also add pollutants contained in the fine sediment. The incorporation of such important landscape features into landscape planning in rangelands worldwide is critical to the creation of sustainable future landscapes. Techniques that monitor condition and function of the landscape coupled with spatially informed design are able to assist in preserving the important ecosystem services that natural features can provide and thus have a significant contribution to make in landscape sustainability.
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Redden, Robert. "Genetic Modification for Agriculture—Proposed Revision of GMO Regulation in Australia." Plants 10, no. 4 (April 11, 2021): 747. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants10040747.
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Genetic engineering (GM) of crops, modified with DNA transfer between species, has been highly regulated for over two decades. Now, genome editing (GE) enables a range of DNA alterations, from single base pair changes to precise gene insertion with site-directed nucleases (SDNs). Past regulations, established according to the precautionary principle of avoiding potential risks to human health and the environment, are predicated on fears fanned by well-funded and emotional anti-GM campaigns. These fears ignore the safety record of GM crops over the last 25 years and the benefits of GM to crop productivity, disease and pest resistance, and the environment. GE is now superseding GM, and public education is needed about its benefits and its potential to meet the challenges of climate change for crops. World population will exceed 9 billion by 2050, and world CO2 levels are now over 400 ppm in contrast with a pre-industrial 280 ppm, leading to a projected 1.5 °C global warming by 2050, with more stressful crop environments. The required abiotic and biotic stress tolerances can be introgressed from crop wild relatives (CWR) into domestic crops via GE. Restrictive regulations need to be lifted to facilitate GE technologies for sustainable agriculture in Australia and the world.
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Cann, M. A. "Clay spreading on water repellent sands in the south east of South Australia—promoting sustainable agriculture." Journal of Hydrology 231-232 (May 2000): 333–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0022-1694(00)00205-5.
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Anderson, J. "The environmental benefits of water recycling and reuse." Water Supply 3, no. 4 (August 1, 2003): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/ws.2003.0041.
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The world's supply of fresh water is finite and is threatened by pollution. Rising demands for water to supply agriculture, industry and cities are leading to competition over the allocation of limited fresh water resources. This paper examines how water reuse increases the available supply of water and enables human needs to be met with less fresh water. The paper is illustrated with water reuse case studies in agriculture, urban areas, industry and water resource supplementation in Australia and other countries. The links between water reuse and sustainable water management are examined. Water conservation and water reuse produce substantial environmental benefits, arising from reductions in water diversions, and reductions in the impacts of wastewater discharges on environmental water quality. Some examples are presented demonstrating the environmental benefits in quantitative terms. The paper also describes the economic and environmental benefits identified in a number of recent integrated water cycle planning studies in Australia.
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A. Saunders, Denis. "Does our lack of vision threaten the viability of the reconstruction of disturbed ecosystems?" Pacific Conservation Biology 2, no. 4 (1995): 321. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc960321.
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There is widespread acceptance that in the extensive wheat-sheep zone of Australia, development for agriculture and associated changes to ecological processes have resulted in major problems of loss of species, land degradation and potential decreases in agricultural productivity. Present agricultural practices are not sustainable. There has been a range of responses to these changes, from community action through Landcare and revegetation projects, to legislative action. Unfortunately, these responses and the actions that follow, are usually carried out without any long-term context or any clear understanding of what we want our agricultural landscapes to look like in 150?200 years. While phrases such as "achieve the conservation of biological diversity through the adoption of ecologically sustainable agricultural practices" are being widely used, they will never become reality without the development of a vision of what we as a society want these landscapes to look like and how we want them to function. As a matter of urgency, we should develop a collective vision for the future of our agricultural landscapes and use that vision to provide the framework to integrate conservation of the biota with management for agricultural production, while addressing the environmental problems we face now or which may arise as we adapt management to changing environmental conditions.
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Ridley, A. M. "The role of farming systems group approaches in achieving sustainability in Australian agriculture." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45, no. 6 (2005): 603. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea03247.
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The concepts surrounding sustainability are outlined and economic, environmental and social sustainability are defined for Australian farming systems — including the issue of scale at which sustainability can be practically applied. Farming systems work in Australia is often a farmer–scientist partnership, with research mainly conducted at the paddock/farm scale, this being where management decisions are made. Farming systems research as conducted currently has concentrated on components of the ‘system’ and could be described as systems in name more than substance. Farming systems groups have primarily focused on issue of profitability and economic sustainability (soil resource). Some groups have focused on salinity and recharge related issues using perennial pastures, but work on biodiversity has been limited, despite its role as a key environmental sustainability issue, at least, in southern Australia. Several groups are addressing issues of social sustainability at scales larger (e.g. local community or region) than the farm. Farming systems groups need to progress towards more sustainable farming systems involving increased complexity and consideration of multiple values for a number of reasons outlined in this paper. Important factors in this evolution include investment in developing new technologies, the knowledge and learning environment, increased emphasis on environmental and social sustainability, progression to larger scales (e.g. catchment or region), and different relationships in view of changing institutional arrangements. Social learning and ‘soft systems’ approaches will become more important to provide skills to deal with complexity, conflict, and multiple values of people. Farming systems groups need to become more actively engaged with a wider group of stakeholders including catchment management organisations and other non-farming members of the community. Such engagement is occurring in some groups. However, there are large training needs, particularly for facilitators to effectively deal with the increasing complexity of work conducted by groups that are involving larger scales and using a multi-disciplinary approach.
