New report urges government focus on sustainable soil health

Australian Soils Advocate Major-General Michael Jeffery (also the patron of our projects Boundless Plains to Share and The Australian Farmer ) has released his third report into Australia’s soil health.

The report, titled ‘Restore the Soil: Prosper the Nation’, focuses on the importance of soil to Australia’s farmers and food supply and declares that immediate action is needed to implement and encourage sustainable management practices in order to ensure agricultural productivity. General Jeffery suggests that Australia’s water, soil and vegetation assets should be made key national strategic assets and managed in an integrated way. You can read the report in full here.

“Properly integrating the management of our key strategic soil, water and plant assets is fundamental to maximising agricultural productivity and prosperity,” said General Jeffery. “During my time as National Soils Advocate, I have travelled the nation working with thousands of farmers to develop a plan that keeps soil health a driver of government policy.”

The report makes several important and far-reaching recommendations, including:

• The implementation of a national soils policy with the objective of maintaining and restoring the health of the Australian agricultural landscape
• Increasing the funding of the National Landcare Programme to encourage farmers to adopt regenerative land management practices.
• Focusing more Rural RDC funding towards research to improve our understanding of plant and soil microbiology
• Making the role of National Soils Advocate a permanent and independent position.

Federal Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud, welcomed the report and affirmed the government’s commitment to and investment in programs to improve soil health.

“Farmers depend hugely on the health of their soil. Soil is as important as air and water to farm productivity,” Minister Littleproud said. “Without healthy soil the Australian economy and food supply would be at huge risk because our farm sector would falter.

“Healthy soils are key to achieving the ambitious target of growing agriculture to a $100 billion industry by 2030. The Coalition Government is investing in soil health so our farmers can pass on healthy, sustainable farms to the next generation.”