Producing clean and affordable plant foods

Professor Donald Marshall, from the Plant Breeding Institute at the University of Sydney, looked at the changing needs of agriculture.

Australian plant foods have, in comparison to those produced in many other developed countries, three outstanding features - their diversity, their low cost and their freedom from natural and synthetic chemical residues.

Our remarkable diversity of plant foods, which were largely introduced into this country from overseas, reflects both the multicultural origin of the Australian population as well as the geographic variation in the climate of our island continent.

Low cost of Australian foods

The low relative cost of Australian foods is due to a variety of factors. One important factor is the abundance of agricultural land and its relatively low cost. This reduces the capital cost of farming and the entry barrier to new producers. A second important factor is the low tariff barriers to food imports which ensures that local producers are subject to the discipline of international competition. A third important factor has been the exclusion from this country of many pests and diseases of our key food crops. Australia has strict quarantine laws and an effective scientifically based quarantine system. The introduction of crop plants without the indigenous pests and diseases of their country of origin has clear advantages in terms of increased yields and reduced costs.

However, perhaps the most important factor enabling Australia to produce a diversity of plant foods at internationally competitive prices has been the strong commitment of both farmers and governments to production research. Real prices for many plant foods have steadily decreased over the last 30 years. For example, the price of wheat in constant 1988 dollars has fallen from about $400 per tonne in 1960-61 to about $180 per tonne in 1989-90. It is only through a strong commitment to research in the state departments of agriculture CSIRO the universities and the rural industry research funds that Australian farmers have been able to stay in production in the face of steadily falling real prices.

Different focus of research

The focus of agricultural research, at least for the broad area crops, has been different in Australia compared to many of our competitors. In Europe and Asia, where land is limited and relatively expensive, research and development has focused on increasing yields or productivity per unit area of land. In Australia, where land is abundant and cheap but labour is relatively expensive, the emphasis has been on reducing cost by reducing inputs, increasing the area of production and maximising output per operating unit or per person. This has meant that research and development in Australia has been targeted at improving the efficiency of our low input agriculture. Since chemicals are expensive this has meant finding biological rather than chemical answers to production constraints.

Examples of such research include:

• the use of genetic resistances to control foliar pathogens of cereals
• biological control of weeds using insects or pathogenic fungi
• non-chemical control of grain storage pests
• use of legume rotations in food crop production.

As a result of the focus on low input, extensive agriculture, Australian farmers use relatively low amounts of synthetic chemicals and inorganic fertilisers and produce crops relatively free of residues. It has been repeatedly suggested that we should build on this strong base and develop the image and reality of Australia as a clean and green source of foodstuffs for the Asia-Pacific region. This concept has the potential to improve the fortunes of the agri-food industries and reverse the decline in this country's ranking as a food exporter.

However, there are dangers in the uncritical acceptance and promotion of Australia as a source of clean and green foods. These include:

• variation in consumer expectations, some of which may be unrealistic or unachievable. For example, producers have to produce fruit and vegetables free of blemishes to stay competitive in mass markets and at the same time use no pesticides.
• variation in the use of chemicals among crops. While it is true that Australian producers generally use less inputs than many of their competitors, this is not true of all crops and chemicals.
• the continuing viability of low-input, extensive production systems. It is likely that the real price of plant foods will continue to fall with further increases in productivity. If Australia is to continue to remain competitive, it is likely that yields and hence inputs may have to be increased.

• we have adequate quality control methods in place so that products which are sold as residue-free meet agreed standards
• adequate support for research to continue to develop innovative alternatives to synthetic chemicals in food production
• a well educated and informed producer community.