sustainable practice targets - an overview

Sustainable Practice Targets- an overview

Presented by: Dr Michele Barson, Science Adviser to Caring for our Country

Caring for our Country objectives

… initiative that seeks to achieve an environment that is healthy, better protected, well managed, resilient, and provides essential ecosystem services in a changing climate. Essential ecosystem services include protected biodiversity, clean air and water and healthy soils which support sustainable food and fibre industries.

Outcomes agreed by Ministers

International obligations

EPBC Act matters

National strategies

National Land and Water Resources Audit recommendations for soil condition

Caring for our Country Targets – background to development

Factors taken into account in developing the targets•Assets to be protected and supporting policy•Availability of information about the assets•Confidence that the actions to be supported will make a measurable difference•Likely levels of funding•Capacity to monitor and report on the impact of the investment

Why soils?

Soils• are the engine room for food production• contain vast quantities of carbon and water

and support the majority of terrestrial biodiversity– supply key ecosystem services

Provide: food, fibre, clean water, biodiversityRegulate: water storage, carbon sequestration, filter

contaminants, absorb organic waste

• a part of the landscape closely managed by farmers

Key soil condition factors being addressed in Caring for our Country

• Soil carbon• Soil pH• Wind erosion• Water erosion

Productivity/profitability gains (to encourage adoption by farmers). Note food and fibre production is also an ecosystem service! AND

essential ecosystem services (protected biodiversity, clean air and water and healthy soils) in a changing climate (C4oC’s objective) AND

improved farm and landscape resilience in a changing climate

Choosing practices to improve soil condition…Those that deliver…

Some practices expected to improve soil condition

Practice Type of agriculture Increases Carbon

Reduces wind erosion risk

Reduces water erosion risk

Reduces soil acidity risk

One pass sowing Broadacre cropping Indirectly Y Y

Crop residue left intact Broadacre cropping Y Y Y

Reduce fallow Broadacre cropping Y Y Y

Soil pH testingBroadacre croppingHorticultureDairying

Indirectly Indirectly Indirectly Y

Soil nutrient testingBroadacre croppingHorticultureDairying

Y

Lime/dolomite applied

Broadacre croppingHorticultureDairyingBeef cattle/ sheep meat grazing

Indirectly Indirectly Indirectly Y

Monitoring of ground cover Beef cattle/ sheep meat grazing Y Y Y

Use of ground cover management targets

Beef cattle/ sheep meat grazing Y Y Y

Pasture phase in rotations Broadacre cropping Y Indirectly Indirectly

Increasing perennial pastures Beef cattle/ sheep meat grazingDairying

Y Y Y

Monitoring progress – ABS’ biennial Agricultural Resource Management Survey

• 2007-08 baseline assessment of 55 land management practices associated with C4oC’s sustainable farm practices targets

• follow up in 2009-10 and 2011-12• 33,000 farm businesses (EVAO > $5000

surveyed)• national, state and NRM region level

reporting for 4 major industry groups

Broadacre cropping industry -preliminary ARMS results

Practice 2007-08 2009-10 Change

No cultivation 46 % farmers 56 % farmers +10 %

66 % area 76 % area +10 %

Residue retention 34 % farmers 37 % farmers +3 %

58 % area 68 % area +10 %

Soil pH testing 29 % farmers 27 % farmers -2 %

Soil nutrient testing 29 % farmers 27 % farmers -2 %

Lime/dolomite use 20 % farmers 23 % farmers +3 %

Preliminary ARMS results - Landscape scale conservation target

Businesses reporting 2007-08 2009-10 Change

Native vegetation on holding

66 % farmers 65 % farmers -1%

Protecting native vegetation for conservation

51 % of above farmers


+ 4%

Rivers and creeks on holding

52 % farmers 50 % farmers - 2%

Protecting rivers and creeks



+ 6 %

Wetlands on holding 10 % farmers 12 % farmers + 2 %

Protecting wetlands on holding



+7 %

Resource condition reporting investments – will practice change make a difference?

• Foundation investments include:• Integrated wind erosion monitoring,

including ground cover monitoring in the rangelands

• National methods for soil carbon and pH monitoring

• Investigation of potential for improving detection and monitoring of water erosion

sustainable practice targets - an overview

Education