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Sambell, Ros, Lesley Andrew, Stephanie Godrich, Justin Wolfgang, Dieter Vandenbroeck, Katie Stubley, Nick Rose, Lenore Newman, Pierre Horwitz, and Amanda Devine. "Local Challenges and Successes Associated with Transitioning to Sustainable Food System Practices for a West Australian Context: Multi-Sector Stakeholder Perceptions." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 11 (June 10, 2019): 2051. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16112051.
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Large-scale food system practices have diminished soil and water quality and negatively impacted climate change. Yet, numerous opportunities exist to harness food system practices that will ensure better outcomes for human health and ecosystems. The objective of this study was to consider food Production, Processing, Access and Consumption domains, and for each determine the challenges and successes associated with progressing towards a sustainable food system. A workshop engaging 122 participants including producers, consultants, consumers, educators, funders, scientists, media, government and industry representatives, was conducted in Perth, Western Australia. A thematic analysis of statements (Successes (n = 170) or Challenges (n = 360)) captured, revealed issues of scale, knowledge and education, economics, consumerism, big food, environmental/sustainability, communication, policies and legislation, and technology and innovations. Policy recommendations included greater investment into research in sustainable agriculture (particularly the evidentiary basis for regenerative agriculture), land preservation, and supporting farmers to overcome high infrastructure costs and absorb labour costs. Policy, practice and research recommendations included focusing on an integrated food systems approach with multiple goals, food system actors working collaboratively to reduce challenges and undertaking more research to further the regenerative agriculture evidence.
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Gidley, Michael J. "Food quality, safety, and functionality – relevance to nutrition security." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1024, no. 1 (May 1, 2022): 012002. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1024/1/012002.
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Abstract Achieving nutrition security through diet quality is a major challenge globally, as reflected in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. To aid in this, there is a global consensus that diet quality is a result of overall dietary patterns rather than individual nutrients. This puts the emphasis on food quality and availability and is causing a major re-think in the science of nutrition. Recently, the Australian Academy of Science produced a Decadal Plan for the Science of Nutrition (https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/science-policy-and-analysis/decadal-plans-science/nourishing-australia-decadal-plan) that identified three areas of focus: Social Determinants, Nutrition Mechanisms and Precision Nutrition as well as the Enabling Platforms that should result in greater opportunities to achieve nutrition security. This presentation will discuss these three areas and platforms in the context of targets for agriculture and food processing.
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Pomeroy, Ann. "Relocating Policies for Sustainable Agriculture Under the Umbrella of Rural Development in Australia, USA and New Zealand." New Zealand Geographer 52, no. 2 (October 1996): 84–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7939.1996.tb02070.x.
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Fedosov, A. Yu, and A. M. Menshikh. "Implementation of Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture to Optimize Irrigation." Agricultural Machinery and Technologies 16, no. 4 (December 13, 2022): 45–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.22314/2073-7599-2022-16-4-45-53.
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Abstract. The relevance of artificial intelligence in agriculture is substantiated for irrigation optimization. (Research purpose) To report on the progress made over the past few years in the application of artificial intelligence to optimize crop irrigation. (Materials and methods) The review focuses on the most salient facts and important scientific information on the application of artificial intelligence in crop production. The review is based on Various databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, SciFinder, Web of Science, RSCI) and online sources (Research Gate, Springer Nature Open Access, Wiley Online Library). It is shown how the integration of machine learning models can provide intelligent irrigation management. The review reports on the research trends and applicability of machine learning methods, as well as the deployment of developed machine learning models for sustainable irrigation management. (Results and discussion) Mobile and web platforms are shown to be able to facilitate intelligent irrigation management. Machine learning proves to be one of the central areas of artificial intelligence helping researchers to work more creatively and efficiently. The review notes the problems of introducing artificial intelligence in crop production and specifies the future research areas in the machine learning implementation and digital farming solutions. (Conclusions) The relevance of the intelligent system in irrigation and water management is proved for sustainable agriculture. It is revealed that, despite the extensive literature available, machine learning modeling for crop irrigation management is still in its infancy. The countries leading in this area are China, the United States and Australia.
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Kenny, Daniel C., and Juan Castilla-Rho. "What Prevents the Adoption of Regenerative Agriculture and What Can We Do about It? Lessons and Narratives from a Participatory Modelling Exercise in Australia." Land 11, no. 9 (August 23, 2022): 1383. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land11091383.
