|
|
|
Half of farms seriously degraded
14 May 2004
Half of Australia's farmers have found environmental degradation on their properties, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics. About 56 per cent of crop specialists and sheep farmers had signs of degradation on their properties, 61 per cent of mixed livestock and crop farmers, and 42 per cent of beef farmers. The most common problem was poor soil quality, followed by poor water quality, dryland salinity, water erosion and weeds.
Just seven per cent of crop farmers believed their degradation problems would worsen, while 24 per cent of beef farmers expect the situation to worsen.
More than half of all farmers expect their degradation problems to improve, mostly by carrying out work themselves. When farmers identified problems, most took some form of action - especially by changing farming methods.
Landcare is still the most common program through which farmers address environmental degradation issues. Around 37 per cent of all farmers are involved, although numbers have dropped, particularly in NSW.
The Daily Telegraph, 13/5/2004, page 17.
|
|
