caring for our country

Achievements Report

Sustainable Farm Practices
2008 –2013

Sustainable Farm Practices

Building on the success of Landcare, farmers and rural communities are being engaged to improve natural resource management (NRM) and support the adoption of land management practices that deliver ecosystem services. including the production of food and fibre.

Table of contents

Introduction

Case study: Social science informing improved approaches to community engagement and
natural resource management, Western Australia

Outcome 1
Assist at least 30 per cent of farmers to increase their uptake of sustainable farm and
land management practices that deliver improved ecosystem services.

Case study: CQ Beef—sustainable grazing businesses in central Queensland

Case study: Managing soil acidity in Western Australia

Case study: Engaging horticulturalists to adopt sustainable soil practices, South Australia

Outcome 2
Increase the number of farmers who adopt stewardship, covenanting, property management
plans or other arrangements to improve the environment both on-farm and off-farm.

Case study: Whole-of-paddock rehabilitation, New South Wales and Western Australia

Case study: Landscape-scale conservation in the Murray Mallee, South Australia

Outcome 3
Improve the knowledge, skills and engagement of at least 30 per cent of land managers and
farmers in managing our natural resources and the environment.

Case study: Adapting to dry times—farmer-to-farmer learning, New South Wales

Case study: Farmers accessing knowledge on soils, Victoria

Case study: Grazing in the Burnett Mary region, Queensland

Case study: Promoting sustainable cropping practices for farmers in dryland agriculture, National

Continuing to support sustainable agricultural practices—Phase II Caring for our Country 2013–2018

References

Introduction

Agriculture contributes $39.6 billion (ABS 2011) to the Australian economy and is a vital industry for national production and exports, employment and the provision of ecosystem services. The sustainable farm practices national priority areasupported the long-term objectives of Caring for our Country by improving the quality of ecosystem services delivered from agricultural landscapes. In 2010–11, around 59 per cent of Australia’s land was privately owned or leased for agriculture (ABARE–BRS 2010). The practices adopted by managers of these landscapes affect the quality of ecosystem services such as clean air and water that are provided to the broader community, and contribute to the sustainability and long-term security of food and fibre production. In 2010–11, this priority area was expanded to include commercial fishers, aquaculture and on-farm agroforestry industries, as fishing and aquaculture can affect the productivity, amenity and condition of marine and aquatic ecosystems.

The five-year outcomes developed for the sustainable farm practices national priority area took into account outcomes agreed by Ministers; international obligations; matters of national environmental significance listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act); national pest and weed strategies agreed between the Australian Government and state and territory governments; and the recommendations on soil condition from the former National Land and Water Resources Audit. Up to June 2012, Caring for our Country invested in sustainable agriculture and Landcare projects, including supporting Regional Landcare Facilitators. Trends in practice changes were monitored using the biennial Agricultural Resource Management Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), surveying 33000 of Australia’s 135000 agricultural businesses (DAFF 2012). Caring for our Country funding complemented other activities by state agencies, industry and community groups to encourage changes to practices.

Three outcomes helped guide investments in sustainable farm practices over the first five years of the initiative:

  • assist at least 30 per cent of farmers to increase their uptake of sustainable farm and land management practices that deliver improved ecosystem services
  • increase the number of farmers who adopt stewardship, covenanting, property management plans or other arrangements to improve the environment, both on-farm and off-farm
  • improve the knowledge, skills and engagement of at least 30 per cent of land managers and farmers in managing our natural resources and the environment.

Farmer: individuals whose agricultural businesses have an annual estimated value of operation of more than $5000 and are included in the ABS Agricultural census.

Land manager or landholder: any individual who owns a smaller sized property and is not included in ABS surveys.

Strategies employed to achieve these five-year outcomes included providing information to farmers on the land management practices needed to build soil carbon, reduce the risk of soil loss through wind and water erosion and reduce the risk of soil acidification; supporting capacity-building and skills development for land managers; and encouraging partnerships between stakeholders, including rural research and development corporations, industry organisations, farmer groups and NRM regions. Over 79000 land managers and fishers attended events to gain knowledge and skills about NRM.

The sustainable farm practices national priority area also contributed to the northern and remote Australia and biodiversity and national icons national priority areas. Land managed for agriculture comprises significant biodiversity assets and it is estimated that around two-thirds of Australia’s native vegetation may be on land used for agriculture: principally
native pasture but also comprising remnant vegetation (such as patches of forest, woodlands, shrublands and grasslands), native vegetation along rivers and creeks, wetlands and rocky outcrops. Landholders in priority areas were supported to undertake landscape-scale conservation, contributing to the protection and enhancement of native habitat and vegetation under the biodiversity and natural icons priority area.

