After two and a half years, the embattled Japanese government and Tepco, the company responsible for the Fukushima nuclear power plant, have sought the world’s assistance in tackling the three damaged…
The chaotic failure of the government’s pilot badger cull in Somerset and Gloucestershire, aimed at curbing bovine TB, illustrates some of the problems that arise when policymakers ignore scientific studies…
The Australian Coalition arrangement is set apart from coalitions elsewhere by its ongoing nature, even in opposition, and the fact that the parties go into elections with a common election platform.
AAP
Much has been made of the ‘unusual’ nature of the minority Labor government over the past three years and there has been a sense that Australia is better off without it; that we need a return to the stability…
Large parts of Australian agriculture are economically and financially unsustainable. Returns are inadequate and unbalanced; assets are depleted; risks are needlessly high. To date, governments have largely…
Denial of problems runs deep in Canberra, where it seems even the most active and insightful of people struggle against inertia, mis-focus and Myna chatter.
Image from www.shutterstock.com
We start with the bush, where incomes are stalled, or plunging, as farmers battle. Here, the common economic Myna flocks, displacing sound native ideas with dizzy chatter - and prosperity with penury…
Yes, it rains a lot in the north. But it’s also dry a lot. And variability could get worse.
Kasi Metcalfe
**Northern futures, northern voices: It seems everyone has ideas about how Australia’s north could be better, but most of those ideas come from the south. In this six-part weekly series, developed by the…
To adapt crops to climate change, we need to know what’s working on the ground.
bark/Flickr
How will agriculture adapt to a changing climate? It’s an important question and, as more governments start worrying about future food security, one that’s worth trying to answer. Many well-known scientific…
You’re expecting us to solve climate change for you?
Kaibab National Forest
Zimbabwean biologist Allan Savory proposed in a TED talk in March that getting more cows grazing on rangelands worldwide would soak up carbon dioxide. His suggestion has been a huge hit with online viewers…
Most Australian wine producers surveyed were taking steps to mitigate against climate change, the study found.
Wendy Harman
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation dan Broede Carmody, The Conversation
Wine businesses around the country are taking steps to offset the potential effects of climate change, a study has found. Associate Professor Jeremy Galbreath, of the Curtin Graduate School of Business…
Trees may be a better bet than soil for carbon reduction on the land.
NFGMan/Flickr
Both the current Government and Opposition are relying on agriculture and forestry to bear much of the burden of Australia’s emission reduction. But are they building their hopes on sand? The way we manage…
Durum wheat has Middle Eastern parents and Italian progeny, but grows best on Australian soil.
Mikko Kuhna
Australia has some of the world’s most ancient soils, many of which grow delicious produce. In this series, “The good earth”, soil scientist Robert Edis has profiled some of those soils and the flavours…
Nutty, comforting, wintery parsnips: good luck growing them without a Tenosol.
di.wineanddine/Flickr
Australia has some of the world’s most ancient soils, many of which grow delicious produce. In this series, “The good earth”, soil scientist Robert Edis profiles some of those soils and the flavours they…
Rusts are a type of fungal disease that affect many plants, including wheat and some fruits. In Australia, rusts are a particular concern to wheat and barley farmers, with whole seasons’ crop sometimes…
Big farmers win big under agricultural policy, but change is in the air.
Chris Ison/PA
Reforming the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy has never been easy, and that’s hardly surprising. It’s well established that when interests are concentrated together, such as those of farmers…
Soil makes pasture, pasture makes milk, milk makes cheese.
lu_lu/Flickr
Australia has some of the world’s most ancient soils, many of which grow delicious produce. In this series, “The good earth”, soil scientist Robert Edis profiles some of those soils and the flavours they…
The romantic idea of developing northern Australia has once more been thrust into the light, this time by the Coalition’s 2030 Plan for Developing Northern Australia. As I look at coverage of the plan…
Fertiliser: essential for feeding the country, but you can have too much of a good thing.
ILO in Asia and the Pacific
A joint project between scientists in the UK and China has shown how improved methods of manufacturing nitrogen fertiliser and better use of it by farmers could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by hundreds…
Managing Director, Triple Helix Consulting; Chief Executive Officer, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; Professorial Fellow, ANU Fenner School for the Environment and Society, Australian National University