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FOR agriculture in Australia to remain competitive, we must pivot investment into R&D and focus more on identifying farming practices that enhance soil health, increase climate resilience, and improve ecosystem health. This approach will help ensure we have a more sustainable and productive future for agriculture.
While rising input costs (fertilisers, machinery, finance) are off-setting productivity gains that have been derived from the business-as-usual approach to R&D, we know that profit margins can be improved by changing farming practices that are underpinned by good, applied research.
Productivity is also impacted by climate change with more frequent and extreme weather events, intensive farming practices and an over-reliance on chemical inputs which has led to soil degradation, reduced fertility, and loss of biodiversity. Healthy soil supports nutrient cycling, water retention, and carbon sequestration, making it vital for improving the agricultural productivity, in a more sustainable way.
The industry benchmark of 30-40% NUE is a causal factor for subsoil acidity, and the management of subsoil acidity has an estimated opportunity cost of $1,718million (DPIRD) annually for our Southwest ag region. Soil salinity, water repellence, wind erosion and other soil constraints add to this opportunity cost. Taking an outcomes focus to on-farm applied R & D will help address the underlying problems and ease the rising production costs.
Increasing lime usage to manage soil acidification provides an example of an R&D focus on addressing symptoms rather than the underlying problem. The primary cause of soil acidification is the inefficient use of ammonia-based fertilisers.Improving the soil microbiome can reduce acid production by enhancing fertiliser uptake. Targeting catalytic amounts of fertiliser and the use of bio stimulants can encourage plants to source nitrogen from free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Plants can secrete up to 40% of their photosynthates into the rhizosphere, promoting a healthy soil microbiome. This process increases soil fertility by making more nitrogen available for plant uptake.
While attending a recent University of Western Sydney Soil Biology Masterclass, participants were presented with science based evidence that highlights the immense opportunities that can be realised from improved microbiome health as a pathway to transforming our farming systems.
Our Southwest region is a biodiversity hotspot (biologically rich – yet threatened landscape), with over 50% of native vegetation cleared and many species endangered. Improving biodiversity can enhance soil health, water management, and pollination, leading to increased agricultural productivity and climate resilience. Restoration projects, invasive species control, sustainable land management, and community engagement are vital parts to improving our farming landscape.
The Wentworth Group’s Blueprint to Repair Australia’s Landscapes outlines a 30-year action plan to restore soils, waters, vegetation, species, and coastal environments. It aims to boost productivity, create jobs, and meet climate goals, demonstrating that landscape repair, costing 0.2% of GDP annually, is urgent, achievable, and economically beneficial.
Regenerative agriculture offers a holistic approach to reversing soil degradation and enhancing ecosystem services. It takes an outcomes approach to improving soil health, biological function, and the microbiome to restoring ecosystem balance. Regenerative practices such as no-till farming, cover cropping, agroforestry, and holistic grazing management enhance soil structure, increase organic matter, and improve water retention, leading to more resilient and productive farming systems.
The bigger multi-national agribusinesses are making significant investments in regenerative agriculture. General Mills aims to advance regenerative practices across one million acres of farmland by 2030, while Unilever has committed to sourcing 50% of its key ingredients through regenerative agricultural methods by 2030. PepsiCo is also working to spread regenerative practices across its supply chain. In Europe, the Horizon 2020 program and private initiatives, such as Nestlé’s regenerative agriculture commitments, support the adoption of these practices. Canada’s efforts include collaborations between government, academia, and industry to develop frameworks for the adoption of regenerative practices.
For me, I see regenerative agriculture as a pathway to being more sustainable (economically, socially and environmentally) as a farmer, which aligns with everyone’s goals. To conclude, I believe farmers and the ag industry need to be more aware of the global push to support regenerative agriculture. Australia’s faltering productivity growth highlights the need for a change in agricultural R&D. By incorporating a regenerative lens to integrating the best of current practices and technologies and embracing applied on-farm R&D, we can stay competitive globally, mitigate land degradation and climate impacts, and improve our own longer-term prospects for food sovereignty.
