AFI Forum
Welcome to the AFI Forum, showcasing what we’re up to now and what we’ve done before.
From the vault:
Published 24 Nov 2020
The AFI has been accelerating positive change by leading the farm policy discussion and promoting policy solutions that maximise the economic and social wellbeing of Australian farmers since 2004. As the policy landscape changes – now more than ever – we are making changes to help us ensure a viable…
Published 1 Aug 2018
The divide has long acted not just as a physical barrier between the thin strip of land to the east and the rest of the country, but also in a figurative sense has been a delineator between the city and the bush. Most of Australia’s agriculture occurs west of the…
Published 1 Jun 2020
This winter edition explores a number of themes in relation to the increasingly difficult environment of policy development in a post-truth era. How is truth established in today’s world, where alternative facts and fake news are blamed by those on every side of every debate for diminishing their ‘truthful’ position?…
Featured content:
Published 2 Aug 2021
Soil carbon farming has been promoted as one of the key strategies for offsetting Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, with the ancillary benefit of improving soil health and farm productivity. This article explains in simple terms the procedures for a farmer to participate in the Australian Government’s Emissions Reduction Fund. It…
Published 21 Jul 2021
There’s no denying that 2020 was a year of extreme disruption by any measure. The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for tragically high loss of life and the shuttering of countries and economies around the world. In Australia, the agricultural economy was further disrupted by ongoing trade disputes and the imposition…
Published 7 Jun 2021
At the recent Global Food Forum in Sydney, delegates heard agribusiness leaders assert that “sustainability is now mainstream” for the agri-food industry. An increasing number of programs, projects and potential pitfalls are appearing in the ag sector. In this Insights edition, AFI offers a high-level look at some of the…
Published 28 May 2021
Australian agriculture is a sector heavily reliant on trade, with more than 70% of all agricultural production (by value) exported.[1] Due to the very low levels of government assistance received by Australian farmers compared to many global agriculture sectors[2], free trade agreements (FTAs) play a crucial role in navigating export…
Published 13 Apr 2021
‘You can’t manage what you don’t measure’ – the well-used adage that often appears when discussing the need for farm businesses to keep good records. It holds true no matter what scale of farm business may be discussed, and indeed equally for understanding performance of aggregates of businesses or an…
Published 10 Mar 2021
While COVID-19 is the most prominent disruptor of trade in recent times, it is far from the only one. Geopolitical tensions, socio-economic changes, infrastructure challenges and biosecurity concerns are not merely theoretical risks but active disruptors to Australia’s export-reliant agriculture sector. What do we need to know to manage these…
Published 26 Feb 2021
Broadacre irrigation in the southern Murray-Darling Basin is set to change dramatically: is this the creative destruction we want? In discussions about the Basin Plan and re-balancing extractive water rights in favour of environmental needs, one key reform has been consistently underestimated in its significant and permanent effect on irrigation…
Published 24 Feb 2021
Innovation is not a buzzword or a box to check on a business plan; it is a vital component for sustainable economic development. The Australian agriculture sector faces a serious and present threat in climate change, which cannot be addressed by incremental adaptation; innovative responses to this challenge are a…
Published 2 Feb 2021
RESEARCH REPORT: Managing farm-related land use conflict in NSW The Australian Farm Institute estimates $20.3 billion can be added to the gross value of agricultural production through digital technology, while the National Farmers’ Federation has identified it as one of the keys to making agriculture a $100 billion industry by…
Published 17 Dec 2020
Five years ago, the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper noted ‘a fairer go for farm businesses’ as a priority action area. This year’s AFI John Ralph Essay Competition asked respondents to consider whether current competition measures are delivering that promised ‘fair go’. The submissions covered an intriguing range of ideas and…
Published 14 Dec 2020
From Dec 7-11th 2020, the AFI and the Sydney Institute of Agriculture hosted a series of conversations about the future of conservation ag. The online conference is available as a webinar series of 5 x 2-hour videos (10 hours total) – FREE for AFI members and $49.50 for non-members. (Members…
Published 1 Dec 2020
Early in 2020 the Australian Farm Institute undertook a research project on behalf of the National Farmer’s Federation for Phase 1 of the Australian Farm Biodiversity Certification Scheme, which is a component of the Australian Government’s $34 million Agricultural Stewardship package. This project reviewed best practice management standards and collated extensive feedback…
Published 30 Nov 2020
The Federal Government has announced that part of Australia’s strategy to deal with the economic impacts of COVID-19 will be a ‘gas-led recovery’. However, increasing gas production in Australia creates obstacles to the agriculture sector’s economic viability, social cohesion, environmental stewardship and ability to meet sustainability goals.
