Creating a climate for food security: the business, people & landscapes in food production

AbstractBalancing human and environmental needs is urgent where food security and sustainability are under pressure from population increases and changing climates. Requirements of food security, social justice and environmental justice exacerbate the impact of agriculture on the supporting ecological environment. Viability of the Australian rural economy is intrinsically linked to food production and food security requiring systematic evaluation of climate change adaptation strategies for agricultural productivity.This food-systems research drew on global climate change literature to identify risks and adaptation. The transdisciplinary team applied specialist experience through collaboration in social science, economics and land-management to provide comprehensive methods to engage researchers and decision-makers making decisions across the food-system. Research focus on the dairy and horticulture sectors in the SW-WA and SEQld provided a comparative context in food-systems and regional economies. Expert knowledge was engaged through a series of panel meetings to test and challenge existing practice applying conceptual and empirical approaches in Structural Equation, Value-Chain, Supply-Chain modelling and Analytical Hierarchy modelling. This iterative action-research process provided immediate generation and transfer of expert knowledge across the involved sectors. The scenarios and adaptive strategies provide evidence-based pathways to strengthen food-systems; account for climate change mitigation and adaptation; and weather-proof regional economies in the face of climate change. Balancing human and environmental needs is urgent where food security and sustainability are under pressure from population increases and changing climates. Requirements of food security, social justice and environmental justice exacerbate the impact of agriculture on the supporting ecological environment. Viability of the Australian rural economy is intrinsically linked to food production and food security requiring systematic evaluation of climate change adaptation strategies for agricultural productivity.This food-systems research drew on global climate change literature to identify risks and adaptation. The transdisciplinary team applied specialist experience through collaboration in social science, economics and land-management to provide comprehensive methods to engage researchers and decision-makers making decisions across the food-system. Research focus on the dairy and horticulture sectors in the SW-WA and SEQld provided a comparative context in food-systems and regional economies. Expert knowledge was engaged through a series of panel meetings to test and challenge existing practice applying conceptual and empirical approaches in Structural Equation, Value-Chain, Supply-Chain modelling and Analytical Hierarchy modelling. This iterative action-research process provided immediate generation and transfer of expert knowledge across the involved sectors. The scenarios and adaptive strategies provide evidence-based pathways to strengthen food-systems; account for climate change mitigation and adaptation; and weather-proof regional economies in the face of climate change. The triple-bottom-line provided a comprehensive means of addressing social, economic and ecological requirements, and the modelling showed the interacting dynamics between these dimensions. In response to climate change, the agricultural sector must now optimise practices to address the interaction between economic, social and environmental investment. Differences in positions between the industry sector, the government and research sectors demonstrate the need for closer relationships between industry and government if climate change interventions are to be effectively targeted. Modelling shows that capacity for adaptation has a significant bearing on the success of implementing intervention strategies. Without intervention strategies to build viability and support, farm businesses are more likely to fail as a consequence of climate change. A framework of capitals that includes social components - cultural, human and social capital-, economic components -economic and physical capital - and ecological components -ecological and environmental capital - should be applied to address capacities. A priority assessment of climate change intervention strategies shows that strategies categorised as ‘Technology & Extension’ are most important in minimising risk from climate change impacts. To implement interventions to achieve ‘Food Business Resilience’, ‘Business Development’ strategies and alternative business models are most effective. ‘Research and Development’ interventions are essential to achieve enhanced ‘Adaptive Capacity’.The individual components of TBL Adaptive Capacity can be achieved through ‘Policy and Governance’ interventions for building ‘Social Capital’ capacity, ‘Research and Development’ will develop ‘Economic Capital’, and ‘Business Development’ strategies will build ‘Ecological Capital’.These strategic interventions will promote food security and maintain resilience in local food systems, agricultural production communities and markets, global industrial systems, and developing world food systems. Climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions reflect a rich conceptualisation drawing from the Australian context, but also acknowledging the moral context of global association.Please cite this report as:Wardell-Johnson, A, Uddin, N, Islam, N, Nath, T, Stockwell, B, Slade, C 2013 Creating a climate for food security: the businesses, people and landscapes in food production, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast, pp. 144.Balancing human and environmental needs is urgent where food security and sustainability are under pressure from population increases and changing climates. Requirements of food security, social justice and environmental justice exacerbate the impact of agriculture on the supporting ecological environment. Viability of the Australian rural economy is intrinsically linked to food production and food security requiring systematic evaluation of climate change adaptation strategies for agricultural productivity.This food-systems research drew on global climate change literature to identify risks and adaptation. The transdisciplinary team applied specialist experience through collaboration in social science, economics and land-management to provide comprehensive methods to engage researchers and decision-makers making decisions across the food-system. Research focus on the dairy and horticulture sectors in the SW-WA and SEQld provided a comparative context in food-systems and regional economies. Expert knowledge was engaged through a series of panel meetings to test and challenge existing practice applying conceptual and empirical approaches in Structural Equation, Value-Chain, Supply-Chain modelling and Analytical Hierarchy modelling. This iterative action-research process provided immediate generation and transfer of expert knowledge across the involved sectors. The scenarios and adaptive strategies provide evidence-based pathways to strengthen food-systems; account for climate change mitigation and adaptation; and weather-proof regional economies in the face of climate change. The triple-bottom-line provided a comprehensive means of addressing social, economic and ecological requirements, and the modelling showed the interacting dynamics between these dimensions. In response to climate change, the agricultural sector must now optimise practices to address the interaction between economic, social and environmental investment. Differences in positions between the industry sector, the government and research sectors demonstrate the need for closer relationships between industry and government if climate change interventions are to be effectively targeted. Modelling shows that capacity for adaptation has a significant bearing on the success of implementing intervention strategies. Without intervention strategies to build viability and support, farm businesses are more likely to fail as a consequence of climate change. A framework of capitals that includes social components - cultural, human and social capital-, economic components -economic and physical capital - and ecological components -ecological and environmental capital - should be applied to address capacities. A priority assessment of climate change intervention strategies shows that strategies categorised as ‘Technology & Extension’ are most important in minimising risk from climate change impacts. To implement interventions to achieve ‘Food Business Resilience’, ‘Business Development’ strategies and alternative business models are most effective. ‘Research and Development’ interventions are essential to achieve enhanced ‘Adaptive Capacity’.The individual components of TBL Adaptive Capacity can be achieved through ‘Policy and Governance’ interventions for building ‘Social Capital’ capacity, ‘Research and Development’ will develop ‘Economic Capital’, and ‘Business Development’ strategies will build ‘Ecological Capital’.These strategic interventions will promote food security and maintain resilience in local food systems, agricultural production communities and markets, global industrial systems, and developing world food systems. Climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions reflect a rich conceptualisation drawing from the Australian context, but also acknowledging the moral context of global association

