Sustainable Farms In Australia

Farming is one of Australia’s most significant backbones – and simultaneously, it’s a practice that can have severe consequences for the environment if not undertaken with an adequate level of care.

A growing number of Australians are recognising the need to be sustainable, and are taking steps ranging from using simple eco friendly products to all-encompassing sustainability solutions in order to make Aussie farms safer for the environment.

One example of this is the overhaul that farms in the Goulburn-Murray area of Victoria are about to get. An irrigation upgrade for farms in the region will mean that around 53 gigalitres (GL) of water will be saved, and 30GL of this will be headed straight back to the natural environment, while farmers will be able to use some of it for their own means.

“These water savings will help to meet Victoria’s remaining commitment to return water to the environment, under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, and the upgrade will give irrigators the modernised infrastructure on their farms to use water more efficiently,” said minister for water Peter Walsh.

“The Victorian Farm Modernisation Project demonstrates that water recovery can be achieved without undermining our valuable irrigated agriculture sector,” he also said, explaining how agriculture can achieve sustainable methods.

River and stream health is also set to benefit from these upgrades, as reduced run-off in the Goulburn and Murray catchments means lower salt and nutrient loads in the waterways.

Saving water isn’t the only thing farms can do to be sustainable. Farm operators can take measures to manage their soil in an eco friendly way, minimise their carbon emissions, consider their fertiliser use and more – in order to help make sure Australia’s agricultural industry remains viable right into the future.