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Regenerative agriculture (RegenAg) can help landholders attune their agricultural practices to the natural design of the earth’s cycles and support systems. The adoption of RegenAg, however, hinges not only on a good understanding of biophysical processes but perhaps more importantly on deep-seated values and beliefs which can become an obstacle for triggering widespread transitions towards synergistic relationships with the land. We designed and facilitated a Participatory Modelling exercise with RegenAg stakeholders in Australia—the aim was to provide a blueprint of how challenges and opportunities could be collaboratively explored in alignment with landholders’ personal views and perspectives. Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) were used to unpack and formalise landholder perspectives into a semi-quantitative shared ‘mental model’ of the barriers and enablers for adoption of RegenAg practices and to subsequently identify actions that might close the gap between the two. Five dominant narratives which encode the key drivers and pain points in the system were identified and extracted from the FCM as a way to promote the internalisation of outcomes and lessons from the engagement. The Participatory Modelling exercise revealed some of the key drivers of RegenAg in Australia, highlighting the complex forces at work and the need for coordinated actions at the institutional, social, and individual levels, across long timescales (decades). Such actions are necessary for RegenAg to play a greater role in local and regional economies and to embed balancing relationships within systems currently reliant on conventional agriculture with few internal incentives to change. Our methods and findings are relevant not only for those seeking to promote the adoption of RegenAg in Australia but also for governments and agriculturalists seeking to take a behaviorally attuned stance to engage with landholders on issues of sustainable and resilient agriculture. More broadly, the participatory process reported here demonstrates the use of bespoke virtual elicitation methods that were designed to collaborate with stakeholders under COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
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Kareemulla, K., Pandian Krishnan, S. Ravichandran, B. Ganesh Kumar, Sweety Sharma, and Ramachandra Bhatta. "Spatiotemporal Analysis of Size and Equity in Ownership Dynamics of Agricultural Landholdings in India Vis-à-Vis the World." Sustainability 13, no. 18 (September 13, 2021): 10225. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su131810225.
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The increasing threat to sustainable agriculture is a major concern of planners worldwide. Human population growth together with increasing food requirements and competition for land use is leading to land scarcity for agricultural purposes. Farm size influences the extent of the adoption of mechanization and modern methods of farm management practices, which in turn results in increased productivity, production efficiency and agricultural income. We studied changes in macroeconomic factors such as dependency on agriculture, growth of the sector, the pattern of landholdings and tenure rights across major agriculturally important countries, as well as the priority of agriculture for the national economy (i.e., the share of agriculture in the national income) and its relationship to changes in farm size. The data on the percentage of area under farming, population growth, size of the agricultural workforce and other social dimensions from 24 countries of different geographical sizes were analysed. We used parameters such as the extent of changes in cropland, family-owned land, the agricultural workforce and their productivity, number of holdings and their distribution, women-headed holdings and finally total and per capita agricultural income, and measured the changes over time and space. The published data from national and international sources were used to establish the relationship between farm size and farm efficiency measured through the selected parameters. The results clearly establish that the size of farm holdings had an inverse relationship with the population dependent on agriculture, share of agriculture in national income and tenure rights. Australia had the largest average agricultural landholding (3243 ha), while India and Bangladesh had the lowest (1.3 and 0.3 ha, respectively). The inequality in the distribution of farmland ownership was greater in developed countries than in developing countries. Female farmland ownership was less than 20% in most developing countries and the relationship between the number of farm households and farm outcomes was found to have weakened over time. India, a developing as well as an agriculturally important country, was subjected to detailed analysis to understand the spatiotemporal dynamics of the size, distribution and ownership patterns of agricultural landholding.
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Radcliffe, John C. "Policy issues impacting on crop production in water-limiting environments." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 56, no. 11 (2005): 1303. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar05072.
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Policy issues have impacted on cropping since the earliest days of European colonial settlement. Following emigration to Australia, secure land titles were required, with the Torrens title system being progressively introduced from 1858. This provided the basis for landholders to be able to borrow to develop land. Closer settlement policies were adopted, underpinned by the development of transport infrastructure. The demand for education resulted in Agricultural Colleges in the colonies from the 1880s, with Departments of Agriculture soon afterwards. Federation of the colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia and the creation of the states resulted in a separation of powers, with the Commonwealth assuming responsibility for external powers including overseas marketing, import quarantine, health and quality standards of exports and credit and financial powers. Natural resource management matters and education were among those remaining with the states. Regular intergovernmental meetings were held to discuss research from 1927 and a broader range of agricultural issues from 1935. The Great Depression in the 1930s, poor commodity prices and serious land degradation led to government support for debt reconstruction and the introduction of soil conservation services. Realising the need for innovation to successfully compete on world markets, farmers, led by cereal growers, petitioned for the establishment of statutory research programs with joint grower/government funding from the 1950s. These have been remarkably successful, with the uptake of new technologies contributing to an average multifactor productivity growth of Australian grain farms by 3.3% per year between 1977–78 and 2001–02. With community and policy recognition of the need to conserve natural resources, the Commonwealth Government is playing an increasing role in this area. Farmers are required to meet standards for the use of agricultural chemicals and for occupational safety, welfare and environmental protection. The states have taken a conservative stand against the growing of genetically modified food crops in the name of protecting overseas markets. New water management regimes are coming into place with the separation of water titles from land. Market-based instruments are being introduced to encourage more sustainable production systems and saleable ecosystem services. Research and innovation along with complementary policy initiatives will continue to underpin farmers’ adaptive management skills to ensure dryland crop producers have sustainable production systems while remaining competitive in world markets.