Floristic Patterns and Disturbance History in Karri Forest, South-Western Australia 1. Environment and Species Richness

We examined the influence of disturbance history on interactions between floristic composition and environmental factors in a single community type in karri forest (site type 10, after Inions et al., 1990) in south-western Australia. The relationship of six disturbance and site-based environmental variables, and three plant species richness variables (native, introduced and total vascular plant species) were compared using numerical taxonomic, regression and correlation approaches. Disturbance and site variables were highly intercorrelated, limiting the opportunity to directly attribute causes to observed floristic patterns. Nevertheless, management practices in karri forest are based on interrelated disturbances (e.g. high intensity slash burns were used to initiate regeneration for timber production), limiting the necessity to separate effects. Community types in karri forest have both, low alpha diversity (quadrat-based species richness) and species richness of the community in comparison with neighboring vegetation types. For community type 10, alpha diversity was negatively correlated with time-since-fire (P < 0.002) and time-since-regeneration (P < 0.004), but was lowest at intermediate times since disturbance (11-20 years). Although ordination revealed no discernable pattern of sites based on floristic composition, four plant assemblages defined a priori according to time-since-disturbance were significantly different from one another (P < 0.01 by ANOSIM). Time-since-fire (and other disturbance) influenced floristic composition more than the number of recent past fires in contrast to the more species-rich, but drier and nutrient-poor neighboring jarrah forest communities where the number of past fires is more influential. Under the current climatic regime, karri forest communities are likely to undergo less long-term change in floristic patterns following disturbance than neighboring vegetation types. This is primarily because of the greater intervals between disturbance events, the few transformer weeds in the area and the rapid recovery of native plant cover following disturbance. This study has demonstrated the resilience of karri forest to various discrete disturbances currently associated with these environments, although more profound changes are likely following continuing disturbance intervention such as clearing and grazing

