ENG5001 - Alternative Solutions to Food Crisis in Australia

This report examines alternative solutions to the food crisis in Australia, focusing on environmental, social, and economic considerations. The study evaluates climate-smart farming, rural development investment, technology and innovations, biofuel policy elimination, and increased agricultural research funding. Climate-smart farming addresses water security and drought resilience through water trading and resistant crops. Rural development emphasizes investment in infrastructure, education, and agro-enterprises. Technology and innovations aim to improve food production, accessibility, and utilization. Eliminating biofuel subsidies frees up resources for food production, while increased agricultural research and development can enhance productivity. The report also includes a benefit-cost ratio and incremental rate of return analysis to assess the economic viability of the proposed solutions. The main objective is to offer effective and sustainable strategies to combat the food crisis in Australia, benefiting both the environment and the economy. Desklib provides access to similar reports and study tools for students.

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION TO FOOD CRISIS IN AUSTRALIA
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Table of Contents
1. FOOD CRISIS IN AUSTRALIA.................................................................................................................3
1. Executive summary..............................................................................................................................3
2. Evaluation of Alternative Solutions......................................................................................................3
Climate-smart farming.........................................................................................................................4
Invest in Rural development................................................................................................................5
Invest in technology and innovations..................................................................................................6
Eliminate biofuel subsidies and policies..............................................................................................7
Increase reforms and funding of agricultural research and development...........................................8
3. Selection of methodology..................................................................................................................10
4. Consideration of alternative solution................................................................................................11
Introduction.......................................................................................................................................11
Social consideration...........................................................................................................................13
Environmental consideration............................................................................................................15
Economic consideration....................................................................................................................16
Quantification and costing.....................................................................................................................20
a) Benefit-cost ratio...........................................................................................................................21
b) Incremental rate of return analysis...............................................................................................21
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................23
References.............................................................................................................................................24
Appendices............................................................................................................................................29
Appendix 1: AUSTRALIA’S INBOUNDS................................................................................................29
Appendix 2: AGRI-FOOD EXPORT AND IMPORTS...............................................................................30
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1. FOOD CRISIS IN AUSTRALIA
1. Executive summary
Food security is a big problem that affects every country in the world, this is due to climate
change impact, water scarcity and high demand for livestock products. The price of food has
greatly risen and it has caused an impact on developing countries such that 90% of income is
spent on food (Abu and Soom 2016, p.55). The rising food crisis has a negative impact on global
food security and this eventually leads to an increase in conflict over resources. The main
intervention to solve food crisis is to put in place an effective strategy to adapt to any changes
in climate in order to increase biodiversity and variety of crop species (Hunter et.al, 2018). This
portfolio, therefore, presents research that has been done and has been given priority as an
alternative option for solving the food crisis in Australia. The selected options have been chosen
on the basis of environmental, social and economic considerations. Environmental, social and
economic considerations main objectives are to achieve the best alternative for food crisis and
not only will it benefit the government of Australia but every individual and the surrounding
environment. Considerations above help in forming a basis for making an informed decision on
an alternative solution for the food crisis.
