Introduction
Paul Keating once famously remarked one can always rely on self-interest when dealing with State Premiers, who will invariably yield on policy at the prospect of getting a bucket of cash.
Similarly the best prospect of attaining a more sustainable future for this generation and the next is to illustrate the economic benefits both now and stretching into the future, in addition to its ethical underpinnings.
“Call of the Reed Warbler” does that very well and has the added
weight of a narrative from a lifelong farmer whose research into large
scale farming both here and in similar dry continents such as in Africa is
based on a combination of modern science, observation and practical experience.
His concept of sustainable farming promises greatly enhanced yields based
on an organic style best described as having a covenant to coexist with nature
herself.
From a purely financial perspective it is the equivalent of putting a value on your principal asset which of course is the land and those related natural resources one can call upon to ensure a natural constant rejuvenation. This is in stark contrast to the activities of the early settlers whose farming and tree clearing weakened the landscape and denied its ability to cope with naturally occurring drought. The result, only too easy to observe, are in the pictures of massive erosion and large stretches of salty unproductive land.
In fact it raises the question of
past drought declared natural disasters were more a feature of degraded lands
inability to cope with an age old cycle rather than the perception of an
unexpected disaster.
This summary will be divided roughly
into sections covering the author's ideas but I have also added in other
material where I think it is relevant.
Introducing the author Charles Massy –
Massey has interviewed regenerative farmers across Australia whose stories appear alongside his own self-deprecating journey of discovery, where he talks about earlier mistakes he made using traditional farming practices that put too much pressure on the land.
His baptism of fire arose at an early age
following the death of his father when he was fresh from
graduating with a science degree, was thrust into the position of managing
the large family Merino and cattle property. He returned much later in 2009
to the ANU to complete a PHD in human ecology.
His lifelong association with the land saw him
firstly focus on genetic advisory services that ushered in a superior new type
of merino sheep before turning his attention to regenerative land care
management. He subsequently managed much larger properties and additionally
served the local community as a bushfire captain.
By way of a succinct introduction to his work I am including his
reported speech at an RCS Forum at Beef 2018 in Rockhampton in
2018. In a nutshell he is advocating to farmers it is their job to get out
of the way of Mother Nature!
“It is a huge mind shift, and there was
no empathy or understanding that came with that mind,” Mr Massy said. “The
current industrial paradigm (is one in which) we see nature as the enemy to be
dominated.”
It is only in the last 10 years, he says, that
thousands of scientists around the world have put together a more complete
picture of the earth’s systems and how they interact.
Industrial agriculture has been implicated in
destabilising seven of those eight systems.
But counter to that is significant evidence that
regenerative agriculture offers the best of all solutions to turn around those
Anthropocene problems. A key message was that “you can’t fool around and
interfere with one cycle without all the other ones being destabilised”.
Turning it around involves increasing ground cover
and nutrient rich shrubs to get “as many solar panels on our landscape for as
long as we can, to pass those sugars into the soil to build the carbon to feed
the bugs and to bury those long-term carbon polymers”.
He offered several case studies to demonstrate how
quickly things can be turned around – examples of country that was previously
bare and flint-hard after over a century of set stocking transformed in 10
years to regenerated grassland with soft and absorbent soils, a greater variety
of shrubs “which have thousands of additional nutrients in them”, collectively
maximising the ‘solar panels’ on the landscape.
“Once you drive the solar you get a deeper-rooted
variety of plants, more air pockets, more active soil biology, and it leads to
an enormous increase in water holding,” he explained.
Several pictures demonstrated the “fence line
effect”, one showing the result of three inches of rain in two hours on two
neighbouring paddocks – on the set-stocked paddock the water is pouring off, on
the holistically managed paddock it is all being absorbed into the soil.
“If you think about it, here we are on the driest
continent on earth, where we often get hard rainfalls, and in 24 hours one
neighbour triples his effective rainfall.
“It is all pretty profound stuff.”
Mr Massy said these results have been achieved in
“incredibly tough” seven to ten-inch rainfall areas in Australia and South
Africa and Mexico, where graziers have been able to triple their production
essentially by increasing groundcover and shrubs.
One farm revegetated and measured by an ex-CSIRO
scientist near Canberra for the past 30 years has been shown to have
sequestered 11 times more soil carbon than its total farmed emissions in that
period, and has moved soil carbon levels from one to four percent in the same
time.
“A lot of the research now into these cycles shows
that if we can just put one percent more carbon into the soil we can store an
extra more than 140,000 litres of water per hectare just by doing it.”