Microsatellite primers for the rare sedge Lepidosperma bungalbin (Cyperaceae)

Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed for the rare sedge Lepidosperma bungalbin (Cyperaceae) to assess genetic variation and its spatial structuring. Methods and Results: We conducted shotgun sequencing on an Illumina MiSeq and produced 6,215,872 sequence reads. The QDD pipeline was used to design 60 primer pairs that were screened using PCR. We developed 17 loci, of which 12 loci were identified that were polymorphic, amplified reliably, and could be consistently scored. We then screened these loci for variation in individuals from three populations. The number of alleles observed for these 12 loci across the three populations ranged from nine to 19 and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.41 to 0.89. Conclusions: These markers will enable the quantification of the potential impact of mining on genetic variation within L. bungalbin and establish a baseline for future management of genetic variation of the rare sedge

Eucalyptus virginea and E. relicta (Myrtaceae), two new rare forest trees from south-western Australia allied to E. lane-poolei, and a new phantom hybrid

Hopper, S.D. & Wardell-Johnson, G. Eucalyptus virginea and E. relicta (Myrtaceae), two new rareforest trees from south-western Australia allied to E. lane-poolei, and a new phantom hybrid. Nuytsia 15(2): 227-240 (2004). Eucalyptus virginea and E. relicta are described from Mt Lindesay National Park and from the Whicher Range south-east of Busselton respectively. Both species, together with E. lane-poolei, are in the earliest branching clade of E. ser. Curviptera, which contains many horticulturally attractive large-flowered mallees from semi-arid and desert regions such as E. macrocarpa and E. youngiana. The discovery and description of these two rare relictual forest trees so recently highlights the need for ongoing botanical survey of south-western Australia's forests. A phantom hybrid, Eucalyptus lane-poolei x relicta, is also described for the first time. It occurs close to populations of E. relicta in the Whicher Range but 150 km south of the nearest recorded E. lane-poolei

The longest-lived spider: Mygalomorphs dig deep, and persevere

© CSIRO. We report the longest-lived spider documented to date. A 43-year-old, female Gaius villosus Rainbow, 1914 (Mygalomorphae: Idiopidae) has recently died during a long-term population study. This study was initiated by Barbara York Main at North Bungulla Reserve near Tammin, south-Western Australia, in 1974. Annual monitoring of this species of burrowing, sedentary mygalomorph spider yielded not only this record-breaking discovery but also invaluable information for high-priority conservation taxa within a global biodiversity hotspot. We suggest that the life-styles of short-range endemics provide lessons for humanity and sustainable living in old stable landscapes

Rainforest Reforestation and Biodiversity Benefits: A Case Study from the Australian Wet Tropics

This paper examines the effectiveness of a rainforest reforestation program (the Community Rainforest Reforestation Program in north-eastern Queensland, Australia) in providing amenity and biodiversity benefits. This program involved small areas of mainly mixed native timber species on private farmland. Government support was provided for the program, for both timber production and environmental reasons. Survey results reveal that landholders have planted trees, and intend to manage plantations, for diverse reasons, including conservation purposes. The plantings appear to be of environmental value, forming wildlife corridors and buffer areas. In this respect, the CRRP has achieved a limited success in meeting the implicit goal of biological conservation

Quality not quantity: Conserving species of low mobility and dispersal capacity in south-western Australian urban remnants

Urban remnant vegetation is subject to varying degrees of disturbance that may or may not be proportional to the size of the patch. The impact of disturbance within patches on species with low mobility and dispersal capabilities was investigated in a survey targeting nemesiid species of the mygalomorph spider clade in the Perth metropolitan area, south-western Australia. Nemesiid presence was not influenced by patch size, but presence did negatively correlate with higher degrees of invasive grass and rabbit disturbance. Further, patch size was significantly positively correlated with degree of disturbance caused by rabbits. Compared with quadrats, patches were not as effective as sample units in determining the impact of disturbance on nemesiid presence

Rural Farming Community Climate Change Acceptance: Impact of Science and Goverment Credibility

