Urbanisation will require massive amounts of water to sustain the livelihoods of millions expected to move into cities. This may happen at farmers’ expense.
John Newton, University of Technology Sydney and Paul Ashton, University of Technology Sydney
Australians will happily eat boat noodle soup with beef blood stirred through it or stinking tofu – but not quandongs or akudjura. Yet overcoming ‘food racism’ and eating native produce could be a powerful act of culinary reconciliation.
Moo-ve along: livestock are one of many threats to Australian freshwater ecosystems.
Mick Stanic/Flickr
Sub-Saharan Africa has seen widespread economic growth since 1995. But increased agricultural productivity is needed to translate that growth into poverty reduction.
An Indonesian oil palm smallholder sells fruit bunches to a trader.
Lesley Potter
Rob Cramb, The University of Queensland and John McCarthy, Australian National University
Over the past few years many companies have committed to sustainable palm oil. But that is threatened by a growing alliance between industry and government.
Parkinson’s disease is the second-most-prevalent neurodegenerative condition in Australia, with an estimated 70,000 living with the disease. But what do we know about the causes and risk factors?
In semi-arid areas, climate information that is tailored to farmers’ needs can reduce their vulnerability to climate change.
Lucia Scodanibbio
Building on local experience and having access to current and expected climate trends is crucial to adapting to climate change for farmers in semi-arid regions.
Growing population, growing demand for food, climate change: Australia’s rural lands are facing a number of pressures. So how can we sustainably use them in the future?
Beefy problem: livestock emit methane, but the soils where they graze can be much more climate-friendly than cropland.
AAP Image/Caroline Duncan Photography
Eating meat means greenhouse emissions. But the emissions from growing crops may have been underestimated, meaning that a climate-friendly diet isn’t as straightforward as simply going vegetarian.
‘Chook farms ruin lives!’. Australians consume a lot of cheap chicken, but not all of them appreciate an intensive chicken factory as a neighbour.
Marco Amati
As consumption has soared and prices have fallen, the realities of industrial chicken farming often clash with the values of people who live on the urban fringes where broiler farms are sited.
Artichokes growing in Werribee South, an area that uses recycled water for irrigation.
Jen Sheridan