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PUSEY, BRADLEY J., DAMIEN W. BURROWS, MARK J. KENNARD, COLTON N. PERNA, PETER J. UNMACK, QUENTIN ALLSOP, and MICHAEL P. HAMMER. "Freshwater fishes of northern Australia." Zootaxa 4253, no. 1 (April 11, 2017): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4253.1.1.
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Northern Australia is biologically diverse and of national and global conservation signicance. Its ancient landscape contains the world’s largest area of savannah ecosystem in good ecological condition and its rivers are largely free-flowing. Agriculture, previously confined largely to open range-land grazing, is set to expand in extent and to focus much more on irrigated cropping and horticulture. Demands on the water resources of the region are thus, inevitably increasing. Reliable information is required to guide and inform development and help plan for a sustainable future for the region which includes healthy rivers that contain diverse fish assemblages. Based on a range of information sources, including the outcomes of recent and extensive new field surveys, this study maps the distribution of the 111 freshwater fishes (excluding elasmobranches) and 42 estuarine vagrants recorded from freshwater habitats of the region. We classify the habitat use and migratory biology of each species. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the diversity and distribution of fishes of the region within a standardised nomenclatural framework. In addition, we summarise the outcomes of recent phylogeographic and phylogenetic research using molecular technologies to identify where issues of taxonomy may need further scrutiny. The study provides an informed basis for further research on the spatial arrangement of biodiversity and its relationship to environmental factors (e.g. hydrology), conservation planning and phylogentic variation within individual taxa.
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Morgan, Shaughn. "Safeguarding the future." APPEA Journal 55, no. 2 (2015): 436. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/aj14071.
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The present climate of coal seam gas (CSG) production in east coast Australia illustrates the importance of consultation and engagement with the government and stakeholders. This extends particularly to agricultural and community groups, and the impact they have on government policy decisions and in some instances, knee-jerk reactions based on emotion rather than science. Farmers are (and have been) strong environmental managers who want to ensure that the protection of prime agricultural land is safeguarded for future generations—however, so do petroleum companies and working side-by-side for a successful outcome is achievable. For instance, AGL Energy has invested in the agricultural sector from vineyards to growing cattle, allowing the company to engage in the sector directly. On the ground early engagement strategies increasingly need to be implemented with agriculture, which reassures the government and provides a win-win outcome by diffusing anti-groups and community divisions by bringing opportunities for sustainable economic benefit. One of the critical questions is how can this be done successfully without it being seen by the government and community as corporate spin. Particular reference will be made to NSW and the relationship that AGL Energy has built with agriculture organisations, such as Dairy Connect NSW and community groups such as Advance Gloucester. This extended abstract will illustrate that the opportunities for growth for CSG, agriculture and the community are only limited by narrow views of what is achievable and what is drawn from real-life experiences from AGL Energy operations in NSW.
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Papworth, M. P., and B. Lewis. "The development of an historical baseline of water balance and environmental flows." Water Science and Technology 48, no. 7 (October 1, 2003): 139–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2003.0434.
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This paper has been motivated by a desire to put some numbers beside the label of sustainability as is currently applied to water related issues. Of particular interest is a general estimate of the water balance and environmental flows during the time intervals before Aboriginal arrival, when the land was being managed in an environmentally sustainable manner by the Aboriginals, and most recently following European settlement. This will be considered in an Australia-wide context, because the continent is geographically diverse, being mostly arid desert, with limited areas of fertile soils. Climate variation ranging from a hot tropical north to a cool temperate south will also be discussed. Attention will be given to the major factors that have influenced the water balance, including the extinction of Australian megafauna, the effects of “fire-stick” farming and the clearance of land for European agriculture with its consequences. It is hoped that the findings will increase our understanding of Australian water resources, and promote a greater appreciation of the fragility of this ancient landscape on which we dwell.
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Fulton, Murray. "Cereal and wool production in the Esperance Sandplain area of Western Australia: The need for a systems approach for sustainable agriculture." American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 8, no. 2 (June 1993): 85–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0889189300005038.
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AbstractThe problems facing farmers in the Esperance Sandplain region of Western Australia—salinity, herbicide resistance, wind erosion, and plant disease—are highly interrelated. Unless the biological, economic and social aspects of the problems are examined in an integrated way, no sustainable system will be found. Similarly, agricultural teaching and research must become much more integrated if they are to address agricultural and environmental problems satisfactorily. This will require changes in the structure of university and research institutions and in the rewards for research and teaching.
