Kalyn Fletcher RIRDC Bursary Report 2017

Transcription

1 Tropical Agriculture Discover, Promote, Support Kalyn Fletcher RIRDC Bursary Report 2017

2 Table of Contents 1.0 Executive Summary Project Name Project Plan Study Tour To Brazil Planning the Tour Study Tour Findings from the Study Tour Double and triple Cropping: Soya beans (GMO vs Non- GMO) Industry develops industry Promoting Tropical Agriculture Sharing the Knowledge Recommendations/ Further Investigation Bursary use Professional Development... 6

3 1.0 Executive Summary Northern Australia s plentiful undeveloped land, available water, sunny blue skies and proximity to emerging markets in Asia are a significant opportunity for tropical agriculture. As climatic conditions change and Australia looks to shift more of its agricultural production to areas with more abundant and secure water, the tropical regions will play an ever increasing role in Australia s agricultural success. However for this to occur, these remote undeveloped regions need significant investment and a shift in the thoughts of Australian s in metropolitan areas around public funds being invested in the North. Tropical Agriculture in Australia is still in its infancy, but if we look to Brazil; which has an extremely large and mature tropical agricultural industry; much knowledge can be gain from their successes. 2.0 Project Name Tropical Agriculture Discover, Promote, Support 3.0 Project Plan The Project was separated into three key areas: 1. Study Tour to Brazil 2. Promote Tropical Agriculture to the metropolitan community of Australia 3. Support tropical agriculture through knowledge sharing 4.0 Study Tour to Brazil 4.1 Planning the Tour The major part of the project was the study tour to Brazil with background information gathering and planning. Having only 2 weeks to travel on the study tour, and Brazil being an enormous country, the need to identify the best possible region to tour was crucial. It was finally decided that a road trip through the Bahia and Caatinga Regions, visiting as many different types of production operations as possible would be the best option. This region has the same latitude as Tropical Australia. Latitude is important because it affects the daylight that crops are produced in and temperature of the region. This region also had similar rainfall as Tropical Australia; while much of Brazil is blessed with an annual rainfall of 2m+ per year and much of Tropical Australia s rainfall is around 400-

4 900mm per year; the Bahia and Caatinga Region is considered semi-arid with a stronger focus on irrigation. Much of Brazil has regions with high altitude fortunately for us, this region also has lower altitude more comparable to Tropical Australia. Though these regions are still in the tropics the altitude creates cooler temperatures and a significantly milder climate compared to the harsh Tropics in Australia. The Caatinga Region has a reputation of being the hottest and harshest in Brazil. Map: Brazil illustrating the Caatinga region and the regions latitude and altitude. 4.2 Study Tour We travelled 2,800km by road, visiting over 13 different businesses and being exposed to many different cropping and production systems. Vegetable productions including tomato, potato, onion, beef cattle feedlot, pasture seed production, lettuce and coriander hydroponics, table grape and wine production, dairy cattle with its own associated milk factory, maize production with its own association factory for value adding, tobacco production (the world s newest and largest facility), soya beans, soya beans and wait, did I mention soya beans?

5 4.3 Findings from the Study Tour Double and Triple Cropping: Brazilian s involved in Tropical Agriculture are able to achieve 2 to 3 crops per year, unlike those involved in Tropical Agriculture in Australia who are mostly only achieving one crop per year over the dry season months. To achieve this feat, Brazilian farmers have focused on zero tillage farming systems and pressurised irrigation systems such as pivot irrigators. The other large notable difference is most of Tropical Brazil s agriculture regions have been developed on deep free draining sands, in contrast, Australian s seem to have thus far focused on higher clay type soils; such as around the Ord and Fitzroy Rivers. These heavier soils have the benefit of often better fertility and higher water holding capacity, but in times of high rainfall such, as during the Norths wet season, this higher water holding capacity becomes a hindrance Soya beans (GMO vs Non- GMO) Brazil had a strong importance placed on GMO Soya bean, with being one of its largest crops produced. It was interesting to speak to those involved around this subject; with the opinion of many that they were disappointed the government had allowed GMO Soya beans, purely from a marketing perspective. They believed that the marketing opportunities for a country that could offer NON- GMO Soya bean would outweigh the benefits of the GMO Soya bean. The farmers also stated that Soya bean was a very important crop in the double/triple cropping program, as it offers good nitrogen fixing capabilities, good ground cover and high returns. Soya beans in Brazil have been developed to suit tropical conditions with private industry and Government both having invested significantly to develop varieties suited to Tropical Brazil. These varieties have been performing well from a disease and yield perspective; compared to traditional southern varieties which are similar to what is currently available in Australia Industry develops industry One of the biggest eye openers of the study tour was to see how quickly Tropical Brazil has been developing over the past 15 years through the success of Tropical Agriculture. Successful agricultural communities have been created on the back of other successful agricultural projects. The success in one industry has led to success and growth in other industries and had a significant positive flow on effect. 5.0 Promoting Tropical Agriculture To promote Tropical Agriculture to metropolitan Australia I felt we had to discuss Tropical Agriculture in the essence that those in city areas could relate too which would be as food.

6 I ended up creating a Facebook page called Out of the Ord in which I teamed up with the local ABC reporter Matt Brann, local BBQ Food Blogger Tanielle Brann and The local newspaper, The Kimberley Echo. We covered one crop per week for 40 weeks. Each week we had a radio interview with a local farmer talking about their crop as food. The interviews were aired on ABC Kimberley and Perth Metro on Saturday mornings. We also posted a recipe utilising the crop of the week, which was published on our Facebook page and in The Kimberley Echo. The feedback was on this promotion was excellent with the he radio interviews also generating export enquiries Sharing the Knowledge I believe the only thing more important than gaining new knowledge is sharing new knowledge. After the study tour I communicated my findings through workshops, several radio interviews, newspaper articles and I have spoken publically at several events and individually with stakeholders. I will continue this communication as long as it remains relevant. 7.0 Recommendations/ Further Investigation Further Investigation & Recommendations would be: 1. Investigate the potential development of Tropical Australia around free draining sands to allow better access during Wet Season months 2. Research the use of zero tillage systems and pressurised irrigation in future developments; and if these system can be incorporated into current systems 3. Investigate the possibility of collaborating with third parties in Brazil to purchase or licence tropical Soya bean germplasm 8.0 Bursary use Flights $6.000 Guide $2.400 Accommodation $1.400 Travel Insurance $240 Car Hire $1.078 Food/other general expenses $2.000 Passports /Visa/Medical $1.200 Sponsorship and Advertising for Out of The Ord $500 Sponsorship of Guest Speaker on Food tourism $500

7 9.0 Professional Development I attended the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course for Directors in August I completed all the assessments in November, 2017, and received a graduation certificate indicating successful completion of all assessments in December 2017.