Grains Environmental Sustainability Description
This document outlines, in an overall sense, the planned route to delivery of the outcomes within the NHT-supported Grains Industry Pathways to Environmental Management Systems (EMS) project. These outcomes can be listed, from the original project proposal and contract as follows.
As the project has developed and a better understanding of what is involved has emerged, these planned outcomes have been refined into more detailed aims that contribute to each. We can list the contributory activities and aims within each of these broad objectives as follows:
1. The adoption of profitable and sustainable farming practices;
- Identify those farming practices that can lead to improved performance by grain producers in sustaining and improving their natural resources and environmental assets, while giving them sustained productivity;
- Examine and validate the linkage between these practices and their environmental effects, using known scientific evidence;
2. Improved natural resource management and environmental outcomes
- Using the links established between desirable practices and environmental outcomes publicise and highlight these to rural and urban communities;
- Show the levels of these practices already adopted and trends in their use in terms of environmental outcomes at regional and industry level.
- In partnership with regional groups and other interested parties develop reporting systems allowing them to access environmental results on a continuing basis from farming practice levels in the regional circumstances.
- Show producers, groups, interested parties and the industry how they are currently performing in adopting these practices, and so show the level of continuous improvement in the adoption of these practices
3. An ability to demonstrate environmental stewardship to markets and communities.
- Research and understand the requirements and needs of all parties wishing to use or have access to environmental stewardship information for the industry. This includes all known ‘audiences’ wanting environmental stewardship, from regulators, community groups, NRM groups and the marketplace.
- Design a system for delivery of such information based on the levels of the desirable practices employed by grain (and mixed grain/livestock broad acre) producers.
- Build such a delivery system based on the previous work of others in EMS in the industry, whereby existing checklists and other tools can form the basis of the system developed, and that such a system complies with ISO processes where possible;
- Acknowledging the large body of practice-based data existing within producers, groups and others in the industry, design the system to access such information for reporting purposes. The system will allow individual producers to input their own farm data and receive reports of their performance in return. Such reports will provide producers with their own EMS report, showing how they compare against existing and desired levels (benchmarks) of the best management practices that result in environmental improvement.
- Have a system based on farm-based data of the best practices that is able to be accessed by all parties for easy and fast EMS reports. Such a system will interface with all current and future users of such information, including market and QA needs when evident.
In order to better outline the steps in this pathway, several tables are included. These show how the activities within the project contribute to the achievement of the milestones and outcomes planned for the project.
The recent proposed project variation is to allow for the delivery of the ‘Establishing Value’ research project, jointly commissioned by the broad acre partners (GCA, MLA and AWI). This project informs the broad acre projects on the requirements from the various audiences for environmental reporting. It researches the needs for such reporting for interested parties, including NRM groups, regulators, community groups and institutions. It informs about the level of environmental assurance needed and the language and measurements they are looking for. It does not research the needs for such reporting from the market (i.e. from the grain buyers, users etc in the case of grains). This work is being done by each of the industry projects since they know their markets better than most. The delivery of the results from this project is being delayed till late September in the interests of completeness and accuracy.
Following receipt of this project report the design of the most appropriate delivery system can begin. However this phase of the project was originally planned to take place during mid 2006. The project variation is to cater for the delay in the delivery of the establishing value project. However, in the interests of ensuring overall project objectives are fulfilled on time, we have commenced and are well advanced in the design of such a system already, and the establishing value project results will simply be used to modify the work already in place.
To better show the whole of the project plans and activities, the following sections have been taken from the Implementation Plan for the project. They have been modified and simplified for the purposes of this document.
To demonstrate the environmental benefits of modern grain production technologies and practices, and to develop easy to use systems to allow grain producers to show Environmental Assurance based on their continuing adoption of Current Best Practices.
The Project Sub Goals are to:
Reduce and /or reverse land degradation.
Increase the uptake of environmentally sustainable or currently recommended practices.
Provide a resource and system that allows producers to ‘benchmark’ their performance in adoption of those practices that are both good for production and good for the environment, thus allowing for continuous improvement.
Improve the environmental credentials of Australian grain production in the eyes of markets (as needed), consumers, regulators, NRM managers, and the community.
In partnership with other broad acre industries develop systems for recording farm practices whereby such records can be used to show Environmental Assurance, whilst avoiding the need for costly and time consuming duplication of recording and paper based reporting systems
1) Project management.
Several items are included here that go to the day to day and overall management of the project.
2) Industry ownership and partnerships.
Several activities have been carried out here that have developed industry understanding of the approach to be used in this project. One that remains important in the context of the pathway in the project is:
Review currently available on EMS approaches and the tools used, and report on applicability to the grains industry. This report is under construction at present, using the previous projects funded by GRDC and others.
3) Research and identification of key farming practices that contribute to environmental benefits (Research)
This is a crucial element of the project, and establishes the linkage between today’s farming practices and their economic and environmental effects. It forms the basis of the whole approach of the project and rests on quality scientific evidence, and will be presented at relevant conferences and published in a reputable journal. Currently nearing completion it includes:
a) List likely important practices
b) Gather scientific reports and other evidence
c) Meet with key scientists and farm groups to confirm evidence
d) Produce report for scrutiny and continuous reference
4) Demonstrate the environmental and ecosystem management profile of the grains industry (show status – current and future)
This work accesses existing data on practices within the industry and shows the levels of such practices as a means of establishing current benchmarks for use both to show current levels of such practices and for setting of benchmarks for comparisons. Information has been accessed from:
a) ABS and ABARE for data on farming practices over time
b) Bureau of Meteorology for weather data. CSIRO, NLWRA modified and extracted using ArcInfo software for soil and other natural resources data.
c) Demonstrate and publicise availability of the benchmark data and facility across the industry.
d) Identify alternative data sources that can be used to confirm or modify the status reporting content and to assist with the design of the reporting tool planned for later in the project.
