big dry case study

state the location of the Big Dry

• all of Australia

• particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin

describe Australia’s level of development

AC

state Australia’s GDP

AUS $55,060 per capita

state which states the Big Dry affected

• eastern Australia

• Queensland

• New South Wales

• Victoria

state the date of the Big Dry

2017-2019

state the population of the Murray-Darling Basin

• 2 million

• equivalent of France and Spain

state how much of Australia’s water is in the Murray-Darling Basin

75%

state how much of Australia’s agricultural produce is in the Murray-Darling Basin

• 40% of produce

• 70% of irrigated cropland and pasture

describe the rainfall during the Big Dry

• worst drought on record for a 3 year period (since 1911) for the Murray-Darling Basin

• well under average, particularly in eastern and south-eastern Australia

• Australia received 100mm less than the 2nd worst drought on record

describe the temperature during the Big Dry

• above average temperatures for 36 months

• 2018 warmest year on record

state which time period in Australia was an El Nino year

2018-2019

describe impacts of the Big Dry on migration

• rural-urban migration - people left rural areas to go to cities for better access to resources

  • most of the people migrating were economically-active - causing unbalanced population pyramids in rural areas

  • people left behind in rural areas felt isolated and vulnerable

describe impacts of the Big Dry on mental health

• rise in mental health issues in Australia

• one suicide every 10 days

• suicide rate was 60% higher for farmers

describe impacts of the Big Dry on poverty

farmers stopped paying for prescriptions to be able to afford animal feed

describe impacts of the Big Dry on cattle

• farmers in New South Wales had to travel 1000km to get feed for cattle

• farmers had to shoot their cattle or sell it

• Emma Lawrence’s farm had to shoot 80 cattle

describe impacts of the Big Dry on food prices

• grain and hay doubled in price

• cotton seed went up from AUS $200/tonne to AUS $700/tonne

describe impacts of the Big Dry on crop yield

• 2018 - lowest grain crop yield in 10 years

• Big Dry reduced crop yield by 1/4

describe impacts of the Big Dry on farm profits

dropped by AUS $64,000 per farm

describe impacts of the Big Dry on jobs

50,000 jobs lost in NSW, 2017-2019

describe impacts of the Big Dry on wages

national wages dropped by 1%

describe impacts of the Big Dry on GDP loss

drought caused estimated 1% GDP loss in 2018-2019

describe impacts of Big Dry on the decline of towns

lack of disposable income means farmers are not spending money in towns - causes economic instability

describe impacts of Big Dry on biodiversity

• drop of 14% in threatened species

• drop of 17% in plant growth

• 26% decline in wetland areas

describe impacts of Big Dry on species

number of spectacles flying foxes dropped to 47,000 from 100,000

describe impacts of Big Dry on soil erosion

loss of valuable topsoil through wind erosion

describe impacts of Big Dry on water supply

• urban water supplies dropped in cities by 28%

• some small towns in Murray-Darling Basin ran out of water supply completely

describe impacts of Big Dry on Murray-Darling River flows

river flows dropped by 43%

describe impacts of Big Dry on wildfires

• 7 million Ha burnt in 2019

• 0.5 billion animals affected in NSW

  • 1/3 of koalas killed

• 28 people died in 2019 from forest fires

state what farmers did to manage the impacts of the Big Dry

• shot + sold cattle

• sold farm machinery

• fired workers

• sold farms for reduced profits

• reduced spending in local shops

state how farmers managed animal feed during the Big Dry

travelled 1000km to buy animal feed (48 hours driving per week)

state how farmers managed breeding during the Big Dry

selective breeding for heat + drought intolerant plants

state how farmers used ploughing to manage impacts during the Big Dry

transitioning from traditional ploughing techniques

state how farmers used yield maps to manage impacts during the Big Dry

used soil moisture probes to map soil water content

state how farmers used GPS to manage impacts during the Big Dry

GSP to keep vehicle tracks in the same place - less soil compacted

state how farmers used sprinklers to manage impacts during the Big Dry

30% of water is saved by using overhead sprinklers

state how farmers used data to manage impacts during the Big Dry

sharing data amongst farmers to improve crop rotation

describe the longevity of farmers management strategies for Big Dry impacts

• medium term

• no long term planning

• selective breeding of crops is long term if sucessful

state whether farmer’s management strategies address the root cause of the impacts

no - only minimises impacts

describe the social sustainability of farmers management strategies during/after the Big Dry

• NEGATIVE

  • increased pressure on farmers wellbeing as they had to travel to get feed

• POSITIVE

  • but increased money for the feed led to the multiplier effect

describe the economic sustainability of farmers management strategies during/after the Big Dry

cheap but farmers still have to pay to implement them

describe the environmental sustainability of farmers management strategies during/after the Big Dry

small scale solutions preserving water in soil is beneficial

state who the Aussie Helpers was led by

Brian Egan

describe what the Aussie Helpers did during the Big Dry

• delivered hampers (30-40 per day)

• gave gift cards to farmers in need

• provided counselling and support

describe the scale of Aussie Helpers

• 3,044 farming families supported, 2019-2020

• 1,000 hampers donated

• AUS $27,000 of gift cards delivered

describe the longevity of Aussie Helpers

• Aussie Helpers wanted to operate long term but will require continued volunteering hours and spearheading from Brian and his team

• Brian passed away in 2020

explain whether Aussie Helpers addressed the root cause of the impacts of the Big Dry

• it changes neither the supply or demand issue

• it simply makes people feel better

describe the social sustainability of the Aussie Helpers

• Aussie Helpers saved their leader, Brian, in a desperate time in his life

• Aussie Helpers helped people out in the bush - this helped people who traditionally were too proud to reach out

• Aussie Helpers kept farming families’ spirits lifted

describe the economic sustainability of the Aussie Helpers

• POSITIVE

  • Aussie Helpers is extremely efficient with donations

  • keeps farmers from going bust

  • keeping farms open helps Australia with national food security

• NEGATIVE

  • depends completely on donations

describe the environmental sustainability of the Aussie Helpers

• there is an environmental footprint to Brian and his teams driving jeeps (petrol-heavy) around the bush

• long distances covered with big environmental footprints

state what the County Women’s Association did during the Big Dry

• donated money and care packages to farmers and their families

• gives vouchers £250 to local shops to allow people struggling to buy something useful for free

state where the Sydney Desalination Plant is located

New South Wales

state the scale of the Sydney Desalination Plant

• switched off, 2012-2019

• switched on in January 2019

  • supplied 15% of water to Sydney

describe the longevity of the Sydney Desalination Plant

• big utilities infrastructure projects like this last many decades

• 2019 - announced with double size of plant to produce 500 million litres per day

state whether the Sydney Desalination Plant addressed the root cause of the impacts of the Big Dry

• provides more supply of drinking water but only to Sydney (urban area)

• doesn’t reduce demand for water

describe the social sustainability of the Sydney Desalination Plant

• POSITIVE

  • good way to ensure water supply is constant

• NEGATIVE

  • focuses on urban areas - exacerbates rural-urban inequalities

describe the economic sustainability of the Sydney Desalination Plant

• POSITIVE

  • aims to double to 30% of Sydney’s supply

• NEGATIVE

  • expensive investment

    • AUS $ 2 billion set up + AUS $500,000 to run per day

  • critics argue money could have been spent more efficiently elsewhere

  • could increase demand due to a false belief that supply has increased

describe the environmental sustainability of the Sydney Desalination Plant

• POSITIVE

  • uses renewable resources

• NEGATIVE

  • waste product of it is brine which is toxic

  • large carbon footprint to building such as big structure in concrete

  • high environmental consumption