2. Evaluation of Alternative Solutions
There are many alternative solutions that can solve the food crisis in Australia. These solutions
will not be easy to implement since the drastic food price increases due many causes while oil
prices have strained every stage of food production from fertilizers, tractors, and transport
(Baffes et.al, 2015) Australia is the main exporter of grain but there is worry because climate
change is the main problem that causes a decline in food production. These different
alternative solutions for solving the food crisis are named below:
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Climate-smart farming
Change of climate is a major threat of Australian food security between now and 2050(Myers
et.al 2017, pp.259-277). Change of rainfall patterns, prolonged through and incidences of
extreme weather events alters agricultural production and it affects the ability of the country to
produce food. This is method if reducing the food crisis by helping communities to adapt to
climate change. They include: addressing water security by monitoring water use and
facilitating water trading, this helped farmers to survive the millennial drought. There are some
authorities such as Murray-Darling basin authority which was set up to specifically deal with
water security by managing natural water resources in a sustainable manner and in the interest
of citizens (Koehn 2015, pp.25-32). It is responsible for reducing competition for water between
agriculture and consumers. During drought, water trading made it possible for some crops to
remain fairly stable as others are fall. Water saved was sold to farmers to produce perennial
crops such as fruits and wine grapes which are of high value, water efficiency enabled farmers
to adapt to changing conditions. Farmers bought feed that replaced on-farming irrigation, this
enabled farmers to have excess water that they could sell to other farmers. Farmers were able
to adapt to climate change by switching their farms to more resistant plants such as pineapple
which is resistant to pest and diseases, farmers were able to be flexible in their seeding time by
planting those crops which are drought-resistant and with shorter production time before
harvesting for example varieties of seeds such as tomato, onion, sorghum, and cowpeas (Lobell
et.al, 2015, pp.4115-4127). Use of irrigation water rather than rainwater. Farmers are able to
adopt simple and proven methods of farming, for example, us of mulch which conserve water,
planting variety if crops together for example mixture of legumes and cereals, avoid much tilling
of land that causes disruption of soil because it will help the soil maintain moisture and its
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fertility (Lawley et al,2016). Australia to reduce the use of a greenhouse, greenhouse emission
causes changes in climate that's why there is a need for reduction.
Invest in Rural development
This is spreading out of capitalism in rural areas (Keulertz, and Woertz, 2016, pp.30-52). The
main aim is to boost the socio-economic change and people’s improvement in rural areas,
especially in the farming economy. It addresses many issues for example agrarian revolution
and peasant economy. It mainly deals with projects on rural people and environment and
checking on impacts that may be improved and enhanced. In order to solve the issue of food
crisis resource mobilization for agriculture and food security need to be done. Rural areas
require investment not only those goods that are linked to agriculture such as irrigation service
and power but also education, health, rural roads, and telecommunication that helps in
reducing food insecurity and poverty. Being there is tight budgets, those people who make
policy need to decide which investment will have the most impact. A research conducted on
the impact of public investment in rural development especially in agriculture sector shows that
there are high social returns compared to investment on rural roads, infrastructure, education
and telecommunication (Testa et.al 2015, pp.227-232). Rural areas require agro-enterprise, this
included strong donor support which is present in rural areas which give support to farmers for
example research, technical assistance, marketing of their agricultural products, forming of
unions or organizations and giving them credits (Glover, and Kusterer, 2016). Through this,
farmers were encouraged to increase their crops by planting variety. Emphasis was in on plant
breeding and agronomy and its connection to productivity issues. Moreover, socio-economic
issues for farmers were identified and there need for enough income and food will be
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addressed. Farmers will be assured that the new variety of crops they will adopt will be
acceptable to their buyers and consumers in the market or else they will be reluctant to adopt
new varieties. Some interventions such as promoting the transfer of assets, technologies, and
inputs such as fertilizers, pest management solution and improved seeds to improve farmer’s
productivity and food security as well as enhancing conditions for better handling of harvest
and storage facilities should be implemented. These interventions, however, will not be
implemented unless it is accompanied by the use of inputs and natural resources, for example,
rural investment.
Invest in technology and innovations
The aim of technology in achieving food security in Australia is to ensure that people
throughout the country, including the vulnerable group such as the poor who are living in urban
and rural areas, have access to enough amount of safe and nutritious food that can maintain
their healthy and active life (Abass et.al 2018, pp.87-102). It plays a role in producing more food
by creating a variety of plants with improved traits as well as making the best of input which is
needed to make agriculture to be more productive. This solution will be able to address the
different aspect of food security. There are different types of scientific and technical applicants
that can address the four aspects of food security namely: availability of technology,
accessibility by users, utilization by the users and stability. Technology is able to improve the
food system from farm to market. Different technologies play a big role in addressing different
areas during the production process. Examples of those technologies are those that improve
soil fertility for example use of synthetic organic fertilizer, soil microorganism, and biogas
digester. Raise cash crop by breeding, tissue culture and micropropagation and advanced
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genetic engineering (Salvo et.al 2018). Raise livestock productivity through high-nutrient and
low-cost animal fodder (Mokomele et.al, 2018), low-cost veterinary pharmaceuticals and tissue
engineering for laboratory-grown animal products. Pest and disease control for example use
for pesticides, herbicides, disease or pest-resistant crops and tilling machines. Make water
available, for example, water storage technologies, canal irrigation, and water desalination
technologies thus increase the amount of food produced. Storage of food, refrigeration, agro-
processing innovation addresses the aspect of technology that is accessibility. Production of
high- nutrient staple food through science is able to reduce malnutrition among people thus
improving food utilization and use. Through technology, farmers can use computers to assess
the status of soil, crops and farming system which will be used in decision making (Lobry et.al
2016). In future farmers will be able to capture data from more sources, for example, linking
their crops and animals to genetic information and predicting climate changes. This will help
them make a decision on when to plant their crops when to apply fertilizers, how to protect
crops from disease and when to harvest.