Independent research of Western Australian rural people’s attitudes to climate change and influences on their attitudes offered a preliminary assessment of the WA rural sector’s understanding of climate change and insights into potential barriers to communication. Of the farmers surveyed (N=255) only a third (33%) reported to the researchers they agreed climate change was occurring and just 19% believed climate change was human induced. Over half (52%) were uncertain whether human-induced climate change was occurring and only 31% thought climate change represented a major threat to the future of their farm businesses. Results also showed that only 33% of all respondents (N =411) found climate change information easy to understand. In addition, results indicated that generally respondents had concerns with the credibility of science and low levels of trust in government, which contributed to their attitudes to climate change.These results suggested the barriers to climate change communication resided with the very structures that sought to communicate with rural people and were embedded in the comprehensibility, relevancy and saliency of climate change information. The results indicated that science and government may need to consider utilising alternative strategies to distribute climate change knowledge within the rural sector. The results suggest that a better approach to distributing climate change information would be to frame the information within the local socio-cultural, economic and biophysical environment of the people it was intended to influence

Predators Show Seasonal Predilections for Model Clay Spiders in an Urban Environment

Predator-prey interactions may be altered under human-induced rapid environmental change, such as urbanisation. Extensive clearing in urban areas may leave short-range endemic species, such as mygalomorph spiders, more vulnerable to local extinction through predation in remaining remnants. Predation rates on Australian mygalomorph spiders were assessed using clay models of two size classes (5 cm, 3 cm), during two time periods in 2016 (January–February, July–August). Size and phenology of models resembled the mygalomorph genera Aname and Teyl occurring in these local urban remnants. Local predator guilds were significantly influenced by leaf-litter cover (%) and proportion of surrounding parkland. Preference for spider vs. control models was consistent across all predator types (bird, rodent, lizard and wasp), but specialist spider wasps (Pompilidae) only attacked spider models. Generalist predators (birds, lizards and rodents) were more opportunistic. Lizards and rodents exhibit similar predation behaviour, indicating there may be some inter-specific competition. Invasive generalists (e. g. rodents) or urban adapters (e. g. corvids) are more likely to represent an increased threat to spiders than are co-evolved specialists (e.g. spider wasps)

Towards sustainable management: Southern Africa's Afromontane, and Western Australia's Jarrah forests

We review the history of forest management in two southern hemisphere forest types: Western Australia's jarrah Eucalyptus marginata forests and the Afromontane forests of southern Africa to determine approaches for achieving sustainable forest management. We argue that despite major differences in the ecology and biogeography of these two forest types, a shared pattern in the history of exploitation may provide lessons for achieving sustainable management across forest types. While advanced silvicultural understanding has long been achieved in both forest types, this in itself has not led to either sustainable management or to public acceptance of forest management regimes. In both areas an early, rapid expansion of uncontrolled timber removal and in the number of operating timber mills was followed by controlled exploitation, a rapid decline in the numbers of mills and, more recently, a general decline in yield. In neither case was increased concern about conservation responsible for the reduction in either yield or in employment in the industry. Rather, in WA jarrah forests, amendments in purpose and tenure were subsequent to the loss of most mills and towns, while in southern Africa's Afromontane forests, timber workers were pensioned by 1939 because of scanty remaining merchantable timber. In the jarrah forests, we believe that the conflict generated by conservation concerns, reduced timber industry employment, and reduced benefits flowing to the communities adjacent to the logged forests, has fueled dissatisfaction with forest management outcomes. This has led to a new process in the preparation of forest management plans. Increased accountability and more realistic expectations of timber yield following productivity declines may mean the current plan for the forests of Western Australia can be used as an example to achieve sustainability in Mediterranean forest ecosystems. However, general acceptance of management regimes may not be achieved until the scale of logging operations is matched with local sustainability criteria. Increasing the area of reserves will not accelerate this process, but rather may impede it. Setting conservative overall yield estimates, and achieving local sustainability seem both to be necessary to achieve general acceptance of management regimes. A sustainable management system appears to have been achieved in the Afromontane forests and has led to the development and maintenance of support for small-scale operations to supply local timber needs from State managed forests. In both environments such a process is achievable because of the high value and specialized nature of the native forest timber resource, and because of the increasing availability of general purpose timber from plantations