Australia’s national science agency CSIRO has highlighted the urgent need for accelerated agricultural innovation to ensure the productivity, resilience, and sustainability of farming systems in Australia by 2050.
Despite recent years of robust agricultural output, encompassing farming, forestry, and fisheries sectors, Australia faces a multitude of challenges that threaten its ongoing prosperity.
Findings show that these challenges include climate change, emissions reduction imperatives, supply chain disruptions, workforce access, shifting consumer preferences, maintaining market access, and lengthy innovation cycles.
In response to these pressing concerns, CSIRO has collaborated with over 100 industry stakeholders to produce the Ag2050 Scenarios Report.
This comprehensive report delves into significant trends, risks, opportunities, and recommended actions essential for supporting Australia’s farming systems in the coming decades, presenting four potential pathways for the sector.
Dr Katherine Wynn, CSIRO Futures’ Agriculture and Food Lead, emphasised the urgency conveyed by the report, stressing the need for proactive measures within the agricultural sector.
The decline in farm profitability over the last two decades is a stark warning sign, with projections indicating a decline by up to 50 per cent in some areas by 2050,” Wynn said.
She continued, “However, our research offers an optimistic outlook, and indicates Australia can achieve productive, sustainable and resilient farming systems if we act now to facilitate long-term transformative change in agricultural innovation.”
Meanwhile, Dr Rose Roche, CSIRO’s Ag2050 Lead, highlighted the agency’s ongoing efforts to support the agricultural sector through its Ag2050 program.
“We’re actively collaborating with industry and stakeholders to tailor these scenarios to local and regional contexts and work out what specific technologies and innovations are required,” said Roche.
She added, “Our goal is to make cutting-edge scientific solutions accessible to our stakeholders to help them achieve their desired future.”
The Ag2050 Scenarios Report represents the initial phase of CSIRO’s Ag2050 program, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at identifying interventions, innovations, and support mechanisms crucial for ensuring a productive, resilient, and sustainable future for Australian agriculture.