Published 29 Nov 2020
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of travelling around NSW, and connecting with others further away via Zoom, to speak to farmers, researchers and other agri-industry people about the future of conservation agriculture in Australia. These conversations have been in preparation for our Conservation Agriculture 2030 online…
Published 26 Nov 2020
The production of dairy products is associated with environmental impacts, and these impacts have resulted in calls within the popular media to reduce dairy consumption for the benefit of the environment (e.g. Carrington, 2018; Eating Better, 2020). Impacts of current production are estimated by environmental footprints; the use of environmental…
Published 8 Nov 2020
The AFI hosted an ‘in-conversation’ webinar on competition policy on Thursday 5th November 2020, 12:30–1:30 pm (AEDT), featuring finalists from the 2020 John Ralph Essay Competition, along with Mick Keogh and Richard Heath. Discussions focused on the future direction for Australian agriculture and competitive measures. Panellists included: • Mick Keogh…
Published 27 Aug 2020
“Let the cane fields burn, let the flames rise. Let the politicians and the bankers in the city look up in wonder at the glow in the sky…” – Graeme Connors Although the iconic burning of cane fields is a rarity in most regions today, we may be facing a…
Published 18 Jun 2020
By Teresa Fox and Richard Heath Conservation agriculture will be fundamentally different in 2030 compared to the present day. Farmers must continue to innovate, potentially at higher rates than previously seen, to overcome emerging risks and threats. Are they up for this challenge and will they be operating in a…
Published 10 Jul 2019
Much of the public outrage generated by the Four Corners program ‘Cash Splash’ (which aired on July 8) has been in reaction to the perception of public funds being spent for the sole benefit of large private companies. The program investigated elements of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan (MDBP) and asked…
Published 21 Feb 2019
Almost 20 years after deregulation of the Australian dairy industry, Labor has flagged a potential return to government intervention in the market. If elected in May, a Labor Government will task the ACCC to assess and test the efficacy of a Minimum Farm Gate Milk Price1 and to make recommendations on…
Published 25 Oct 2018
Tomorrow the Federal Government is convening a summit to address the devastating drought currently afflicting Eastern Australia, to unite national efforts in coordinating action to support drought-affected families and communities. January to September rainfall in 2018 has been the second lowest recorded since 1900 for the Murray-Darling Basin, and September…
Published 15 Oct 2018
This week will see a confluence of agricultural, rural and regional events being held in Canberra. These events, including the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Awards Dinner, Farmer of the Year Awards lunch, the AFI Australian Agriculture Roundtable, National Farmers’ Federation Congress and the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation Gala, will bring farmers,…
Published 4 Oct 2018
A social licence is easier to define once lost than when it is in place. The live export industry is very familiar with the disruptive consequences of losing the social licence to operate, and understanding social licence been critical for doing business in the forestry sector for decades. Social licence is…
Published 20 Aug 2018
Last October I wrote about the European Commission vote on extending the registration of glyphosate. While the extension was granted, it has done nothing to diminish the campaigning of vocal community that oppose the use of glyphosate. This community has had their position strengthened by a landmark case in California…
Published 7 Aug 2018
The drought has not happened suddenly, but suddenly it’s mainstream news. I have been asked to do several media interviews in recent weeks and each reporter’s focus has been the effect that the drought might have on grocery prices. Since drought is a recurring feature of Australian agriculture there is precedent…
Published 18 Jul 2018
Australian agriculture has been kicking a lot of goals in the last few years. As the biggest contributor to GDP growth, the farming sector is full of stories of innovation and success. One goal that remains resolutely un-kicked however, is that of workplace safety. There is no way to sugar…
Published 12 Jul 2018
In the world of agriculture Mark Lynas is probably best known for his high-profile change of mind on the issue of GMO’s. Originally an anti-GMO activist, some say he was even the global founder of the anti-GMO movement, Mark is now an advocate for genetic engineering, promoting the potential for…
Published 1 Jun 2018
Much is made of the ‘urban/rural divide’ when discussing agricultural policy, but two digital trends have the potential to close some of the gaps between city and country. The first is the agtech start-up boom, a trend which is bringing mathematicians and venture capitalists to paddocks and farmers into computer…
Published 24 May 2018
AgTech Takeaways – the expanded menu (part 4): In March, I participated in an Austrade-facilitated Australian Agtech Delegation to the US and wrote a blog about my takeaways with four main points of conclusion. Over the next month each of those key points – integrated systems approaches, farming practice adaptation,…
Published 15 May 2018
AgTech Takeaways – the expanded menu (part 3): In March, I participated in an Austrade-facilitated Australian Agtech Delegation to the US and wrote a blog about my takeaways with four main points of conclusion. Over the next month each of those key points – integrated systems approaches, farming practice adaptation,…
Published 10 May 2018
Thanks to an increasingly strong economy delivering better than expected tax receipts, Treasurer Scott Morrison has been able to deliver an election-friendly 2018 budget, including tax cuts and infrastructure spending. Whether you are an individual, business or government, higher levels of income provide more options and opportunities. The trick is…
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