In 2010 a cluster of United Nations and pan-African organizations released a little book entitled Climate Smart Agriculture (PDF).
Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) “seeks to increase sustainable productivity, strengthen farmers’ resilience, reduce agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration.” The little book and the concept are getting a lot of attention here at COP17.
I’ve attended two side events on the topic so far. CSA seems to resonate with the programs and priorities of donors. For example, a representative of the Norwegian Government explained that CSA fit perfectly with their two development priorities of climate change and food security. The French food giant, Danone, explained how Climate Smart Agriculture resonates with their multi-million dollar Corporate Social Responsibility initiative that seeks to improve the well-being of smallholder farmers well-being while reducing GHG emissions. The World Agroforestry Center is delighted with the concept: planting and protecting trees in agricultural systems is one main practices that is promoted in CSA initiatives. In their CSA initiative, the Government of Ethiopia is providing farmers with seedlings for 100 million Faidherbia albida, a tree that is remarkably well-suited for integration with crops.
But people are asking the questions: how smart is Climate Smart Agriculture?
The #Agvocate
A RESEARCHER could have the answer to the future of dairy farming and the solution was born in Kiama.
Research company SBScibus director Neil Moss, who lives in Kiama, has spent the past eight years developing a new kind of pasture using no grass at all.
“We wanted another way of doing things to fill gaps in the feed base,” he said. Dr Moss’ “salad bowl of ingredients” includes lucerne, chicory and plantain, which are all deep-rooted legumes and herbs – red clover is part of the mix because it grows quickly while the lucerne establishes itself, and the white clover fills in gaps in the pasture if other plants die out.
The trial pasture at Clover Hill Dairies’ research farm Lemon Grove at Jamberoo has already yielded some surprising results.
“We’ve found it generates 10 to 15 per cent more energy and the milk is 15 to 20 per cent higher in protein,” he said. 
Effective management of water and efficient crop and pasture production will be the focus of the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Pivots and Laterals Irrigation course being held at Numurkah on Wednesday and Thursday March 28 and 29.
RSPCA Australia's former communications manager Lisa Chalk has taken up a role with Animals Australia, as the group’s communications director.
Department of Primary Industries scientist Jason Brand has taken out the annual Wheat Research Foundation Award.
A Dutch scientist who plans to produce the world’s first “test-tube” meat this year says his aim is to eventually replace the entire meat-animal industry.
The North Central Catchment Management Authority's (CMAs) 2012 National Soils Forum will be held in Bendigo on 8 and 9 March. The Forum will bring together key landholders, local farmers, scientists and policy makers to discuss how we can secure the productive and environmental values of our soils in north central Victoria.
The Forum will focus on ‘Soils for a future’: 
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has today released the February NFF Agribusiness Loan Monitor – the first for 2012 – which shows that all financial institutions in the Monitor, bar one, have reduced their agribusiness rates in the last two months.
A report into the future food needs of Australia has failed to acknowledge the ongoing work by Australia’s farmers in ensuring an environmentally sustainable supply of fresh and nutritious food, the National Farmers’ Federation says. NFF President Jock Laurie said in a media release issued last week that farmers had made enormous gains in both productivity and environmental management over the past few decades: producing high quality food in greater quantities, on less land, with less water and less impact on the environment that ever before. 
In a harsh and unpredictable environment, reliable weather information is crucial for farmers to successfully grow their crops. By studying a successful weather information program in Mali, climate adaptation researchers and agencies are hoping to learn how to best deploy similar programs in the region, to help reduce the risks faced by smallholder farmers. Highlighted by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) in November, the Mali Meteorological Program has since 1982 shared weather information with over 2500 farmers. As a result, farmers are reporting increased yields and willingness to invest in new technologies. 
To yearling mate or not? That is the question on many sheep producers’ minds. Many producers are looking for opportunities to improve their lambing percentages and mating yearling ewes is one option. However, there are many variables to consider before deciding whether yearling mating it is a good fit for your business. 
The next few weeks are shaping as a key test of cattle supply, particularly in large areas of Queensland and NSW where extensive flooding has constrained cattle movements for several weeks.
Drier paddocks and the lifting of road restrictions will enable greater movements of cattle to sale or works, however recent price reductions are also likely to weigh heavily as producers ponder whether to meet the current market. 
The National Farmers Federation has raised concerns about the use of chemicals by Coal Seam Gas companies on agricultural properties and the consequences for landholders who have to sign vendor declarations guaranteeing the clean health status of their livestock.
Industrial chemicals used in the CSG industry were fast becoming a legal issue for farmers who had statutory requirements to sign vendor declaration forms for livestock and other commodities produced on their land. A balanced view on the sow housing debate in Australia... |
Australian horticultural growers can now find the nearest horticultural service providers to them with the introduction of the free Hort Service Finder application for iPhone.