Regional Landcare Facilitators

The national network of Regional Landcare Facilitators contributed to achieving sustainable farm practices outcomes. Caring for our Country funded one Regional Landcare Facilitator in each of the 56 NRM regions across Australia over four years (2009–2013). Regional Landcare Facilitators promote the uptake of sustainable farm and land management practices and also help to establish, link and develop community Landcare and production groups so that these groups can share information. Facilitators provide support to farmers and land managers to adopt sustainable agriculture practices, improve the quality of ecosystems services produced from agricultural lands and meet challenges such as climate change.

Caring for our Country funding for the northern and remote Australia priority area included activities with a focus on sustainable farm practices in these regions. For example, with support from the initiative, the estimated percentage of cropping businesses that applied lime and dolomite to their holdings to manage soil acidity in northern and remote Australia increased from seven to 18 per cent between 2007–08 and 2009–10 (DAFF, in publication). Applications of these substances can be used to manage surface soil pH in more intensive agricultural industries such as broadacre cropping and horticulture. It is estimated that about 50 per cent of Australia’s agricultural land has a surface soil pH less than or equal to 5.5, which is below optimum for extremely acid-sensitive agricultural crops and below the optimal level to prevent subsoil acidification (DAFF, in publication). Furthermore, Caring for our Country aimed to improve the knowledge, skills and engagement of land managers in managing natural resources, including increased access to knowledge and skills for urban and regional communities. These policy objectives were achieved by promoting the adoption of sustainable land management to bridge knowledge gaps; providing incentives; encouraging innovation; and sharing the costs associated with private risk-taking for public environmental benefits.

Monitoring, evaluation and reporting were important elements of the Caring for our Country initiative in order to measure progress against outcomes, implement improvements and ensure accountability for the expenditure of public funds, as outlined in the MERI Strategy. All projects were required to have a strategy for monitoring, evaluating, and reporting,
with complexity depending on the funding amount and size of the project. Funding was also invested in overarching monitoring, evaluation and reporting for the sustainable farm practices national priority area. This included collecting nationwide land management practice change data, improving the methodology for nationally consistent collection of data on resource condition, and assessing socio-economic drivers for adopting new land practices. Some of the achievements of these investments included:

  • compiling, with the assistance of CSIRO and state and territory agencies, assessments of the extent of soil acidification, wind and water erosion, and the areas with potential to enhance soil carbon content
  • publication of a review on the links between the management practices adopted by farmers, the impact of these practices on soil condition and their subsequent impact on the quality of ecosystem services delivered from agricultural land
  • publication of the results of biennial monitoring of land management practice change affecting soil loss through wind and water erosion, soil carbon content and rates of soil acidification in the broadacre cropping, dairy, grazing and horticulture industries, and practices affecting the management of on-farm biodiversity assets
  • an improved national capacity to monitor, model and report on wind erosion monitoring every month
  • an initial examination of possible methods for monitoring water erosion
  • development of protocols for a 20-year monitoring regime to capture the slow rate of change that occurs in soil carbon, pH and wind erosion. Further investment will be required to implement the protocols, but they will provide important data to inform offset methodologies under the Carbon Farming Initiative, the National Greenhouse Accounts, and to persuade farmers that liming is cheaper in the long-term than production losses and permanent loss of land due to subsoil acidification
  • completion of projects on drivers of practice change that monitor the uptake of new practices to improve natural resource condition and gain insights into the social, environmental and economic factors that motivate land managers to adopt new practices and manage native vegetation on their land.

Feedback received from the mid-term Review of Caring for our Country in 2011 identified some further opportunities to improve the uptake of new and innovative practices, including strengthening partnerships with primary industry and providing opportunities for direct consultation with land managers via regional planning approaches. Encouraging the uptake of such innovations will continue to be a high priority, as most farmers and fishers will need to regularly review and modify their management practices to meet the challenges of climate change; build resilience, capacity and flexibility; and increase their productivity while also protecting the condition of natural resources.

Social science informing improved approaches to community engagement and natural
resource management, Western Australia

One project in Western Australia incorporated social science research to monitor shifts in community knowledge and attitudes, helping to improve approaches to engagement and delivery of NRM. The Northern Agricultural Catchments Council received funding to collect and analyse data on community knowledge, attitudes, skills, aspirations and practices.

