Futile Farming
I spent my first few years in outback NSW in a cotton-growing town where summer days would often reach 40 C. Even with large irrigation canals (a high potential for evaporation) serving the ever-thirsty cotton plants, you'll still be amazed to discover it takes 20 tons of water to produce enough cotton for a shirt and pair of jeans. Still, our farmers receive government funding, much to the chagrin of some:
Dr Hamilton has told the ABC's AM that Australian governments have a long history of bailing out farmers who do not adequately manage their land, thus perpetuating the effects of drought.
"Good farm management means managing for drought," Dr Hamilton said.
"Droughts happen regularly in this country and there is a marked difference between how farmers prepare for drought ... some do it well, some do it badly and if the soil blows away that is a sign of bad farm management."
"It's time we just faced up to the reality that much of the land currently farmed, shouldn't be farmed and by repeatedly bailing out farmers through drought relief, which is erroneously called exceptional circumstances relief, we're only making the problem worse."
The great Australian bush myth, Dr Hamilton says, is behind the community and bipartisan political support for farming subsidies.
"I think the only way to explain why the governments, that otherwise claim to be economically rational bail out families constantly is because they are such an important part of the Australian mythology," he said.
I'm not saying we should abandon all farming or even a significant proportion, but growing cotton, rice and coffee in the world's driest continent when other countries can do it more effectively? After tyres were invented would you have expected the goverment to support the wagon-wheel manufacturing industry? Surely not. The Federal Goverment is pouring money into a dust pit. Like all industries farming has to adapt or perish.
Since my grade four people have been complaining about one drought or the other. The combination of El Niño and climate change (which appears real enough) implies that farming water-intensive crops is simply not feasible. In short, Australia isn't an emerald continent. Something has to give.
Dr Hamilton has told the ABC's AM that Australian governments have a long history of bailing out farmers who do not adequately manage their land, thus perpetuating the effects of drought.
"Good farm management means managing for drought," Dr Hamilton said.
"Droughts happen regularly in this country and there is a marked difference between how farmers prepare for drought ... some do it well, some do it badly and if the soil blows away that is a sign of bad farm management."
"It's time we just faced up to the reality that much of the land currently farmed, shouldn't be farmed and by repeatedly bailing out farmers through drought relief, which is erroneously called exceptional circumstances relief, we're only making the problem worse."
The great Australian bush myth, Dr Hamilton says, is behind the community and bipartisan political support for farming subsidies.
"I think the only way to explain why the governments, that otherwise claim to be economically rational bail out families constantly is because they are such an important part of the Australian mythology," he said.
I'm not saying we should abandon all farming or even a significant proportion, but growing cotton, rice and coffee in the world's driest continent when other countries can do it more effectively? After tyres were invented would you have expected the goverment to support the wagon-wheel manufacturing industry? Surely not. The Federal Goverment is pouring money into a dust pit. Like all industries farming has to adapt or perish.
Since my grade four people have been complaining about one drought or the other. The combination of El Niño and climate change (which appears real enough) implies that farming water-intensive crops is simply not feasible. In short, Australia isn't an emerald continent. Something has to give.
posted by Engels at 12:00 pm
3 Comments:
I reakon they probably only give money to these people is because it'll cause whole communities to fall down, then they'll all have a cry, move to the city, not have skills to perform any jobs (except crappy jobs they don't want to do), and then they'll all go on the Dole.
But I'm not sure if giving out the dole is more expensive for the government or just handing out cash to attempt to grow crap that'll never work too well.
profound!
Hehe, and Centrelink is cracking down on dole bludgers and "job snobs" who won't accept shitty jobs.
I spoke to someone last week attending a sustainability conference for farming. Very hard to convince some farmers to change, apparently.
Shits me when farmers screw the system. My mates old man bought a ute tax free then sold it a month later and made a profit. He also owns a banana farm which wasn't destroyed during the cyclone. Must be laughing.
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