DPI Swan Hill Horticultural Knowledge Broker, Steve Lorimer, said that fruit, vine, vegetable, berry growers and people interested in a number of other Horticultural crops can connect with agronomy, financial service providers and more. If you were given five minutes to address the Australian Dairy Conference, what would you say?
I have that honour today and was asked to speak about my experiences with social media. It’s not a lot of time, so I’ve opted for the “shock and awe” approach, beginning with a real-life case study showing how ordinary dairy farmers brave enough to wear their hearts on their sleeves won new friends in the face of scandal. I’ll close with a yet to be revealed threat and an offer to attend my social media workshop on Friday so we can deal with it together. 
As a graduate student, you get the unique opportunity to be involved in interesting research and go to some pretty cool places. Usually to glamorous destinations like Dodge City or Garden City, KS (go see a few of the 8 Wonders of Kansas!), Friona, TX (outstanding Mexican food!), etc. The past two weeks I’ve been on the road doing a project at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and in the Napa Valley of California. When we go to places where folks are not nearly so ag-oriented, it gives us a chance to visit with people on their view of current production agriculture…and it’s not always perceived as we that are part if it actually see it.
On our most recent visit to California one of the grad students gave a talk to a group of culinary professionals and students on the current grading standards for U.S. beef and how we conduct scientific sensory evaluation of beef cuts. During the Q&A session that followed, the conversation immediately turned to current production methods of U.S. beef and how it affects the product offered at retail…one of the first sentences offered by a chef at the school:
“…well we get most of our information from the movie Food Inc…” 
The Federal Government is seeking industry input into its draft guidelines for a nutrition, health and related product claims Standard.
BEING part of the farming community is no longer only about standing chest high in a wheat paddock or mustering a cattle herd.
Many at the front line of rural industries can be found at a computer promoting agriculture - like Danica Leys.
The Sydney lawyer has outdone her country peers by taking out a NSW Rural Women's Award last night for establishing an interactive forum on Twitter that lets people involved in agriculture connect once a week.
"It doesn't matter where you live, you can contribute to agriculture," Ms Leys said. But she hasn't always lived in the city - Ms Leys grew up on a small farm at Picton, which is where her passion for agriculture began. 
In 2011 RIRDC provided seed funding to get our Young Farming Champions program off the ground. What a watershed moment that has proved to be for the future of food security in this country. RIRDC have a number of initiatives that nurture rural and regional talent and one of these is the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award 
What if it is really agriculture that is setting the tone for our negative press? I have been thinking a lot lately about how Agriculture is perceived. I have joined Twitter, something I never thought I’d do, but I must admit it has really helped me re-vamp my desire to blog about my passion. Twitter has also made me very aware of how many groups are out there throwing around those buzz words “Factory Farms” “industrial food” and now even “Real food” which seems to think that conventionally raised food does not qualify. All of these phrases immediately conjure up negativity, fear, and even a bit of mystery.
Australia’s feeder cattle export trade to Indonesia is in limbo as it waits for second quarter import permits to be released by the market. The trade has entered a lull with latest Government figures confirming that export quota for the January to March quarter has all but been filled, with close to half of the quarter left to run. All eyes are now on the release of Q2 quotas for April to June. 
Fisheries Officers observed two divers allegedly take about fifty times the daily limit of abalone off Mordialloc yesterday. The plain-clothes officers first noticed the men, both from Springvale, duck diving on a reef about 80 metres off-shore and apparently shucking abalone underwater. The men were intercepted on the pier and in a car park and allegedly found to be carrying 490 abalone. The daily limit is five per person. 
It’s long been known that there are growth rate efficiencies to be found in young bulls. The Europeans have been successfully producing beef from entire young male cattle instead of steers for centuries.
Leading US animal scientist Dr Temple Grandin famously once asked the question, “Why do we insist on cutting the testicles off young male cattle and sticking them behind their ears?” 
So here’s a novel idea: algae. That’s right — pond scum has promising potential as a source of animal feed, as well as human feed and fuel.
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and “simple” because their tissues are not organized into the many distinct organs found in land plants. The largest and most complex marine forms are called seaweeds.
The Japanese know all about this. When I spent a summer in Japan, every meal was accompanied by soy sauce, rice and yes, seaweed. 
HOBBY beekeepers are proving their worth as part of the front line of biosecurity defence against major bee pests.
Ports have been identified as one of the most likely entry points for bee pests such as the varoa mite, which has devastated bee colonies around the world. Australia is the last major country free of the pest, and with 65 per cent of our horticultural and agricultural crops requiring pollination, its arrival would cause devastation. |
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