West Australia has been well-known as farm country for centuries, and that remains the case today. However, the agricultural practices in WA are becoming quite different than in years past. Sustainable agriculture is becoming the future of the business, particularly in the eyes of many young farmers.
At this point, many large-scale enterprises have completely done away with the use of fungicide–some of these operations are as large as 10,000 acres.
What Is Regenerative Farming?
Regenerative farming is a holistic approach to agriculture that combines the latest and the most modern technologies in the field with the ancient practices of taking stewardship of the land. The goal of this approach is to make the land both more productive and regenerative in nature.
These practices have been known among farmers for generations, but their modern use of technology is fairly new. Practices that began on the fringe of the industry are now becoming more popular with mainstream farmers.
The Market
It’s often mistakenly believed that there’s no market for this approach to agriculture, and that success can be achieved only if involved parties are willing to put profit aside for the sake of the environment. In reality, however, these practices prove themselves quite handy in terms of market compatibility. There are consumers for food produced in this way, and farmers should try to fulfill their needs. It is a smaller market, but there are advantages of pursuing a niche market, as you need less investment and small farmers are able to play a bigger role.
Thinking Globally
At this point, WA is responsible for as much as 40 percent of all grain produced in Australia and is mostly oriented towards foreign and global markets. It supplies the key markets of China, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. Lately, some of these foreign markets have become much more competitive.
For instance, the Black Sea region is becoming competitive thanks to Eastern European nations who are trying to export to the region as well. This is why it’s important for WA farmers to adopt a new approach to the markets by offering different grain. Sustainable agriculture will therefore make the farmers more competitive.
Skeptics and Changing Minds
There is still rampant skepticism in regards to sustainable agriculture. To those who aren’t familiar with the practice, it seems like generic hippy talk: something that’s working against the goals of traditional farmers. However, things are starting to change.
Business-minded farmers are seeing this new market as an opportunity, and their work in the field is growing. It is important to note that farmers are changing as well. Young farmers are more in tune with the cultural and technological changes, and are also trying to take the opportunity of the market.
Bottom Line
Farmers in the field usually cite their bottom line as the main problem with moving into sustainable agricultural practices. Although there’s a market for this kind of produce, it’s the transition that presents difficulties.
However, there are ways to help struggling farmers make the transition successfully. Mostly it is about making sure you have enough money set aside to cover initial differences. This can be done by taking out a loan, or via governmental assistance.
Savings
There are additional reasons why sustainable agriculture is taking root in WA. There are many expenses related to running these businesses–not just initial ones, but also day-to-day expenses required to produce fresh meat and vegetables. All of these are much lower for sustainable businesses.
This has a lot to do with the costs that go towards herbicides and fungicides. Regenerative farming doesn’t rely on artificial ways of soil improvement. This will yield less produce, but what you do harvest will be high quality and entirely natural. It’s a long-term savings that will offset the lesser yield.
Conclusion
Sustainable agriculture was once on the fringes of Australian markets, but is becoming more popular than ever: driven largely by market incentives.