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Sustainability for Schools

Agriculture for schools

We need to protect our natural resources to make sure our agricultural industry has a strong future.

What are the environmental problems affecting agriculture in Western Australia?

The most concerning problems in Western Australia are:

Salinity:

All soil contains some salt. Normally it is stored safely and doesn't harm plants. But if high water-using native plants are removed, extra water will flow through the soil to the ground water, which will bring salt to the surface as it rises. The salt can be so concentrated that it will kill plants, make our water too salty to use, and even damage roads and buildings.

Erosion:

Erosion occurs when soil is carried away by water or wind. It means that the remaining soil is less fertile. If the soil is washed into waterways it can choke them, or fertilisers in the soil can cause algal blooms and other problems.

Soil Acidity:

The crops we grow can make soils more acid than normal. This can affect the availability of nutrients in the soil and can lead to nutrient toxicity (eg aluminium toxicity or too much aluminium) or deficiency.

How do environmental problems affect us?

Agricultural practices can affect the environment, the individuals and/or communities that depend on it; and the economy of a region or the State. Here are some ways that we can be affected:

Environmental impacts

Biodiversity: As well as killing crops and pastures, issues like salinity and erosion can affect native plants and the native animals that live on or around them. While we can often repair damaged land, if an entire species dies out there is no going back. It is a major problem.

Visual Amenity: Our natural environment is dramatic and beautiful when it is healthy. It is pleasant to live in and attracts tourists and visitors. If it becomes degraded, it is no longer a pleasant place to live, and the tourists will also stay away.

Economic impacts

Loss of Production: If soil becomes less fertile or if water resources become contaminated, farmers wont be able to produce as much crops or livestock, or the quality might be reduced. A loss in production will mean the farmer wont earn as much money. This can also have wider effects, as the farmer has less money to spend in his local businesses (for example, buying new machinery).

Management: Farmers and the community can face big bills to manage environmental issues or to change the way they farm. For example:

• drains and pumps to manage salinity and erosion;
• planting trees and revegetating areas;
• fencing native vegetation to protect it; and
• increased use of chemicals or other additive to maintain soil fertility or control acidification.

Tourism: If an area becomes severely degraded and many plants and animals die, the tourists will stop visiting and spending their money in the area.

Water: If water quality becomes very poor, farmers and communities may have to buy water for themselves, their stock and their crops.

Social impacts

Change: Having to radically change the way we do things can be very stressful. Farmers dealing with environmental problems on their farms can become very stressed and problems can flow on other members of their family.

Communities: Environmental issues can affect whole communities by:

• farmers leaving their farms;
• damage to community facilities from salinity or erosion;
• creating conflict between different sections of the community;
• economic problems related to environmental issues; and
• loss of pleasant, healthy natural surroundings

How can we manage these environmental problems?

There are many different ways that we can promote sustainable agriculture and protect our resources.

Changing land use: Farmers can change the way they work in order to protect their resources. There are a lot of new ideas for farming, including:

• no-till farming that leaves the soil undisturbed to reduce erosion;
• perennial pastures that use more water so reduce salinity;
• adding lime to the soil to reduce soil acidity;
• planting crops between rows of trees that use more water and also prevent soil erosion;
• farming along the contours of hills so rainfall is caught and doesn't erode the soil; and
• farming trees (eg eucalypts and pines) for their wood instead of farming wheat and sheep.

Incentives: Many farmers dont want to have large areas of native vegetation on their farm because it reduces the land that's available to grow profitable crops or livestock. Some farmers believe they should be paid (or compensated) for any land that is put aside for native vegetation. But farmers have also shown that they will respond positively to incentives to protect native vegetation.

Protecting resources: We need to carefully protect land that belongs to all of us, for example along roads and railway lines and in nature reserves and national parks. These areas can be very important for biodiversity and to control salinity. We might increase the protection of our resources by:

• fencing off remnant vegetation to protect it from sheep and cows; or
• planting trees along rivers and around lakes.

Legal controls: In some cases the Government can use the law to protect the environment from damage. For example, they can:

• make it illegal to clear land without a permit;
• make sure that all drainage and earthworks are done in a legal and environmentally sound way;
• restrict or govern the use of chemicals; or
• penalise people who cause environmental damage.

Education: Farmers and others in the community need to be aware of the importance of sustainable agriculture, and the damage that environmental problems can cause. Farmers may need to learn new ways of farming, and the rest of us need to learn about the issues so we can help the farmers and our communities make the right decisions.

Markets: Today, more and more consumers want to be sure that the products they buy are produced in an environmentally responsible way. This means that farmers will have to be able to demonstrate that they are minimising or not causing any impacts on biodiversity, air and water quality.

Read more about work the Department is doing that is related to sustainable agriculture:

• Case studies:
  • Towns against salt Whats that lurking under our country towns?
  • Carrots and big sticks How can we persuade people to look after our environment?
  • Salty problems and solutions - How can a sheep farmer make profit out of a major environmental and economic disaster?
    
  • Stuck in a Rut - In farming, it can sometimes be good to get stuck in a rut, at least when it comes to driving around paddocks.
• Biosecurity biosecurity means protecting our agricultural industries from diseases and plant and animal pests
• Sustainable agriculture information for farmers

Or visit other websites related to sustainable agriculture and landcare:

• Research
  • CSIRO Land and Water
  • National Dryland Salinity Program
• Issues and Impacts
• • NOVA Science in the News (includes teacher resources)
  • Natural Resource Management Council of Western Australia
  • Australian Natural Resources Atlas
  • Landmonitor
    
    
• Management
  • Department of Conservation and Land Management (Western Australia)
  • Department of Environment, Western Australia
  • Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage
  • Environmental Education in Australia (includes teacher resources)
  • Government of Western Australia Sustainability Policy Unit
  • Gould League (National site)
  • Greening Australia
  • Land and Water Australia (includes teacher resources)
  • Landcare Australia
  • National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality
  • Natural Heritage Trust
  • WA Gould League (includes teachers resources and a kids section)

Page Reviewed: March 2006