All food production has an impact on nature and climate, 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.
The flow-on effects of current practices for food production, and the wider food system, have severe impacts on nature and climate:
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.
