Isramart : Australia Starts A$70 Million R&D Farm Program To Cut Carbon By 50%

Isramart news:
Australia's premier science agency Monday unveiled a A$ 70 million a year program to cut carbon emissions by 50% and boost farm sector productivity by at least 50% by 2030.

About 60% of the funds for the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization's Sustainable Flagship Program, one of 10 such programs it runs, will come from an annual grant from government with the balance from private industry and other public agencies, such as universities, Industry Minister Kim Carr said at a function to launch the program.

"We recognize that agriculture is under pressure" from climate change and other environmental constraints and from growing demand for food and for fuel for energy, he said.

Agricultural productivity growth of a long-term average 2.8% a year has started to flatten out so a lot more research needs to be undertaken to meet a projected 70% increase in world food production by 2050, Agriculture Minister Tony Burke said at the function.

The director of the program, Brian Keating, said its goal will be a "stretch" and involve 400 CSIRO researchers, which is about three quarters of its establishment, and all key farm industries.