Mr Massy said that with returning to scientific
study after 30 years came an understanding of complex adaptive systems – earth
systems, water catchments, even the world wide web – which if destabilised have
a capacity because of their complexity to adjust and ‘self-organise’ back to
health.
“This concept of self-organisation in natural
systems and even the world wide web have an in-built capacity if they’re
destabilised or if there is a new factor such as a drought or change in
management, to reorganise if allowed to reorganise back to health and
resilience. “
Old land and new landscapes
The Australian land mass was once part of a much larger one which remained submerged for nearly 4 billion years beneath the sea to accumulate vast salt deposits below the water table. Our soils are generally poor since the sea washed out most of the soils nutrients except for a thin rich top soil. Remarkably the Australian landscape had adapted to harness and store meagre rainfall and thrive in what would be considered untenable conditions in other countries. So that it is a fragile environment that requires a unique application of farming skills to ensure it remains sustainable.
Conventional thinking held that such a fragile land was unsuited to the existence of hard hooved animals but Massey found that animals could actually enhance the sustainable ecology of the land. Counterintuitively he discovered that as long as these animals only grazed for short periods and were moved on before exhausting the grasslands their presence actually enhanced the natural outcomes. This necessitated much smaller paddocks and the availability of water not being far away. The reason being their hooves aerated the grasslands and they fertilised the land. It was important to provide long rest periods for pastures that were able to rejuvenate. In fact properties employing this methodology actually dramatically increased their stocking levels and became impervious to drought. He also proposes mixed farming, such as cereals cropping combined with livestock which yielded superior results. The downsize is it involves a much heavier investment in fencing to support rotation, but this is more than offset by either less input or no input at all for herbicides and fertilizers.
Questions arise over whether our finite water, land and infrastructure systems can sustain the projected level of population. Nobody has the definitive answers as there are any number of futurists willing to stake a claim both for and against Australia being able to support an increased population scenario. To reiterate, one can not only draw comfort from the stories of increased yields by Massy but equally in the positive lead from overseas countries like France and the Netherlands.
For instance France’s agroecology policy aims to
move agriculture towards the objective of combining economic, environmental and
social performance.
The ministry forecasts by 2025 most French
farmers will sign on to the concept, which includes practices such as rotating
crops to improve soil fertility and cutting reliance on chemical fertilisers.
Pre colonization
Living
on a large island which had become separated from the mainland Australian
Aboriginals are thought to have enjoyed a period of 60,000 years of isolation
prior to colonization. Like many indigenous societies its oral and visual
history does not reveal definitive records of changing climatic and land mass
conditions although it has been gauged they were involved in extensive burning
of bush land to seek out game in what is known as fire stick farming which
permanently changed the landscape.
Aborigines also engaged in some agriculture using
water channels for irrigation planting of a variety of wild grains which were
cultivated into regular crops. They also engaged in seasonal eel framing. They
erected stone cottages where they lived during the time of harvest. There is no
doubt this was a type of sustainable farming just as their
seasonal food sources were guided by movements in the heavens.
Aboriginal people would have had a very practical reason for their interest in astronomy: the sky is a calendar that indicates when the seasons are shifting and when certain foods are available, says Roslynn Haynes, an associate professor at the University of New South Wales and author of Explorers of the Southern Sky, a history of Australian astronomy.
"Constellations appearing in the sky, usually
at sunrise or sunset, were very important. They helped [Aboriginal people]
predict what was happening in the world around them," says Haynes.
For example, at different times of the year the Emu
in the Sky is oriented so it appears to be either running or sitting down.
Depending upon its position people in the western desert knew it was time to
hunt for emus or collect their eggs.
It is difficult to ascertain population levels at
the time of colonization due to their rapid decimation from the newly contacted
diseases and ensuing wars but estimates vary up to about a million.
A feature of the Australian bush is many of the species require the intense heat from a bushfire for the seeds to burst from their pods to later germinate. Evidence points towards Bushfires being an integral part of our landscape for a very long period of time- possibly caused by periodic manmade burning and lightning strikes.
Many
have argued the more recent tragic bush fires would not have been as ferocious
had periodic large-scale burning become more widespread beforehand.
What we can learn from the aboriginals is the land
owns us, not the other way around. It is only in partnership with nature that
modern methods can be effective which the overarching view of the author.
Hence, the idea is also to
work in partnership with nature by setting aside connecting corridors of land
and vegetation to maintain biodiversity which he ably demonstrates will
sustainability enhance yields of existing land use.