Data collected from a major wind erosion incentive program highlighted that the project was influential in increasing landholder knowledge and skills in managing wind erosion and resulted in reduced incidents of wind erosion on their properties. Many landholders also reported an intention to change other management practices and have greater involvement in Landcare activities.

The Northern Agricultural Catchments Council will use the findings from landholder surveys to improve the design and delivery of their NRM programs.

Outcome 1

Assist at least 30 per cent of farmers to increase their uptake of sustainable farm and land management practices that deliver improved ecosystem services.

Caring for our Country funding was provided over five years to assist more than 36000 farmers to improve their management practices to combat and reduce the risk of soil acidification and soil loss through wind and water erosion and increase the carbon content of soils. Improving the condition of soils has a major impact on agricultural productivity as well as ecosystem health. To date, over 750 projects assisted more than 46200 land managers, aquaculture farmers and
fishers to adopt more sustainable management practices. Improved practices included controlling livestock access to land, reducing disturbance to and cultivation of soil, reducing chemical use, retaining or planting native vegetation, and managing weeds and feral animals.

Caring for our Country increased the capacity of land managers to adopt sustainable practices by providing resources for mentoring, information development, disseminating new information and products, establishing demonstration sites, and piloting innovative practices. Regional Landcare Facilitators supported the uptake of sustainable farm and land management practices among more than 26000 land managers. Commercial fishers also participated in activities to reduce bycatch of non-target species.

Caring for our Country investments in the sustainable farm practices priority area focused on strategic activities that:

  • improved air and water quality by reducing soil loss through wind and water erosion and soil acidification, which can lead to irreversible losses of productive land
  • increased soil carbon to improve soil nutrient levels and water-holding capacity while storing greenhouse gas emissions
  • maintained sustainable fisheries for the long-term health of marine biodiversity and delivery of ecosystem services
  • encouraged sustainable practices in the aquaculture industry to improve water quality.

CQ Beef—sustainable grazing businesses in central Queensland

Caring for our Country played an important role in establishing networks and providing access to expert advice. In central Queensland, the initiative provided funding for coordinating the development of four beef producer groups by the Fitzroy Basin Association. The groups identified grazing and land management issues in the region, and extension officers helped promote sustainable options for addressing these issues. Sustainable practices included riparian and land-class fencing to protect vegetation and water from livestock. Regular contact and continuity over time led to strong relationships and built up trust. Various communication channels were employed, such as meetings, newsletters, email and phone contact and farm visits.

Even after the project ended, the producer groups are still informally operating and extension officers maintain regular contact with participating landholders. Demonstration sites that were established as part of the project are also still being used to demonstrate particular practices. These investments will have an ongoing legacy for supporting sustainable grazing in central Queensland.

Caring for our Country funded projects that encouraged farmers to better manage ground cover by reducing tillage and increasing crop residue retention, to test and lime soils regularly and to build soil carbon, complementing the activities of other agencies (Barson et al. 2012b). Changes to soil carbon and pH generally occur slowly, or episodically in the case of wind and water erosion. Therefore, progress in achieving Caring for our Country outcomes was monitored by reporting on trends in the adoption of land management practices which are expected to produce long-term improvements in soil condition. Trends in practice changes were monitored using the biennial ABARE–ABS Agricultural Resource Management Survey. Results from these surveys indicate that industry practices affecting soil carbon, wind and water erosion and biodiversity are improving in response to investments by Caring for our Country, state and territory agencies, industry and communities. The practice change trends identified in the 2009–10 survey were broadly positive across primary industry sectors. For example, trends in broadacre cropping practices reveal substantial improvements in the adoption of sustainable practices. The percentage of crop area under ‘conservation tillage’ across Australia increased significantly from approximately 20 per cent in 1995–96 to approximately 80 per cent in 2009–10 (SoE 2011). More than 3000 graziers have improved ground cover management over 2.8 million hectares. While many farmers have improved management of ground cover on their land, there is room for further improvement to reduce the ongoing risk of losing soil, fertiliser and carbon through wind and water erosion.

Soil acidification remains an issue of particular concern for cropping, dairy, horticulture and intensive grazing industries in regions identified as having moderate to high risk of soil acidification. There is evidence that current levels of soil pH and nutrient testing and lime treatments may be too low to control rates of acidification and return soils to optimum pH levels. Extensive subsoil acidification has been identified in the Western Australian wheat belt, yet the extent of this problem is not well known for other states and territories. Soil acidification will be a continuing priority in the next phase of Caring for our Country. Monitoring of long-term soil condition (pH, carbon and wind erosion) will need to continue to identify where practice changes are working and where more investments are required.