Category: News

Research carried out by the CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology would forecast weather conditions in 100 kilometre by 100km quadrants across the country, with the collected data then used to identify probable changes to factors such as growing seasons, yields and the effect on livestock, reported The Land (23/8/2007, p. 3).

Predicitons in 20-year increments: The study also looked at broader climate change impact forecasting predictions for the years 2030, 2050 and 2070. NSW Department of Primary Industries project leader, Climate Risk Management Agriculture and Fisheries, Gary Allan, described the report as "ground breaking stuff". The research will be released on October 2 at the 2007 Greenhouse conference in Sydney.

The Land, 23/8/2007, p. 3

The National Farmers Federation had released startling figures of the impact the dollar was having on the farm-gate prices of individual commodities, reported Queensland Country Life (23/8/2007, p. 5).

One cent equals $190 million: Just a one-cent appreciation in the dollar wiped about $7/bale off the value of cotton, $3/tonne off sugar and grains prices and 0.5c/litre off dairy prices. According to the NFF, a one-cent move up or down also affected farmers’ hip pockets by $190 million, so a lower dollar even in the short term would help farmers to actually enjoy generally high commodity prices, particularly for wheat.

Attractive wheat prices: Commonwealth Bank commodities strategist Tobin Gorey said prices now were attractive for hedging, but the CBA’s preference was still to hedge in Australian currency. "Wheat prices are very, very good at the moment, and the Aussie dollar has dipped, so to keep getting above $300/tonne is very attractive and unusual. There’s an uncertainty about what the pool will be this year and who will run it, so there’s perhaps some extra motivation this year to look at that aspect of risk management."

Queensland Country Life, 23/8/2007, p. 5

"Only in Africa are there angry, tired and hungry farmers," said Adesina. He stressed the need to offer agricultural subsidies because "there is no other agriculture in the world that is not subsidized."

The continent already imports about 25 percent of its food, and one in three Africans suffer chronic hunger, while the population is expected to more than double to 1.8 billion people in 2050, the background statement said.

African agriculture faces such hurdles as unstable governments, outmoded techniques, poor seed stocks, poverty, climates prone to drought and flooding, as well as difficult market access because of poor transportation and trade barriers.

"If you really want to help Africa, build roads, build infrastructure (to get produce to markets). Countries may not build roads, but roads build countries," said Gerard Klijn, managing director of Global Trading & Agency BV, a Dutch company that brokers produce from the developing world.

The conference, with such delegates as 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug, brings together public agencies, private investors and government officials to address a broad range of African agriculture topics, including financing, market access, improved crop yields, the role of women and the threat of climate change.

In 2004, Annan called for a revolution to "drive African farming communities from subsistence farming to sustainable modern agriculture and rural transformation."

In 2006, Norwegian government agencies and private industry responded by calling the first Green Revolution conference, and are now hosting the second, which lasts through Saturday.

There are signs of hope.

Last year, Malawi went from a more than 40 percent deficit of maize to a 25 percent surplus due to a new program of government farm subsidies, allowing it to export grain for the first time in a decade.

"This is the first Africa Green Revolution country," said Pedro Sanchez, of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He said government subsidies of 75 percent for fertilizers helped the country double its maize production in one year.

"The government of Malawi had the courage to do the right scientific things," said Sanchez.

He said 1 ton of maize, as international food aid to Africa, costs about $670 (500 euros), while increasing production from African fields by the same amount costs roughly $80 (60 euros).

However, Klijn, of Global Trading, said that rush to increase production can bring risks, such as flooding he recently saw in Malawi because forests were cleared to free up farmland.

"Yes, we want to grow much more but not at the cost of deforestation," he said. Klinj also warned that a sudden explosion in African production could create a glut and a price collapse unless the types of crops are carefully managed.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

About the Moratorium on GE crops

The moratorium on growing Genetically Engineered crops in NSW is set to expire in March 2008.
If the moratorium is lifted it will have dire consequences for our clean, green, GE free image and have detrimental effects on export markets. The introduction of GE food crops would also threaten the rapidly growing organics markets, as organics are incompatible with GE.

The ban on commercial GE crops was extended in 2005, partly because the government said there had not been adequate trials, due to the drought. This remains the case. Proponents of GE have not participated in independent comparative field trials, so there is no reason to lift the ban in 2008.