A Farmers lament -Rain no longer follows
the plough!
The
early settlers reshaped the landscape with extensive tree felling and
overgrazing by sheep and cattle unaware of the consequences of their actions as
if Australia was an extension of an English county. During the early periods
buoyed on by a repeat of unseasonably good rainy seasons an errant philosophy
took root from successive good harvests – the rain always follows the plough.
The repeated cycle to clear the land gained momentum to the extent more and
more marginal areas were opened up for farming with disastrous results. Soon
landowner’s optimism gave way to despair as they were forced to walk off the
land which was destitute as a consequence of the inevitable drought cycle which
took them by surprise.
In the more immediate post war period the same
pattern was to occur. The then liberal government created solder settlements;
small farming land parcels granted to returning servicemen. Although many of
these holdings through amalgamations and capital improvements continue, many
were forced to walk off the land heartbroken. I remember
vividly, the anger and frustration in my uncle’s voice, as a youngster staying
on his farm, to hear him berate the government for their foolishness. He did
everything in his power with letters and consultation, knowing full well there
was never a hope in hell they could become sustainable farmers from such small
uneconomic land holdings.
Fortunately
today a few of these lessons have been learnt and larger scale amalgamations
have occurred in most agricultural sectors to ensure farms collectively are
viable holdings. However, encouragement to use irrigation for water dependent
crops such as rice and cotton were examples of continued bad policies which are
correctly condemned by the author
A perspective on modern day agriculture
and farming in Australia
What
has changed over the last few decades and identified by the author is the
growing realization of a new spirit that at last acknowledges the land it is
not here for us to do with it whatever we please. Rather, it is a dry fragile
country that uniquely can rejuvenate itself by the propensity to retain water
and vegetation plus trees to bind the soil and contain nutrients.
There currently exists a
mixture of the large scale technologically based farming more reliant on
chemicals versus those in favor of a more bio diversified approach that relies
more on nature for its sustainability. But
overall, despite our poor beginning most farmers today are becoming more
environmentally minded and intent on preserving the land in perpetuity for
future generations. One aspect I think that has tremendous potential to
continue to yield outstanding results is Land Care.
Local
LandCare groups ensure farms are not only sustainable, but set aside corridors
of up to 12% of the land as sanctuaries for nature. Land Care, introduced in
1989, is an exciting government funded initiative which enables groups to
receive grants and technical advice to help better maintain the native
landscape and set up the vital corridor sanctuaries which interlink the
properties within each respective land care group. There are 4,000 community
LandCare Groups currently engaged at many different levels. Such moves
facilitate improved farm yields.
Australia’s
approach to farming is diverse, like the physical landscape itself. According
to the author the future for the bush in the sheep and wheat belt, represents
an ecological opportunity. Hard evidence exists where the rejuvenate methods
are being employed the resultant higher yield and improved landscape will
surely lead to a transformation in the agricultural sector.
To reiterate the need for smaller paddocks and more intense use (but not to degrade the vegetation) are suggested by Massy as methods that mimic the past rejuvenated outcomes inherent in nature. Paradoxically the thrust of evidence points to more intensive stocking of animals. That is based on smaller areas of stay for short durations, but not sufficient to denude the grassland. But the key is to allow a longer recovery period afterwards. This is in contrast to the traditional large scale paddocks and only occasionally moving stock once the area has been exhausted of its sustainable grassland. Rather obviously this will involve investment in additional fencing or a way found of corralling animals in smaller areas. It's of equal importance areas are not left too long without the imprint of animals which the author proposes can be so organised to mimic the prior effects of grazing wildlife.
It is in effect facilitating a
relationship with nature that one seeks to attain and for which yields will
continue to surprise on the upside.
The anthropogenic age
A feature which distinguishes us from the animal world is our innate ability to tell stories about ourselves.
But it is only over the past
several decades we have realized the extent of the severe climatic instability
and uncertainty that underpinned our evolutionary journey over the past few
million years. What we can say with a high degree of certainty, is we prospered
due to an extraordinary ability to alter the landscape and adapt.
In turn, that shaped us in our
evolving identity, in the sacred practices, values and expressions of what it
is to be human. That is; ‘the sense of self’.
So here we are in the Age of
Humans, known as the Anthropocene, a new era with attendant greater risk for
sustainability requiring another
narrative.
This
is the message of Massy who cites the error of the mechanical mindset, a legacy
of the enlightenment philosophes such as René
Descartes.
