Elsewhere on DAFF
Soils, land and salinity
A well–managed landscape provides high quality, essential ecosystem services to farmers and the Australian community. These services include food and fibre, clean air, fresh water, and biodiversity protection. Good soils management is needed to improve the resilience of landscapes to climate change, and to deliver high quality ecosystem services. Recognising these values, the Australian Government, through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, is investing in improving soil and land management through research, development and extension, on–ground activities and improved data and information collection. See About Australia’s soils for more information.
Soils
Research, development and extension
Stocktake of Australia’s investment in soils research, development and extension
Stocktake of Australia’s investment in soils research, development and extension – this snapshot for 2010–11, prepared by the Working Group on Soils RD&E, has identified that Australia is spending around $124 million annually on soils RD&E. There are about 40 organisations undertaking soils RD&E, and at least 13 Australian government or related organisations provide funds ($42 million) for soils work. Research provider organisations, including universities, also contribute substantial funding. The stocktake also shows that Australia has around 850 people working in soils RD&E, plus several hundred consultants. The stocktake has been prepared to inform the business case for the development of a cross–sectoral soils RD&E strategy. For more information see Strategic approaches to soils research, development and extension.
Proposed cross sectoral soils RD&E strategy
DAFF, with state/territory agencies and major research and development corporations, has developed a business case for this strategy under the National Primary Industries RD&E framework. The business case will be forwarded to the Primary Industries Standing Committee for consideration. The proposed strategy will develop shared research priorities and improve coordination amongst the 53+ organisations involved in soils RD&E.
Rural research and development corporations
The DAFF portfolio’s rural research and development corporations provide support for soils RD&E. RDCs provided $24 million of the estimated $124 million spent on soils RD&E in Australia in 2010–11.
Australia’s Farming Future’s Climate Change Research Program
The Soil Carbon Research Program is a $20m program (April 2009 to 30 June 2012) funded by DAFF and managed by CSIRO to investigate soil carbon and its sequestration in Australia.
Carbon Farming Futures – Filling the Research Gap
DAFF’s Filling the Research Gap program is providing $201 million over six years for competitive grants to support research into abatement technologies and management practices to improve soil carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the land sector whilst enhancing sustainable agricultural practices.
Conferences
DAFF sponsors conferences, including the:
- 19th World Congress of Soil Science
- 5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture
- 3rd Sustainable Phosphorus Summit
For more information on DAFF support of these see events and conferences.
On ground activities
Caring for our country projects
By November 2011 $442 million had been approved through Caring for our Country for projects to improve farmers’ land management practices by reducing soil loss through wind and water erosion, building soil carbon, reducing soil acidification risk and encouraging the protection of biodiversity assets. See the Caring for our Country website for information about projects.
Community Action grants
Community Action Grants have also been provided to help local community groups with projects that include a focus on sustainable farm practices. Many projects approved for the 2010–11 funding round of Community Action Grants have a strong focus on soil management.
Regional Landcare Facilitators
Caring for our Country has Regional Landcare Facilitators in natural resource management regions across Australia to support community, Landcare and production groups working to improve farming practices and natural resource management. There are also seven Australian Government Natural Resource Management outposted officers working in the states/territories to help governments, regional bodies and community groups understand Caring for our Country on farm opportunities.
Carbon Farming Futures – Action on the Ground
DAFF’s Action on the Ground program is providing $99 million over six years for competitive grants to support groups of farmers to trial on–farm abatement technologies and innovative management practices to increase and maintain carbon stored in soil and reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from the land sector whilst enhancing agricultural sustainability.
Improved data and information collection
Australian Collaborative Land Evaluation Program
DAFF’s Sustainable Resource Management Division (SRM) provides resources ($2.4 million over four years) for the Australian Collaborative Land Evaluation Program (ACLEP), an initiative jointly funded by CSIRO to improve the collection, management and dissemination of nationally consistent data and information on soil and land resources. For more information see Collaborative approaches to soil management.
Monitoring land management practice change
Funding has been provided through Caring for our Country to monitor and report on land management practice change for the Sustainable Practices and Landscape Scale Conservation targets. This information will help us understand the effectiveness of Caring for our Country activities in changing land management practices. For more information about why land management and monitoring is important see Improving land management practices, and the Improving land management practices fact sheet.
Monitoring soil resource condition
Caring for our Country and DAFF are helping develop methods to monitor soil resource condition (soil carbon, water erosion and soil pH), and funding implementation of an integrated wind erosion monitoring program. DAFF is also funding ABARES ($2.8 million over four years) to work with state/territory agencies and CSIRO to develop a national capability to monitor ground cover in the rangelands to help improve the sustainability and productivity of the grazing industry. These projects will help us understand whether changing land management practices is helping to improve soil condition. For more information see the fact sheets below and monitoring the condition of the soil resource.
- Monitoring and reporting on wind erosion fact sheet
- Ground cover monitoring for Australia fact sheet
This information will help us understand the effectiveness of Caring for our Country activities in changing land management practices.
Caring for our Country and DAFF are also helping develop methods to monitor soil resource condition (soil carbon, water erosion and soil pH), and funding implementation of an integrated wind erosion monitoring program. DAFF is also funding ABARES ($2.8 million over four years) to work with state/territory agencies and CSIRO to develop a national capability to monitor ground cover in the rangelands to help improve the sustainability and productivity of the grazing industry. These projects will help us understand whether changing land management practices is helping to improve soil condition.
- Monitoring and reporting on wind erosion fact sheet
- Ground cover monitoring for Australia fact sheet
Land
DAFF provides funds to ABARES to support the Australian Collaborative Land Use and Management Program (ACLUMP) to develop nationally consistent land use and land management practices information for Australia. ACLUMP activities include land use mapping, development of national technical standards for mapping and analysis and reporting on land use.
Salinity
Salinity is a natural part of the Australian landscape, but can become a serious problem when salt is moved by water into soils and waterways. Government investments made to improve the understanding and management of salinity include the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality and the earlier National Dryland Salinity Program.
The National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality
New mapping methods for salinity were developed using Airborne Electromagnetics (AEM).
The National Dryland Salinity Program
The National Dryland Salinity Program (NDSP) provided a major communication network for distributing salinity information and management support tools in Australia. NDSP’s web–based products are available from the Land and Water Australia web site. They include:
06 Feb 2012