Blueprint for Australian Agriculture

Farmers, agribusinesses, environmental managers, regional communities and the wider food and fibre supply chain will have the opportunity to shape the future of Australia’s farming sector under the Blueprint for Australian Agriculture, an initiative of the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and Westpac.

“Australia’s 140,000 farmers and the other 1.6 million people involved in agriculture and its related industries in Australia play a vitally important role in feeding and clothing our country and the world,” NFF President Jock Laurie said.

“Agriculture is one of the most important industries in terms of our contribution to not only the economy, but also society, and there is real need to develop a vision of the role this industry needs to play, what it needs to achieve in the future and how we, collectively, are going to make this happen.

“The Blueprint for Australian Agriculture provides the opportunity for all people involved with Australia’s food and fibre sectors, from production to consumption, to raise the issues and challenges facing agriculture and the opportunities they think are critical to its continued success.

“At the end of the day, we want to see a strong and sustainable agricultural industry right across Australia, and we are calling on all who have an involvement with, or interest in, agriculture to help us achieve this through the development of the Blueprint,” Mr Laurie said.

Mr Laurie believes environmental management will be one of the key issues that emerge out of the Blueprint process.

“Farmers are at the frontline of delivering environmental outcomes on behalf of the Australian community, with 94 percent of our farmers actively undertaking natural resource management,” Mr Laurie said.

“We believe the challenge of how farmers will produce more food and fibre in order to meet the growing world population, with less impact on water, soil and the environment; and the greater community understanding of the role farmers play in caring for the environment, are among the key issues facing farmers in the future.

“These are not new issues – these are the reasons why the NFF and the Australian Conservation Foundation partnered more than 20 years ago to start the Landcare movement – and they continue to be important ones.

“We encourage all within the Landcare movement to have their say on the issues, challenges and opportunities facing Australia’s food and fibre production and environmental management as part of the Blueprint process,” Mr Laurie said.

To contribute to the development of the Blueprint, take part in a Blueprint forum, fill in the online survey or talk to one of the 24 NFF member organisations.

For more information, visit the Blueprint website: www.nff.org.au/blueprint.