Eliminate biofuel subsidies and policies
Biofuel is the fuel that is produced from organic matter for example plant materials and animal
waste, not geological process. In Australia, biofuel crops are usually grown alone in a farm thus
there is no biodiversity (Renzaho et.al 2017, pp.503-516). The main fuel by 2003 is biodiesel
which is obtained from vegetable oil and animal fats that are produced through esterification.
This biodiesel has used fuel for vehicles and all the important engines that can use biodiesel.
There is another biofuel for example bioethanol that is derived from sugars and does the same
work as biodiesel. With the rapidly growing population and gradual increase of both food and
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biofuel, it causes both food and fuel shortage because using food crops for example sugars and
corn grain for fuel production which raises nutritional concerns. Growing crops for fuels have a
lot of disadvantages to food security as it wastes land, water, and energy sources which are
important for the production of food for human consumption (Pimentel 2017, pp.213-215).
Food crisis that happened in 2008 showed the gradual rise and fall of food prices, biofuel
policies are one of the factors in combination with others that contribute to harvest fall in
various parts of the world, restriction of export and banning of some agricultural commodities,
led to increased crude oil thus slowing down the yield of crops, it causes the decline of many
agricultural commodities causing a rise in prices. Banning Biofuel policies contribute to high
prices and increased price variability in the agricultural market (Enciso et.al 2016, pp.9-26).
Subsidizing biofuel use reduces production and makes biofuel production more viable than
petrol thus increasing demand for ethanol above what I would otherwise be. Eliminating biofuel
subsidies and policies will help reduce the cost of feedstock such as grains, sorghum, and non-
food inputs and thus making it available for human consumption, this reduces food crisis (De
Gorter et.al 2015).
Increase reforms and funding of agricultural research and
development
Food and agriculture are important for human survival.it is agriculture that led to a major drive
and basis for human civilization. Since the first crops were planted in homesteads about 10,000
years ago there has been a lot of advances in agriculture that is linked with human
development and daily growing population. Agriculture today is highly technical and very
knowledgeable. In Australia agriculture has been one of the industries that's has been
associated with great innovations and efficiency. Addressing food security problem will depend
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upon development, funding of agricultural research, increase reforms and delivery of
technologies that will lead to increased food production (Reardon et.al 2019 pp.47-59). This can
be done without increasing land that used to grow crops because it is now limited. Agriculture
has a good record of productivity growth and for Australia, these gains have kept food prices
low while keeping farmers in the farming business. Agriculture has become important in the
Australian economy because they have effectively developed and developed and adopted new
technologies through strong research and highly skilled innovative farming community.
Australia has recently developed climate change research which includes: impact, adaptation,
and action of reducing the severity. These helped in creating a foundation for the
transformation of agricultural industries to address regional food security. Australia can also
increase food production by going off the farm and into the laboratory through government
funding. Future food production will lie within a large-scale farming system where we have
clear and improved skills and biology and engineering will have been linked through various
methods (Rockstrom et.al 2017). For example, a satellite will be able to provide data on crop
and rangeland health and productivity. This information will be useful in combining ground data
and it will be used for farm management especially in decision making. We will be able to know
information about genetic makeup farm animals and crops. Genetic makeup and physical
characteristic will be used to establish performance under different environmental conditions.
