Economic and Environmental imperatives

The biggest research imperative facing Agriculture today is to find ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions that also deliver productivity gains according to the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture (ACDA).

At their meeting in Canberra this month, ACDA president, Professor Roger Leigh, indicated that 2013 is the date set to review the involvement of agriculture in any carbon trading scheme.

“Doing nothing in the meantime to address agricultural emissions will see agricultural costs of production increase,” Professor Leigh says. "And these costs need to be offset by productivity increases."

Prof Leigh went on to say that Australian agriculture has a substantial long-term opportunity to contribute to addressing the world’s food shortages as well as continuing to underpin the Australian economy through its export earnings.