Farming Methods and Food Systems in Australia

Farming Methods and Food Systems in Australia

Evolution of the Australian Food System

• The Australian food system has evolved significantly:
  • From substance farming to a global industrialized system.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Food Practices

• Traditional view: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were considered hunter-gatherers.
• Modern understanding: They also practiced:
  • Plant domestication
  • Sowing and harvesting
  • Irrigation
  • Food storage
  • Consistent with substance farming practices.

Resources for Food Production

Primary Resources

• Definition: Resources that support plant growth and, consequently, food production.
• Examples:
  • Land
  • Soil
  • Nutrients
  • Water
  • Air
  • Warmth
  • Sunlight
  • Naturally occurring plants and animals
  • Soil organisms
• Limitation: The absence of any one of these resources can halt food production.

Secondary Resources

• Definition: Resources actively applied to the environment to increase food production.
• Examples:
  • Labor
  • Capital
  • Energy
  • Fertilizers
  • Pesticides
  • Weedicides
  • Machinery
  • Technology

Organizational Levels of the Australian and New Zealand Food System

Primary Production

• Definition: The growing, harvesting, or foraging for food.

Food Processing

• Definition: Off-farm activities.
• Example: Modifying wheat into bread or breakfast cereals.

Retail Industries

• Definition: The distribution and sale of food and food products.

Alternative Local Food Systems

• There is a growing call for the development of alternative local food systems in response to:
  • The growth of industrialized and globalized food systems.

Soil: A Primary Resource

Soil Quality

• Soil quality depends on three major interacting components:

Biological Fertility

• Definition: Variety of organisms that live in the soil and perform crucial functions.

Chemical Fertility

• Definition: The availability of essential elements for plant uptake and growth.
• Includes: Elements that can be detrimental to plants and soil organisms if in excess or deficient.

Physical Fertility

• Definition: Physical properties and processes that affect soil fertility.
• Examples:
  • Soil texture
  • Soil structure
• Impact of physical properties:
  • Altering water movement through soil.
  • Affects root penetration.
  • Can lead to waterlogging.

Improving Soil Management Practices

• Changing management practices can lead to significant improvements in:
  • Soil structure
  • Soil organic matter content
  • Nutrient performance
• Observed benefits:
  • Reduced costs associated with:
    • Herbicides
    • Pesticides
    • Fuel
  • Less wear on machinery
  • More efficient use of water and nutrients.