FDI’s Research Focus for 2015
FDI’s research for 2015 will continue to focus on its analyses of the future in three key areas: the opportunities and challenges for Australia in the Indian Ocean region; the likelihood of a global food and water crisis and the implications of such an event for Australia; and the opportunities and challenges for Australia in the development of its northern and inland areas, concentrating initially on the regeneration of its landscape.
Regenerating our Soils: The FDI Approach
FDI published a second edition of the concept to regenerate our soils in northern and inland Australia in May this year, titled “Regenerating our Soils: The FDI Approach”. Regenerating the resilience and health of our soils is as critically important as ever. The productivity of many farms is declining, climates are changing and weather is becoming more variable. Much of the area is becoming drier and wildfires, with their high carbon emissions, are becoming more frequent and greater in their intensity. The imperative, therefore, is to reinforce the resilience of our soils and landscapes.
Regenerating our Soils: The FDI Approach
Many farmers say that the productivity of their farms is declining. At the same time, the cost of producing their agricultural and pastoral product is increasing. It is also becoming obvious that soils need to be regenerated and that processes that worked in the past are no longer sustainable.
Drought Relief: A Necessary Short Term Strategy but Not a Long Term Solution
Droughts are inevitable and soils throughout Australia are in decline with serious water, food, economic and environmental consequences. To alleviate these potentially serious outcomes, Australia urgently needs to focus on regenerating the health and resilience of its soils and landscapes so that they can reverse this decline and better survive the impact of climatic extremes.