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Turner, Neil C., and Senthold Asseng. "Productivity, sustainability, and rainfall-use efficiency in Australian rainfed Mediterranean agricultural systems." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 56, no. 11 (2005): 1123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar05076.
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Mediterranean environments are characterised by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The native vegetation in Mediterranean-climatic regions is predominantly perennial shrubs and trees intermixed with annual forbs. In south-western Australia, the spread of agriculture has seen the well adapted perennial vegetation replaced by rainfed annual crops and pastures. This has increased waterlogging and secondary salinity, thereby causing loss of productivity in ~10% of the cleared land area. To reduce deep drainage and make the agricultural systems environmentally sustainable requires the re-introduction of perennial vegetation in the form of belts of trees or shrubs, and phase-farming systems with perennials such as lucerne replacing annual pastures between the cropping years. To be economically viable, agricultural productivity needs to increase by at least 3% per annum. Yields of dryland wheat, the predominant crop in the Mediterranean agricultural regions of Australia, have increased at ~1%/year for the century preceding the 1980s and since then by nearly 4%/year. Increases have arisen from both genotypic and agronomic improvements. Genotypic increases have arisen from selection for earliness, early vigour, deep roots, osmotic adjustment, increased transpiration efficiency, improved disease resistance, and an improved harvest index from high ear weight (grain number) at flowering and high assimilate storage and remobilisation. Agronomic increases have arisen from early sowing that has been enabled by minimum tillage, increased fertiliser use, especially nitrogen, weed control, and rotations to improve weed control, minimise disease risk, and increase nitrogen availability. Evidence is presented suggesting that the rapid increase in yield of wheat in the last two decades has likely arisen from the rapid adoption of new technologies. For productivity to be maintained in the face of the increasing requirement to be environmentally sustainable will be a challenge and will require better integration of breeding and agronomy.
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Forouzangohar, Mohsen, Neville D. Crossman, Richard J. MacEwan, D. Dugal Wallace, and Lauren T. Bennett. "Ecosystem Services in Agricultural Landscapes: A Spatially Explicit Approach to Support Sustainable Soil Management." Scientific World Journal 2014 (2014): 1–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/483298.
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Soil degradation has been associated with a lack of adequate consideration of soil ecosystem services. We demonstrate a broadly applicable method for mapping changes in the supply of two priority soil ecosystem services to support decisions about sustainable land-use configurations. We used a landscape-scale study area of 302 km2in northern Victoria, south-eastern Australia, which has been cleared for intensive agriculture. Indicators representing priority soil services (soil carbon sequestration and soil water storage) were quantified and mapped under both a current and a future 25-year land-use scenario (the latter including a greater diversity of land uses and increased perennial crops and irrigation). We combined diverse methods, including soil analysis using mid-infrared spectroscopy, soil biophysical modelling, and geostatistical interpolation. Our analysis suggests that the future land-use scenario would increase the landscape-level supply of both services over 25 years. Soil organic carbon content and water storage to 30 cm depth were predicted to increase by about 11% and 22%, respectively. Our service maps revealed the locations of hotspots, as well as potential trade-offs in service supply under new land-use configurations. The study highlights the need to consider diverse land uses in sustainable management of soil services in changing agricultural landscapes.
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Rengasamy, P., and KA Olsson. "Irrigation and sodicity." Soil Research 31, no. 6 (1993): 821. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr9930821.
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The productivity of irrigated agriculture in Australia is low for most crops and one important factor is the physical and chemical constraints caused by sodicity in the rootzone. Over 80% of the irrigated soils are sodic and have degraded structure limiting water and gas transport and root growth. Irrigation, without appropriate drainage, leads to the buildup of salts in soil solutions with increased sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and can develop perched watertables due to a very low leaching fraction of the soil layers exacerbated by sodicity. Therefore, irrigation management in Australia is closely linked with the management of soil sodicity.The inevitable consequence of continued irrigation of crops and pastures with saline-sodic water without careful management is the further sodification of soil layers and concentration of salt in the rootzone. This will increase the possibility of dissolving toxic elements from soil minerals. The yields of crops can be far below the potential yields determined by climate. The cost of continued use of amendments and fertilizers to maintain normal yields will increase under saline-sodic irrigation. Most of the irrigated soils in Australia need reclamation of sodicity of soil layers at least in the rootzone. The management of these sodic soils involves the application of gypsum, suitable tillage and the maintenance of structure by the buildup of organic matter and biological activity aver time. Then artificial drainage, an essential component of the management of irrigated sodic soils, is possible. By following these soil management practices, irrigated agriculture in Australia will become sustainable with increased yields and high economic returns.
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Islam, Nahina, Md Mamunur Rashid, Faezeh Pasandideh, Biplob Ray, Steven Moore, and Rajan Kadel. "A Review of Applications and Communication Technologies for Internet of Things (IoT) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Based Sustainable Smart Farming." Sustainability 13, no. 4 (February 8, 2021): 1821. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13041821.
