The Northern Australia Land and Water Science Review 2009 examines a range of options for use of land and water in northern Australia and the likely consequences of those uses, for communities, businesses and the environment.
Agricultural and forestry landscapes provide food, water, recreation, health, environmental and economic benefits.
Assessing landscape systems and trends for agricultural sustainability
The Sustainable Agriculture Flagship is developing innovative assessment techniques to measure, monitor and predict the condition of Australian agricultural and forestry landscapes to increase productivity and reduce carbon emissions
- 9 April 2010 | Updated 14 October 2011
National and global challenges
Our natural resources of soil, water, plants and animals are central to our economy, health and wellbeing.
In order to achieve the Sustainable Agriculture Flagship goal of increasing productivity and reducing carbon emissions we need to understand the interactions between our natural resources, how we use them and the health and productivity across the whole landscape, from the farm to the consumer.
This requires integrating a range of data to measure what is happening; from the effects of land degradation, to the whole greenhouse gas cycle and ways to account for it, to the real and interacting drivers of resource use efficiency and productivity.
The Landscape Systems and Trends Theme aims to measure, monitor and predict the condition of Australia’s landscapes, at the farm level as well as in a national and global context.
Priority research areas
We need to understand the interactions between our natural resources and the health and productivity across the whole landscape, from the farm to the consumer.
Our priority research areas include:
- developing integrated data and information that describes our agriculture and landscapes across space and time
- assessing productivity and environmental impacts across industries, regions and life-cycles focusing on the use of resources such as water and energy
- developing policy-relevant science to understand drivers of changes in landscapes and enable better land use decisions.
Some examples of our research include:
Partnerships
Working across national and international scales, the Sustainable Agriculture Flagship will build on the components needed to substantially improve national capacity in observation, prediction and investment in land use and land management change – with a specific target to support emerging national environmental information systems.
Some of our key partners include:
- Australian Collaborative Land Evaluation Program (ACLEP) and collaborating state and territory agencies
- National Committee on Soil and Terrain
- Industry and farmer groups
- Rural industry research and development corporations.
Find out more about the Sustainable Agriculture Flagship.
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Fast facts
- Australia's soils and landscapes constitute one of the country's most valuable assets, critical to food production, sustainable agriculture and our health
- CSIRO scientists are integrating data and information to help monitor Australian agricultural and forestry landscapes to increase productivity and reduce carbon emissions
- Researchers will work across national and international scales to inform land use planning, policy options and natural resource assessment