What
is it that can lead us to a new moral sense of meaning in this new world? This
provides plenty of room for discussions and rather obviously the impetus it
also makes much more economic sense to change practices and policy.
Is
there a link between culture and our survival and if so what is it?
Does
our moral sense of empathy need to change?
Is
it essential to develop new
values to ensure one engages in a meaningful way.
Ultimately that comes down to
politics and behaviors because the Anthropocene is of our making. We have, in
the past, changed ourselves, in tandem with adaptations to the new environment,
so in this age that needs to be repeated with a much greater sense of urgency.
The Author is appealing for
this change away from the mechanical mindset that prevailed no so
long ago and mostly continues, although encouraging signs are emerging.
Understanding the water cycle, soil and ecosystems
The thirsty camel and water shortages
Most of us love water which is possibly
the most valuable of all resources – to enjoy the refreshing sea, river, stream
or lake. But the bulk of our fresh water resides in the polar ice caps which
are now threatened by global warming. Water occupies about 70% of the earth’s
surface and is 75% of our human body mass.
The
author points to improved vegetation to avoid excessive runoff. This is achieved
by natural grassland and landscape contours sculptured into the land to
facilitate catchment areas. The connecting corridors of vegetation complements biodiversity
and riparian zones that interface the
land to the rivers and streams, to create rich vegetation made up
of hydrophilic plants.
But as Australia is the driest
continent on planet earth and given a continuation of the over use of water, it
is not surprising shortages have remained one of the most crucial of issues.
The question asked frequently is how one can best support a burgeoning
population demanding more water from dwindling sources.
One of the worst areas
affected is our largest river the Murray which has seen the corruption of
measurers introduced to increase the so called environmental water flow,
depleted by irrigation.
The
Murray flows along the eastern side of South Australia, and part of the New
South Wales and Victoria borders. Irrigation from the Murray sustains this
region which produces 50% of Australia’s fresh fruit and vegetables, but at a
terrible cost to the river and its ecosystem. Although flows improved with
flooding, earlier periods have resulted in degradation to the extent there was
so little water remaining in the once mighty river its flow was insufficient to
carry any fresh water into the ocean.
This environmental position
for the river, if practices had been allowed to draw out unstainable amounts
for irrigation, would have a devastating effect on its biology, eliminating
many species dependent upon brackish waters.
But the future for the Murray Basin exists for both
sustainable agriculture combined with the preservation of swamp land,
vegetation and trees essential to biodiversity that will support that
landscape.
Overall we are slowly learning from past mistakes and some progress is being made. For instance the per capita use of water in Australia has reduced over the past few years. In 2019, according to the Department of Meteorology, the nation used 10 % less water per capita than the previous year. Groundwater storage has remained steady over the past decade after falling precipitously over previous periods.
Soil management and avoiding the ravages of drought
To reiterate as per previously outlined Massy maintains if we want to avoid the ravages of drought it is essential to rotate stock regularly. This is the key as the grass protects the soil and enhances health whilst facilitating the plants ability to trap water and provide housing for natural pest control.
He also talks about drilling as opposed to the more
invasive ploughing of fields in preparation for sowing that underpins solar
power as in photosynthesis with less reliance on fertilisers and herbicides.
.
Conclusion
Massey provides plenty of food for thought and an air of positivism that we can in fact farm sustainably and at the same time become much more profitable.
The world needs a new
transformative narrative that has to be tailored individually to each country's
or regions ecological settings. I would like to see more research funds
supportive of advancing these ideas, inclusive of the flexibility for some
modification in the process.
I don’t think Massy thinks this is the only one best way. Such is the complexity of nature that learning more about its remarkable creative power is never going to present an absolute answer. But we can achieve far better outcomes than the past sometimes woeful practices have delivered. The proof is in the pictures and narrative both here and abroad, as his narrative ably suggests. They suggest it is morally reprehensible to continue down the traditional road when we know it isn’t working and there exists evidence based science of viable alternatives.
Lindsay Byrnes 31/10/2020
For further reading and references
Charles Massy | ANU Fenner School of
Environment & Society
https://fennerschool.anu.edu.au/people/visiting/dr-charles-massy
https://fennerschool.anu.edu.au/people/visiting/dr-charles-massy#acton-tabs-link--tabs-person_tabs-middle-2
Transforming landscapes - Griffith Review
https://www.griffithreview.com/articles/transforming-landscapes/
Beef Central Forum
Creating a sustainable Murray-Darling
ttps://www.natureaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/our-priorities/land-and-freshwater/land-freshwater-stories/creating-a-sustainable-murray-darling/
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