Many Australian farmers rely on backpackers to meet their labour needs at harvest time.
Francois Lenoir/Reuters
The controversy over changes to the backpacker tax shows the inadequacy of relying on backpackers as the primary labour source for a vital industry.
Robotics and other farm technologies can provide a wealth of data to farmers and agribusiness.
Robert Pratta/Reuters
The extension of laws on unfair contract terms to cover small businesses, may help farmers take more control of the data their farms generate.
Coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish are helped by nutrient runoff.
Crown of thorns image from www.shutterstock.com
We’re going to miss the Great Barrier Reef’s water quality targets unless we help farmers better
Organic farming has numerous benefits for people.
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Organic farming has many benefits. It can better people’s lives and it’s good for biodiversity and the climate.
Droughts in South Africa has led to coordinated joint planning and partnerships to combat the problem.
Stephanie Midgley
Drought is a problem in South Africa and it affects farmers. As a result, farmers and government are working together to develop strategies.
Working the land.
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Working the land is a vital – and fruitful – career option.
Mike Hardman
Urban farms might be trendy, but they won’t replace rural agriculture anytime soon.
Intelligent trade policies needed to counter uneven distribution of water resources.
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Intelligent trade policies can help limit the threats, including food security, that come with an uneven distribution of water resources across the globe.
Younger farmers are more willing to take up the opportunities presented by outside investment, a new study shows.
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Young farmers are more open to outside investment and ownership of the family farm, than older farmers, new research shows.
Ripe for more regulation?
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Our appetite for avocados affects more than just our choice of sandwich filling.
Storm season in the Australian tropical savanna.
Euan Ritchie
Australia’s Great Northern Savannas are the largest and most intact ecosystem of their kind on Earth. But they still face pressure from grazing, mining and agricultural expansion.
Valentina Proskurina/www.shutterstock.com
The history of how the British fell out of love with seasonal farm work.
Honeybees aren’t the only wildlife affected by pesticides – wild bees and butterflies also feel the effect.
Wild bee image from www.shutterstock.com
Two new studies have linked controversial pesticides neonicotinoides to wild bee and butterfly declines.
Helen Hotson / shutterstock
Depends on whether or not we reintroduce ‘rewilded’ animals such as bison or wolves.
Farmers protest tightened land-clearing laws in Brisbane.
AAP/Darren Cartwright
Moves to tighten land-clearing laws in Queensland and New South Wales have been met with outrage from farmers. So how can we get regulation right?
The Ord River was targeted for agricultural expansion in the 20th century.
isthatdaves/Wikimedia Commons
Ever since British settlement, water rights in Australia’s north have favoured landowners over traditional owners, effectively locking Aboriginal people out of agricultural development.
Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has been pushing for tighter restrictions on foreign investment in agricultural land.
Tracey Nearmy/AAP
The Productivity Commission says existing oversight is adequate to deal with misuse of market power.
Chris Radburn/PA
Britain’s new environment secretary has a tough job on her hands.
Proving the supply chain of the multi-billion dollar tuna industry is fertile testing ground for blockchain technology.
Image sourced from shutterstock.com
If blockchains can deliver on supply chain transparency it could revolutionise the food industry.
Some farmers are suspicious of technological innovation. But technology can really help them.
Mike Hutchings/Reuters
It’s been proved that prizes can boost cultural innovation. The same is certainly true for innovation in agriculture – which Africa desperately needs.