5) Research the requirements for environmental reporting of grain production for delivery to communities, NRM regulators and markets (“market research”)
This work is known as the ‘Establishing Value’ Project and is a joint activity between the broad acre partners. It is effectively a project to answer the question: “Who wants to know about environmental management on farms, what do they want us to tell them, what terminology do they want us to use and what systems would they be comfortable with”.
It will report in September 2006, and the results will be used to inform the design of the delivery systems within the project.
As mentioned above, each industry will do its own research for the market requirements for such information. This work within the grains industry has now been completed and report is available.
6) Develop electronic-based farm practice recording systems that can deliver EA (“design delivery platform”)
It is this are of work that has required variations to the project plans. These are due to the delay in the completion of the ‘establishing value’ project. However, the grains project is well advanced in the development of such a system, suing the results from the benchmarking study, the data gathered to build this tool and other information. Details planned are:
a) In partnership with meat and wool review outputs from the establishing value project and develop terms of reference for design of a delivery system(s).
b) Commission consultants to design options for delivery of EA information. It is possible that each industry would develop their own version in-house, or that one would do the work on behalf of the others.
c) Ensure linkages between delivery system so developed and existing self assessment and benchmarking tools
d) Involve linkages with other EMS projects, Signposts and NLWRA, CMAs, peak bodies, Local Govt, RDCs in design and testing of potential delivery vehicles
7) Piloting delivery systems (2006-2007) (OUTPUTS / TEST MARKET)
Following the development of the delivery system, and during the work in so doing, much contact and consultation is being made with potential users of such a system. These include producers, agronomists and farming groups. This ensures that a user friendly and efficient system is delivered. Elements in this activity are:
a) Develop test marketing plan
b) Deliver presentations at series of Update and other industry venues and conferences
c) Test with key producer groups and advisors
d) Refine delivery system and materials in consultation with meat and wool
e) Refine materials following input from first round of presentations and tests
f) Deliver demonstrations across the Australian grain belt to advisors and leading growers, in conjunction with other EMS projects (for example state farming organisation projects) and in areas where priority environmental issues identified with NRM groups.
8) The future (2007+):
a) Develop a more substantial Marketing plan for final version of delivery vehicle.
b) Produce report of potential market and usage of environmental assessment tool
c) Formalise ongoing relationships with providers of tools (eg software suppliers and developers and website managers in-house)
d) Re-survey regional practices to confirm uptake of pilot
The project effectively will manage a series of ‘inputs’ and ‘outputs’ that will deliver the outcomes proposed. Inputs are information coming in and outputs are reporting and delivery of results.
A database has been constructed that allows these to be easily handled and reported. It also forms the basis of the delivery tool planned.
Inputs:
- Information about current farming practices and levels used across Australia
- Relationships between farming practices and environmental effects
- Information needs and format of such information for community, markets, regulators
Processes
The basis of the project is the processing of input information and linkages, and transforming these into a delivery system able to be used to show and deliver outputs to the various audiences and users of the outputs. It is applicable at individual farm level as easily as whole-of-industry.
Several elements are present:
- Evaluation of information received
- Validation of such information
- Establishment of relevance of information
- Categorisation of information into either statistical, qualitative and quantitative information types so as to be used for evaluation of demand for final products
- Repackaging and interpretation of information
- Re-presentation and manipulation of information to suitable form for delivery against objectives
- Design on suitable and appropriate methods of delivery of reprocessed information into a product for delivery to the ‘market’
- Development and implementation of a marketing plan for piloting and final delivery of the products of the project
Outputs
Products for ‘delivery’ or ‘marketing’ include:
- Environmental status of Australian Grain Industry
- The linkages between farming practices and environmental effects
- Vehicles for delivery of current status to the various audiences and users of information
- Software allowing practice data to be interpreted into environmental outcomes
- Tools needed for product delivery to the various audiences
- Information packages able to be tailored for each audience
- Databases able to be updated to reflect changed practices
- Recommendations for further developments and marketing plans
Of great importance is the provision of a standard Environmental Management Report. This report is provided to any farmer (or group) who inputs a small set of basic farm practice data. They input their data using either electronic or paper means, and receive a benchmark report showing their performance against recognised current and desired best levels of those practices. Within this report is shown why these practices are important for the environment, how they contribute to environment sustainability and where to get more information for improvement.
This is the crucial area for delivery of the project outcomes and goals. Never before has a system been developed that can take data electronically from farmers own records and produce such a report. Similarly, never before has a system been developed that allows web-based entry of such data and an “EMS” report to be returned.
An Australia-wide grains industry survey is planned to gather such information and to provide reports to all who participate, thus effectively doing EMS reports for all who send in their information. In so doing the project will effectively ‘deliver’ EMS reports that are scientifically valid, and that satisfy the needs of the various parties interested in environmental reporting from farms for potentially millions of hectares.