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To reach the goal of sustainable agriculture, smart farming is taking advantage of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm. These smart farms are designed to be run by interconnected devices and vehicles. Some enormous potentials can be achieved by the integration of different IoT technologies to achieve automated operations with minimum supervision. This paper outlines some major applications of IoT and UAV in smart farming, explores the communication technologies, network functionalities and connectivity requirements for Smart farming. The connectivity limitations of smart agriculture and it’s solutions are analysed with two case studies. In case study-1, we propose and evaluate meshed Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) gateways to address connectivity limitations of Smart Farming. While in case study-2, we explore satellite communication systems to provide connectivity to smart farms in remote areas of Australia. Finally, we conclude the paper by identifying future research challenges on this topic and outlining directions to address those challenges.
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Thomson, L. J., D. J. Sharley, and A. A. Hoffmann. "Beneficial organisms as bioindicators for environmental sustainability in the grape industry in Australia." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 47, no. 4 (2007): 404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea05183.
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Increased biodiversity is being promoted as an important aim for Australian agriculture, but the measurement of biodiversity is problematic and often not practical. An alternative involves the development of surrogate indicators for biodiversity on farms that have direct links to production. One group of organisms that may perform this function in vineyards is the beneficial invertebrates that have a direct impact on pest abundance. If we can identify the effects of common management practices on invertebrates that are important in the wine industry, we can identify target organisms whose presence suggests good and sustainable practice. Here we identify key invertebrates, both pests and natural enemies, in grape production, the effects of some management practices on these invertebrates, and suggest steps to develop these invertebrates into sustainability indicators for the viticulture industry.
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Diehl, Jessica Ann. "Growing for Sydney: Exploring the Urban Food System through Farmers’ Social Networks." Sustainability 12, no. 8 (April 20, 2020): 3346. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12083346.
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Growing urban populations’ increased demand for food coupled with the inherent risks of relying on the global food system has spurred planning strategies by city governments for implementing urban agriculture at different scales. Urban agriculture manifests in a variety of different forms, often with different functions. However, within each type, embeddedness in the socio-ecological urban system can vary substantially as a result of specific characteristics and actors involved. This has a profound impact on the feasibility and sustainability of individual farm practices and, consequently, when scaled up to the urban food system as a whole. In this paper, I apply the concept of social networks to understand how commercial urban farmers gain access to and make use of tangible and intangible resources available to them in the context of the urban food system. Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 farmers in Sydney, Australia. The question guide, developed based on the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, captured farm traits and access to resources through social networks. Findings illustrate three emergent patterns leveraging urban-local, rural-local, and urban-global networks as farmers pursued sustainable livelihoods. In conclusion, land is only one driver, among many, of the sustainability of the local food system.
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Azam-Ali, Sayed. "Sustainable Agriculture. Second Edition. By J. Mason. Collingwood, Australia: Landlinks Press (2003), pp. 205. AU$49.95. ISBN 0-64306-8767." Experimental Agriculture 40, no. 3 (June 24, 2004): 391–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0014479704282059.
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Hill, J. "Recycling biosolids to pasture-based animal production systems in Australia: a review of evidence on the control of potentially toxic metals and persistent organic compounds recycled to agricultural land." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 56, no. 8 (2005): 753. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar04264.
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Biosolids from municipal waste water treatment are commonly used in agriculture as a source of nutrients, organic matter, and irrigation. There is, however, concern that the use of biosolids on pasture can lead to an accumulation of potentially toxic metals (PTM) and persistent organic compounds (POC) in the surface layers of soil and associated herbage that can be ingested by grazing livestock. This review examines the following two key questions. Is the use of these materials in an agricultural setting safe and practical? Is the use of biosolids safe in all climates, on all soils, and is it sustainable over the long term? To answer these important questions, the Australian regulatory framework is examined in light of similar legislation in Europe and the United States on the basis of scientific evidence that underpins the published limits, contaminant gradings, annual loadings, and prescribed restrictions on the use of biosolids in agriculture. The review concludes that the regulatory frameworks currently enacted at State level suffer from a lack of data to underpin the risk assessments conducted to prevent transfer of PTM and POC to the human food chain from livestock production and the basis of published thresholds is poorly defined. The important areas of future research are identified as studies on acquisition and transfer of PTM and POC to grazing animals and the subsequent effect of attenuation of the pollutant on the human food chain, the validation and acceptance of methods to quantify POC in biosolids, the effect of recycling of biosolids on the economic performance of pasture-based agriculture, and the market perception of animal products produced from land receiving biosolids.
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Ash, Andrew, and Ian Watson. "Developing the north: learning from the past to guide future plans and policies." Rangeland Journal 40, no. 4 (2018): 301. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj18034.
