1. The challenge for Australian agriculture…  build agro-ecosystems to match flows of water, nutrient, carbon with the hydro-geochemical cycles  requires fundamental redesign of agriculture in the landscape

2. Redesigning agriculture in the landscape 1.become landscape literate 2.cure the drought delusion 3.pay for ecosystem services 4.remove hidden subsidies 5.replan the paddock 6.build new industries, not just new crops 7.use native flora & fauna 8.create new partnerships & knowledge 9.unlock tools for change 10.test the whole package

3. 1. Becoming landscape literate  change in scientific & technical services for agricultural sector  recognition that ecosystem processes differ on every farm  there are no experts - only students  giving landholders time to conduct a study tour of their own back paddocks  application & experimentation at the farm level  understanding how actions integrate into the ecological & hydrological function of landscapes

4. 2. Curing the drought delusion  there are droughts, and there are dry climates  stop growing things in areas that result in: soil & water degradation loss of habitat & species  sustainable agriculture must cope with decade long dry sequences  rethink our fundamental values of water & landscape & our relationship to them

5. 18 November 2015 5 TYPE IN PRESENTATION NAME Annual Flows In Lachlan River at Forbes

6. Annual Flows in Lachlan River at Forbes

7. Annual Flows in Murrimbidgee at Wagga Wagga

8. Tasmania Annual Rainfall-anomaly

9. Tasmania Annual Rainfall-high rainfall years

10. Tasmania Annual Rainfall-low rainfall years

11. CSIRO LAND and WATER Loxton SA: Annual Rainfall 273mm 2002- 106mm (Decile 1) 2002:-Excessive Cultivation -no stubble protection -crop lost this year -soil and nutrients lost -major restoration required Courtesy David Roget of CSIRO

12. CSIRO LAND and WATER Waikerie SA: Annual Rainfall 252mm 2002- 110mm (Decile 1) 2002 :-Intensive Cropping with Zero Tillage -some crop (cash flow) -stable soil (this years crop and last years stubble) -ready to crop next year Courtesy David Roget of CSIRO

13. 6 November 2002 Riverina

14. 6 November 2002 Riverina….10 minutes later

15. 3. Paying for ecosystem services  agriculture needs to manage the whole landscape to produce ecosystem services for urban societies  pay for the maintenance of ecological functions & services essential to urban societies  need new & old agricultural enterprises to: yield food & fibre provide ecosystem services with a present value  new markets for ecosystem services are needed

16. (Credit: Dinah Johanson. Modified from Wayt Gibbs, Scientific American, 2005) The future form of sustainable agriculture

17. 4. Remove hidden subsidies  cost of food doesn’t include cost of maintaining natural resource base  regulatory framework to ensure food production minimises damage to natural resources & environment  need an Australian standard for sustainable agriculture for local & imported products  ‘ Australian Sustainable Agriculture Standard ’ must include whole life cycle analysis of energy, water, land & biodiversity inputs into production

18. 5. Replanning the paddock  take stock of what is really needed on a catchment scale  vegetation as a tool to ensure biophysical landscape processes  link to spatially robust catchment vegetation plans  Figure out: Image: Hawkesbury Nepean CMA what species & structural complexity is needed where can regeneration of remnant vegetation be beneficial what’s already lost: don’t throw good money after bad

19. 6. Building new industries  strategy to build new industries & prospective land uses - economic & ecological benefits  new catchment based trade arrangements, eg cooperative arrangements for carbon trading  production of unfamiliar commodities accompanied by marketing efforts  demand needs to be created

20. 7. Using native flora and fauna  use of native flora & fauna needs to form an increasing part of rural production: bush foods native wildflowers essential & other oils for pharmaceutical or industrial chemicals

21. 8. Creating new partnerships and knowledge  no experts in redesigning agricultural systems  new partnerships: scientific & technical skills embedded in regional culture between communities, biophysical scientists, conservation biologists, sociologists & economists  new science within rural communities facing environmental, social & economic changes

22. 9. Unlocking the tools of change To redesign paddocks farmers need:  capacity to measure/model/predict water, nutrient, carbon flows in agro-ecosystems & relate these to flows in landscape  access to new land assessment tools to predict/model/map best locations for: trees & other perennial plants high-value annuals native vegetation  coordinated access to data to enable access to new technologies  integrated, decentralised information services relevant at a catchment scale

23. 10. Testing the package  use volunteer farms in NRM regions as demos:  use working farms that remain viable after redesign  test paddock layout, land uses, vegetation, etc  if it works – it’s a model for the region  if it doesn’t - can avoid making new problems  support existing model farms to share experiences

24. Can we get it right?  it requires a commitment from everyone to: rethink their approach re-envisage the farm re-engage with each other to learn from the land itself  this is the challenge as well as the opportunity

26. “The future is not some place we are going to. It is a place we are creating. It is a place we are creating. The path to the future is not found. The path to the future is not found. It is made.” It is made.” Peter Ellyard

27. ‘We still have time to make the necessary changes to our lives, but we need to take stock now and be clear about where we are going in the future.’ David Sukuki But Climate Change and Access to Energy is going to make it more difficult

28. The Rural and Coastal Landscapes and their Communities are under Transformation Image: © Fiona McKenzie 2008