RDA Southern Inland

Submission from Regional Development Australia – Southern Inland and Monaro Farming Systems

2 September 2011

The Regional Development Australia Committee for the Southern Inland region of NSW (RDASI) together with Monaro Farming Systems (MFS) make the following submission to the National Food Plan consultation:

The RDA Southern Inland Committee are concerned for the future of food production in our region and are involved in a number of initiatives including the Southern Harvest Trail Development Project, South East Food Project, and RDA Southern Inland and forest Industry Renewable Energy Working Group, and with neighbouring RDA Committees towards a Region of Renewable Energy Excellence.

We have consulted with a local producers’ group – the Monaro Farming Systems. Monaro Farming Systems Inc. (MFS) is a progressive and innovative farmer initiated association of approximately 40 farm business members on the Monaro, which equates to over 80 individuals. The members manage approximately 25% of the privately held land on the Monaro, over 75,000ha, and are responsible for approximately 40% of production. This land includes approximately 20% of the native pasture and 24% of improved pasture within the Bombala, Cooma-Monaro and Snowy River Shires. The group was established in August 2007, primarily as a knowledge and information based organisation, to help farm businesses to be more profitable and resilient in the long term. MFS aims to

• provide members with proven, relevant and targeted information which improves knowledge and profitability
• provide a forum to focus on and manage research, development and extension on the Monaro
• provide opportunities for members to interact and exchange ideas
• be member owned and driven
• continue to develop partnerships by seeking the involvement of individuals and organisations in the pursuit of our objectives

We would like to reiterate the messages contained in the study reported in the Journal of Agricultural Science, 2010 by P. S. Carberry, S.E. Bruce, J. J. Walcott and B. A. Keating Innovation and productivity in dryland agriculture: a return-risk analysis for Australia,:

“The challenges for agriculture in the 21st century are to produce 70% more food by 2050 to feed a projected increased population, while implementing more sustainable methods and responding to climate change (Tilman et al. 2002; FAO 2009).

“Future productivity gains will require continued strong investment in RD&E to meet current and emerging challenges. Future technologies and policies will help improve productivity by removing inefficiencies, increasing the efficiency of resource use and developing breakthrough innovations. As evidenced by Australia’s success in productivity growth, meeting the global challenge to produce more food in the future will depend partly on investments in RD&E, risk management systems, farmer skill and human capital and policies that encourage efficiency gains.”

Furthermore
“In a recent analysis of opportunities and constraints in Australia’s broadacre industries, Keating & Carberry (2010) suggested that, while new products or services from agriculture, such as biofuels or bio-sequestration of carbon, may deliver benefits to both farmers and the wider community, these alone will not transform the nature of Australian agriculture. Rather, the greatest emerging opportunity for agricultural land use in Australia must be sought from productivity breakthroughs that address current and emerging constraints.”

The Southern Inland Region is predominately a cropping and meat production area. We are concerned regarding the disinvestment in extension officers of the State Department of Primary Industries over the past 10 years. Jobs for agricultural extension (livestock officers and agronomists) have for too many years remained vacant. The problem is not confined to our region alone, please refer to Appendix 1. This constitutes a systematic disinvestment in our communities regarding availability of professional jobs, and an undermining of our farmers’ capacity to improve their business practices.

Not only extension officers, but researchers too: NSW had the best researchers in the world, and as they have retired over the past 15 years their positions have not been replaced. This has been a systematic annihilation of our capacity for research and development in the NSW agricultural industry.

“Australian Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) has been a significant contributor to the realized agricultural productivity growth over the past 30 years. However, growth in the productivity of agriculture appears to have slowed down in the last 10 years: this is partly a result of extended dry conditions and declining growth in public investment in RD&E. It is reflected in slowing rates of technology adoption on broadacre farms and changes in investment confidence of farm owners.

As Sheng, Gray and Mullen point out in their 2010 ABARES Conference paper “Agricultural productivity growth has slowed over the past decade or so, most notably in the cropping sector (Nossal and Sheng 2010; Nossal et al. 2009). Extended poor seasonal conditions explain some of this slowdown, but a longterm decline in the growth of public RD&E since the 1970s has also been shown to be a factor (Sheng et al. 2010).

Food security means food is available (safe, nutritious, in sufficient amounts and reliable supply), accessible (distribution systems enable it to get to where it is needed) and affordable (available at prices people can afford to pay, as well as that people have adequate incomes and are free from poverty). In addition food production must support the environment to ensure future food supplies.

We urge the National Food Plan to consider a sound Australian Quarantine process into the future. Policies to ensure against food insecurity need to be developed in light of a two-speed economy and as such mining verses food production policies need to be developed.

In addition efficient transport should be a priority and research and development towards alternative energy sources, reducing food miles, and research into fertilizer applications for future productivity gains need to be made.

For the future of our region we urge government to reinvest in positions within the NSW State Department of Primary Industries that extend the research to farmers; without their efforts to build farmers’ capacity, the advances in productivity would not be seen to such an extent.

“The impressive performance of Australian dryland agriculture has been achieved through innovation, based on research leading to technology development and adoption. Research has been well supported by strong investments from sectoral funding (Australia’s Research and Development Corporations) and public research agencies (Mullen 2007). Historically, such productivity growth has come both from improving farming practices and from adopting better varieties and breeds,...”

RDA Southern Inland look forward to working with our project partners and stakeholders towards providing pathways to employment for agricultural workers and attracting skilled agricultural workers to our region. We acknowledge that the Federal Government is committed to maintaining government matching contributions to rural research and development corporations, however without increased expenditure into research we will not have the capacity to know outside the market imperative what methods will improve productivity in the long term.

We look forward to an integrated and intersectoral approach to the future of food production across government (Federal, State, Regional and Local) and evidence-based decisions in government. All of us need to consider our environment, economy and society in the long term.

Appendix 1

NSW Department of Primary Industries

Administrative Positions

As administrative positions are not refilled, there is increased time spent on administrative tasks by technical officers, which takes these professional officers away from their core role.
When livestock officers are appointed industry leaders their district officer position are not being replaced.

Schedule of positions remaining vacant; ie not filled following retirement of incumbent/ not backfilled during maternity leave.

District Advisory Positions

Problem is not confined to our region. The following positions have not been recruited to since the incumbent retired.

Research Positions