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The development of northern Australia has been a policy ambition for over a century and the desire to do so continues unabated. Attempts to develop the north, especially for more intensive forms of agriculture are not new. In this paper we explore past agricultural developments, including some that persist today and those that have failed, to determine critical factors in success or failure. This was done with the aim of identifying where most effort should focus in supporting contemporary agricultural developments. Although climatic and environmental constraints, including pests and diseases, remain a challenge for agricultural development in these largely tropical rangelands, it is mainly factors associated with finances and investment planning, land tenure and property rights, management, skills, and supply chains, which provide the critical challenges. In particular, the desire to scale-up too rapidly and the associated failure to invest sufficient time and resources in management to learn how to develop appropriate farming systems that are sustainable and economically viable is a recurrent theme through the case study assessment. Scaling up in a more measured way, with a staged approach to the investment in physical capital, should better allow for the inevitable set-backs and the unexpected costs in developing tropical rangelands for agriculture. There are two notable differences from the historical mandate to develop. First is the acknowledgement that development should not disadvantage Indigenous people, that Indigenous people have strong interests and rights in land and water resources and that these resources will be deployed to further Indigenous economic development. Second, assessing environmental impacts of more intensive development is more rigorous than in the past and the resources and timeframes required for these processes are often underestimated.
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Croft, DB. "Sustainable use of wildlife in western New South Wales: Possibilities and problems." Rangeland Journal 22, no. 1 (2000): 88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj0000088.
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Sustainable use of wildlife has become equated with exploitation of animal products (meat, skin or feathers) and/or removal of wild progenitors into the pet trade. This consumption of the wildlife is therefore largely ex situ and so removes nutrients and energy from the rangelands. Demand for lethal or a removal action is often driven by the severity of the perceived conflict between the wildlife and other enterprises, especially agriculture, rather than for the resulting products. Such uses also raise community concerns about humane treatment of animals and a valuing of the natural heritage. Wildlife-based tourism, as part of the valuable and growing nature-based or ecotourism industry in Australia, is an in situ use that may be a more ecologically sustainable and economically twble option for use of rangeland wildlife. This paper examines these possibilities and their problems with a focus on the commercial kangaroo industry and the use of arid-zone mammals, birds and reptiles for pets. It provides new evidence that wildlife-tourism based on free-living kangaroos in the rangelands is both feasible and in demand. This industry should be given advocacy in the on-going debate on the management and future of the rangelands. Key words: kangaroos, wildlife management, wildlife tourism, game harvesting
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Timms, W. A., R. R. Young, and N. Huth. "Implications of deep drainage through saline clay for groundwater recharge and sustainable cropping in a semi-arid catchment, Australia." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions 8, no. 6 (November 15, 2011): 10053–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hessd-8-10053-2011.
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Abstract. The magnitude and timing of deep drainage and salt leaching through clay soils is a critical issue for dryland agriculture in semi-arid regions (<500 mm yr−1 rainfall), such as parts of Australia's Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). In this unique study, hydrogeological measurements and estimations of the historic water balance of crops grown on overlying Grey Vertosols were combined to estimate the contribution of deep drainage below crop roots to recharge and salinization of shallow groundwater. Soil sampling at two sites on the alluvial flood plain of the Lower Namoi catchment revealed significant peaks in chloride concentrations at 0.8–1.2 m depth under perennial vegetation and at 2.0–2.5 m depth under continuous cropping indicating deep drainage and salt leaching since conversion to cropping. Total salt loads of 91–229 t ha−1 NaCl equivalent were measured for perennial vegetation and cropping, with salinity to ≥10 m depth that is not detected by shallow soil surveys. Groundwater salinity varied spatially from 910 to 2430 mS m−1 at 21 to 37 m depth (N = 5), whereas deeper groundwater was less saline (290 mS m−1) with use restricted to livestock and rural domestic supplies in this area. The Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) software package predicted deep drainage of 3.3–9.5 mm yr−1 (0.7–2.1% rainfall) based on site records of grain yields, rainfall, salt leaching and soil properties. Predicted deep drainage was highly episodic, dependent on rainfall and antecedent, and over a 39 yr period was restricted mainly to the record wet winter of 1998. During the study period, groundwater levels were unresponsive to major rainfall events (70 and 190 mm total), and most piezometers at about 18 m depth remained dry. In this area, at this time, recharge negligible due to low rainfall and large potential evapotranspiration, transient hydrological conditionsafter changes in land use and a thick clay dominated vadose zone. This is in contrast to regional groundwater modelling that assumes annual recharge of 0.5% of rainfall. Importantly, it was found that leaching from episodic deep drainage could not cause discharge of saline groundwater in the area, since the water table was several meters below the incised river bed.
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Dalal, R. C., and K. Y. Chan. "Soil organic matter in rainfed cropping systems of the Australian cereal belt." Soil Research 39, no. 3 (2001): 435. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr99042.
