Keywords Australia · Agriculture · Irrigation · Energy efficiency · Water
efficiency · Farming
7.1 Background
The term ‘nexus’ refers to a connection or a connected group or series. The waterenergy-food nexus is an increasingly used approach to frame the challenges associated with integrating human development objectives with the responsible management of natural resources (Johnson and Karlberg 2017). The water-energy-food
nexus is also being recognised as a ‘wicked policy problem’ – that is, resistant to
resolution due to its complex and interconnected nature (Rittel and Webber 1973).
Globally, the collective challenges from a growing world population and increasing
climate uncertainty will require a paradigm shift in understanding how water, energy
and food are interconnected, how their interdependence can be quantified and how
this knowledge could assist in policy and regulatory decision-making processes
(WEF Nexus Research Group 2018). Australia, like other developed economies,
struggles to adequately integrate sustainable water and energy management and
regulation, often leading to perverse and conflicting policy outcomes for
Australia’s agricultural producers who are the single largest group of land owners
in the country. In 2016–2017, 393.8 million hectares of land was owned or operated
by 88,073 agricultural businesses in Australia (ABS 2018a). Almost half of
Australia’s total land area (340,763,119 ha of a national total of 769,202,000 ha)
is therefore used for agriculture and of all the States and territories. Despite the
significant proportion of Australia’s landmass dedicated to agriculture, decisions
concerning commodity/crop type are highly dependent on factors including, but not
limited to, climatic conditions; future water availability; access to water trading
arrangements; electricity tariff (price) options; global commodity prices; fluctuations
of various input costs; rotational cropping driven by soil health; rising groundwater;
and other environmental considerations. Out of necessity and in response to external
economic and regulatory drivers, agricultural producers in both Queensland (QLD)
and New South Wales (NSW) are becoming increasingly flexible in their commodity/crop decisions adapting to increasing fluctuations in these factors.
As the global population rises towards the predicted 9.8 billion by 2050 (United
Nations 2017), there are increasing demands on, and opportunities for, QLD’s and
NSW’ agricultural sectors. An increasing global population is driving unprecedented
demand for high-quality food, fibre and other high-value products including
bioproducts (including biofuels and biochemicals). QLD and NSW are uniquely
located in their proximity to Asian markets and are developing new transport and
logistic infrastructure to expedite fresh product delivery to growing, often high-end
markets. Both QLD’s and NSW’ agricultural sectors are heavily export-orientated
(including beef cattle, sugar, cotton, pulses), with QLD contributing approximately
AUD$14,013 million (crop generated being AUD$6721 m) and NSW approximately AUD$14,500 million (crop generated being AUD$8397 million) in
86
S. Schulte et al.
efficiency · Farming
7.1 Background
The term ‘nexus’ refers to a connection or a connected group or series. The waterenergy-food nexus is an increasingly used approach to frame the challenges associated with integrating human development objectives with the responsible management of natural resources (Johnson and Karlberg 2017). The water-energy-food
nexus is also being recognised as a ‘wicked policy problem’ – that is, resistant to
resolution due to its complex and interconnected nature (Rittel and Webber 1973).
Globally, the collective challenges from a growing world population and increasing
climate uncertainty will require a paradigm shift in understanding how water, energy
and food are interconnected, how their interdependence can be quantified and how
this knowledge could assist in policy and regulatory decision-making processes
(WEF Nexus Research Group 2018). Australia, like other developed economies,
struggles to adequately integrate sustainable water and energy management and
regulation, often leading to perverse and conflicting policy outcomes for
Australia’s agricultural producers who are the single largest group of land owners
in the country. In 2016–2017, 393.8 million hectares of land was owned or operated
by 88,073 agricultural businesses in Australia (ABS 2018a). Almost half of
Australia’s total land area (340,763,119 ha of a national total of 769,202,000 ha)
is therefore used for agriculture and of all the States and territories. Despite the
significant proportion of Australia’s landmass dedicated to agriculture, decisions
concerning commodity/crop type are highly dependent on factors including, but not
limited to, climatic conditions; future water availability; access to water trading
arrangements; electricity tariff (price) options; global commodity prices; fluctuations
of various input costs; rotational cropping driven by soil health; rising groundwater;
and other environmental considerations. Out of necessity and in response to external
economic and regulatory drivers, agricultural producers in both Queensland (QLD)
and New South Wales (NSW) are becoming increasingly flexible in their commodity/crop decisions adapting to increasing fluctuations in these factors.
As the global population rises towards the predicted 9.8 billion by 2050 (United
Nations 2017), there are increasing demands on, and opportunities for, QLD’s and
NSW’ agricultural sectors. An increasing global population is driving unprecedented
demand for high-quality food, fibre and other high-value products including
bioproducts (including biofuels and biochemicals). QLD and NSW are uniquely
located in their proximity to Asian markets and are developing new transport and
logistic infrastructure to expedite fresh product delivery to growing, often high-end
markets. Both QLD’s and NSW’ agricultural sectors are heavily export-orientated
(including beef cattle, sugar, cotton, pulses), with QLD contributing approximately
AUD$14,013 million (crop generated being AUD$6721 m) and NSW approximately AUD$14,500 million (crop generated being AUD$8397 million) in
86
S. Schulte et al.