There is a need for increased investment in the agricultural sector. Australia has been currently
using 1% investment in agriculture and they have been seeking out partners for both public and
private sectors overseas (Pardey et.al 2016, p.301). Agricultural research has the ability to
become an important industry and for the next 10 years management, regulatory and support
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systems will have been developed and this will create international interest and strong
multinational research programs that will support food security in our region and it will also
ensure farmers have access to the latest technology (Snapp, and Pound 2017).
3. Selection of methodology
To arrive at the decision of choosing the above alternative solutions that are able to solve the
food crisis in Australia several factors were considered and these factors influenced its choice.
The importance of this factors is to ensure that the chosen alternative is able to interact well to
the environment and the people that are going to use it and they are able to maintain
sustainability in their application. The alternative solution chosen should be having the
minimum negative effect on water, soil and air but rather more positive effects that lead to an
increase in food security (Nemerck et.al 2016). In addition, the method selected is such that it
meets human health concerns, is able to conserve the environment. The main goal of the above
alternative solutions is to help communities to adapt to climate change, farmers are
encouraged to increase their crops by planting variety, to boost the socio-economic change and
people’s improvement in rural areas especially in terms of farming, producing more food by
creating variety of plants with improved traits as well as making the best of input which is
needed to make agriculture to be more productive, help reduce the cost of feedstock such as
grains, sorghum, oilseeds and non-food inputs and thus making it available for human
consumption, this reduces the food crisis, multinational research programs support food
security in our Australia and it will also ensure farmers have access to the latest technology. An
alternative solution which has a negative effect on the environment and people will not be of
any importance but it raises concerns itself. However, human health is the most important of
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all thus any process and activities that are being carried out should be directed to promoting
the safety of human (Runciman et.al 2017). An alternative solution which has been chosen
should be such that it boosts living standard of people as well as their health by enabling safe
environment with undestroyed soil, clean water, and fresh air and solve the food crisis. To be
able to implement these alternative solutions some important factors such as cost should be
considered and be taken into account to ensure that the strategy adopted does not go to waste
yet money has been used.
4. Consideration of alternative solution
Introduction
The choice of alternative solutions to be used to solve the food crisis in Australia is significant
in stable and successful food security. There are high probabilities that some of the alternative
solutions may fail to function or others may function very well. It will function well if
appropriate informed choices are made at the initial start of the project. People usually take it
lightly when it comes to making choices when there are many available alternative and
consideration solution that is to be taken into consideration, thus it is important to take note of
this before starting on the process of implementing (Sen 2018). The food crisis alternatives
solutions available may not be successful in all regions and all people with a number of factors,
for example, the same traditional methods which are hard to be left for alternative farming
method. These raise concerns on the need to come with those considerations that when
implemented it will ensure that the most appropriate informed choice is made and can be
adopted by users so easily. To ensure that appropriate consideration is being put in place,
selection stages were developed and this includes objectives, analysis, and output.
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The first stage which is the objective stage which gives the goal of food crisis alternative
solutions.it identifies the purpose of climate-smart farming, investing in rural development,
investing in technology and innovation, elimination of biofuel subsidies and policies and
increase of reform funding of agricultural research and development and their impact in
achieving food security that is enough quality food that is available to people all time during a
lifetime. This stage tries to answer questions for example what result is being attempted and
the reason why it is being attempted, it also addresses other questions for example if the
objective is achievable and if the achievement is the major issue we are dealing with. Low-cost,
sustainability and efficiency is the priority aspects for this project (Sanchez 2015), this will make
it viable.
The second stage is analysis deals mostly with the end results on the project. It is about the
disadvantages of the proposed alternative solution of food crisis after taking a lot of
consideration on factors that influence the individual solution. Availability of land, political
stability, water, research institutions available, appropriate technology, availability of funds and
favorable environmental conditions are taken into consideration. It is crucial to consider all the
above-mentioned important factors because they contribute to the success or failure of this
project of tackling food insecurity in Australia. For this stage a tool was developed, this tool
classified issues into SHTEFIE criteria (Ciner et al, 2018), this was for the purpose of analysis and
it helped in programs of development. It was as follows:
S-Social
H-Health
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