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The Australian cereal belt stretches as an arc from north-eastern Australia to south-western Australia (24˚S–40˚S and 125˚E–147˚E), with mean annual temperatures from 14˚C (temperate) to 26˚C (subtropical), and with annual rainfall ranging from 250 mm to 1500 mm. The predominant soil types of the cereal belt include Chromosols, Kandosols, Sodosols, and Vertosols, with significant areas of Ferrosols, Kurosols, Podosols, and Dermosols, covering approximately 20 Mha of arable cropping and 21 Mha of ley pastures. Cultivation and cropping has led to a substantial loss of soil organic matter (SOM) from the Australian cereal belt; the long-term SOM loss often exceeds 60% from the top 0–0.1 m depth after 50 years of cereal cropping. Loss of labile components of SOM such as sand-size or particulate SOM, microbial biomass, and mineralisable nitrogen has been even higher, thus resulting in greater loss in soil productivity than that assessed from the loss of total SOM alone. Since SOM is heterogeneous in nature, the significance and functions of its various components are ambiguous. It is essential that the relationship between levels of total SOM or its identif iable components and the most affected soil properties be established and then quantif ied before the concentrations or amounts of SOM and/or its components can be used as a performance indicator. There is also a need for experimentally verifiable soil organic C pools in modelling the dynamics and management of SOM. Furthermore, the interaction of environmental pollutants added to soil, soil microbial biodiversity, and SOM is poorly understood and therefore requires further study. Biophysically appropriate and cost-effective management practices for cereal cropping lands are required for restoring and maintaining organic matter for sustainable agriculture and restoration of degraded lands. The additional benefit of SOM restoration will be an increase in the long-term greenhouse C sink, which has the potentialto reduce greenhouse emissions by about 50 Mt CO2 equivalents/year over a 20-year period, although current improved agricultural practices can only sequester an estimated 23% of the potential soil C sink.
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W. Arnold, G., M. Abensperg-Traun, R. J. Hobbs, D. E. Steven, L. Atkins, J. J. Viveen, and D. M. Gutter. "Recovery of shrubland communities on abandoned farmland in southwestern Australia: soils, plants, birds and arthropods." Pacific Conservation Biology 5, no. 3 (1999): 163. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc990163.
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Passive recovery of land formerly used for agricultural production may be an inexpensive and rapid method of ecosystem recovery, and may provide an alternative method to active revegetation. Passive recovery may also contribute to sustainable agriculture (soil salinity). For undisturbed and disturbed areas of the central wheatbelt of Western Australia, this paper reports the effects of farming history (clearing only, cultivation, duration of farming, and time since farming ceased) on the soil nutrient content, plant floristics (richness and composition) and structure, and the abundance, species richness and species composition of birds and arthropods. Only one site was cultivated for >6 years. We summarize as follows: (1) Previous clearing and cultivation has left no residual effects on the nitrogen or phosphorus content in the sandy soils. (2) There were no significant differences in terms of plant species richness but some differences in cover of woody plants, grass cover and plant species composition for farming history or time since farming ceased. (3) There were no significant differences in bird species richness but differences in species composition for time since farming ceased. (4) Arthropods showed few (and low) significant differences in their abundance, richness or species composition across different farming histories and time periods since farming ceased. Farming of these shrublands has left only minor changes in the composition and structure of the vegetation, and in the abundance, species richness and species composition of the passerine bird and arthropod assemblages. Abandoned parcels of land on the sandy soils which support shrubland may yield useful conservation benefits with relatively little input.
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McNeill, A. M., and C. M. Penfold. "Agronomic management options for phosphorus in Australian dryland organic and low-input cropping systems." Crop and Pasture Science 60, no. 2 (2009): 163. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp07381.
Full textAbstract:
Maintenance of available phosphorus (P) is a problem faced by both conventional and organic systems but it is exacerbated in the latter given that manufactured inorganic sources of P fertiliser are not permitted under the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements certification guidelines. The focus of this paper is a discussion of potential agronomic strategies to assist in sustainable management of the soil P resource in organic and low-input broadacre farming systems within the Australian rain-fed cereal–livestock belt. The paper considers three broad strategies for agronomic management of P in this context and draws on reported research from overseas and within Australia. An analysis of the current knowledge suggests that the option most likely to ensure that soluble P is not a limitation in the system is the importation of allowable inputs that contain P from off-farm, although for much of the Australian cereal–livestock belt the immediate issue may be access to economically viable sources. Research targeted at quantifying the economic and biological benefits to the whole-farm system associated with the adoption of these practices is required. Improving the P-use efficiency of the system by incorporating species into rotation or intercropping systems that are able to use P from less soluble sources has been a successful strategy in parts of the world with climate similar to much of the Australian cereal–sheep belt, and deserves further research effort in Australia. Agronomic management to maximise quantity and quality of pasture and crop plant residues undoubtedly builds labile soil organic matter and facilitates P cycling, but the strategy may be of limited benefit in low-rainfall areas that do not have the capacity to produce large biomass inputs. Evidence that organic or low-input systems naturally increase the numbers and diversity of soil organisms is sparse and published studies from Australian systems suggest that P nutrition is not enhanced. However, seed and soil microbial inoculants to facilitate improved P uptake have been developed and are currently being field tested in Australia. Progress in selection and breeding for cereal genotypes that are more P efficient and other plant genotypes that can use less labile P sources, is gaining momentum but still remains a long-term prospect, and may involve genetic modification which will not be acceptable for organic systems.