We all rely on food to survive and thrive. Food is a big part of our daily life. We think about it, dream about it, take photos of it, tell our friends about it. It's not just something we need, it's something we love. And it's part of who we are, our favourite meals, our family identity, our culture.
But our broken food system, dominated by big business, from supermarkets to chemical companies, is a major contributor to nature destruction and climate change in Australia and globally.
Hundreds of millions of people face food insecurity globally and, as the impacts of climate change and nature destruction increase, this will only get more severe. The only way we can produce enough nutritious food to continue feeding the world is by working with nature, not against it. It’s going to require a range of changes, from cutting food waste to changing diets, and adopting new nature and farmer-friendly farming practices.
It’s not all doom and gloom. There are solutions, and ways of producing food which can help nature thrive. We have a bold vision for a thriving, sustainable, and adaptive Australian agriculture industry which nurtures landscapes, supports communities, and rewards farmers engaging in best-practice stewardship.
Unlike many countries, Australia produces most of the food sold on shelves in our supermarkets and restaurants. Not only that, we produce enough to feed other countries, too – over 70% of all food produced in Australia is exported. This means we have a unique opportunity to make Australia a world leader in sustainable food production.
There is already a groundswell of sustainable and regenerative farmers, innovative food companies, and conscientious consumers leading the way.
All food production has an impact on nature, but this varies depending on where and how food is grown.
In Australia, more than half of our sprawling sunburnt country is used for farming.
Deforestation and habitat destruction
The bulldozing of natural ecosystems like forests to make more room for agriculture is one of the biggest drivers of extinction and biodiversity decline globally and in Australia.
Australia has the highest rate of deforestation in the developed world and most of it driven by expanding pasture for beef cattle.
Ongoing deforestation threatens hundreds of native species with extinction by destroying their habitat. It also causes soil erosion, increases flood risk, exacerbates the threat from invasive predators, emits carbon, and affects rainfall.
Because agriculture covers more than half of the Australian land mass, the opportunity for farmers to contribute to nature’s recovery by protecting and restoring forests, is also enormous.
Pollution
Industrial agriculture relies on synthetic inputs like chemical fertilisers and pesticides to produce bigger yields and control pests.
These chemicals can do harm to beneficial insect species and native wildlife, enter waterways where they harm animals and ecosystems and damage soils making them less productive for growing food and storing carbon.
Many harmful chemicals can even be found on the food we buy in the supermarket and of course can affect the health of the farmers using them. Reducing chemical use is good for nature and humans too!
Water
Agriculture in Australia is responsible for more than 70% of freshwater consumption, with cattle and sheep pasture, cotton, fruit and nuts the biggest users. Farms may rely on irrigated water extracted from rivers and underground reservoirs, or on the rain that falls on their farm.
Taking too much water means there is less water available for nature and for other uses including drinking water for townships, other farms, and cultural activities.
Excessive water extraction also affects water quality. Changed water flows can lead to algal blooms and fish die-offs, especially when coupled with sources of pollution.
Water pollution is itself a major problem, with nutrients from fertilisers, chemical pesticides, and sediment run-off caused by deforestation leading to waterways becoming unliveable for native fish and species like the platypus, and even polluting ocean areas like the Great Barrier Reef.
Climate Change
Growing food and fibre produces greenhouse gas emissions with food production accounting for more than 25% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. In Australia, agriculture contributes over 16% of total greenhouse gas emissions and 78% of methane emissions.
The main sources of emissions are from livestock such as cattle (methane), fertiliser use (nitrous oxide) and deforestation (carbon dioxide). Deforestation and the destruction of other ecosystems such as wetlands and grasslands also removes carbon sinks and exacerbates climate damage, leading to unpredictable and destructive bushfires, and increasing flood risk.
Food waste
Food waste increases the impacts of the food system. 25 million hectares of land in Australia – about the landmass of Victoria – is used to grow or farm food that is ultimately wasted.
In simple terms, if we wasted less food, we’d need less land, less water and fewer chemicals and fertilisers to produce enough food to feed everyone. Wasted food that ends up in landfill also emits large quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. About a third of food waste occurs before produce leaves farms due to disease, bad weather, or because it is rejected by supermarkets, often for cosmetic reasons.
Retailers can also reduce food loss in the store and at home by discounting food that has been on the shelf for extended periods, being clearer about expiry dates, and not incentivising excess purchasing through pricing.
Food production occurs in a complex system with different players and varying degrees of power and influence:
ACF is shining a light on nature degradation in Australia’s food system and calling on some of the biggest corporate players in the food space to up their game for nature.
Our broken food system doesn’t work for nature, climate, consumers, or farmers. It is largely driven by the profit needs of supermarkets, commodity traders, large processors and chemical companies that set the conditions under which farmers operate and consumers consume, while influencing politics to protect business-as-usual.
Long story short, we all have a role to play.
