An initiative of the Natural Heritage Trust

Healthy soils are the engine room of sustainable, productive farms in Australia.

They help to maintain environmental health and can be used to manage the quality of Australia's water resources.

Compared to other countries and its overall land mass, Australia has a relatively small amount of productive, arable land. In addition, much of this land is characterised by soils that can be susceptible to degradation, particularly from soil erosion, structure decline, sodicity and acidity. Developing efficient, long-term techniques to improve soil health is essential to sustainable agriculture.

The National Land & Water Resources Auditestimated that the net present benefits to farmers of treating soil sodicity and acidity could be over $11 billion.
(NLWRA, 2002, Australian's and Natural Resource Management: Soil Resources,  par six http://audit.ea.gov.au/ANRA/people/docs/national/anrm_report/anrm_productivity.cfm )

Recent experience has shown that remarkable and rapid improvement in soil structure, organic content and nutrient performance is possible through changed management practices. Improved soil heath leads to better production performance

including reduced input costs for herbicides, pesticides and fuel, less wear on machinery and more efficient use of water and nutrients.

The next wave of productivity improvements in Australia will come from the foundation of agriculture - the soil itself.

What's being done to help soils? 

Significant work has been achieved by soils scientists, agronomists, farmers and hydrologists to gain a better understanding of Australia's soils.

The new Healthy Soils for Sustainable Farms Program aims to apply this understanding and put into practice techniques which maintain and restore farmland soils.

It will work with farmers, community groups and researchers and will bring together and build on existing soil health information. It will use the best available information on soils and resource information provided in the Australian Soil Resource Information System (ASRIS) to test ways to improve soil health in commercial agricultural conditions using demonstration sites.

The Healthy Soils for Sustainable Farms Program offers benefits through a national approach linking across industries and regions to assist the adoption of more coordinated, concerted and ultimately cost effective approaches to improved soil health across Australia.

The Program is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through the Natural Heritage Trust and will be managed by Land & Water Australia.

Developing the issues 

The Program advertised for projects to be funded based on merit. The response to this call was overwhelming with 170 applications received from local farming groups, industry and community groups, regional and catchment bodies, state agencies and private consultants. The successful projects will demonstrate techniques that: 

• support effective networks on on-ground field demonstrations and communication prokects across regions, industries and/pr a range of soil and land use situations to highlight soil health and sustainable production;
• develp and promote techniques and practical methods for monitoring and reporting soil health;
• develop and apply best practice guides to soil health management relevant to multiple land use situations;
• establish and support national linksges and collaborative arrangements between institutions and agencies to assist land managers identify and implement appropriate soil management/improvement strategies; and
• enhance and further develop data and information to provide a coherent and comprehensive source of information to meet the needs of land managers, farmers and policy makers.

What will the Healthy Soils for Sustainable Farms Program deliver? 

The Healthy Soils for Sustainable Farms Program aims to increase the number of land managers who: 

• understand local soil mangement issues;
• understand how to manage for improved soil health;
• are implementing practices to improve soil health and productivity; and
• are monitoring soil condition on their farms.

For more information about the Program contact: 

Program Coordinator
Dr Tom Davison
Email: tom.davison@lwa.gov.au 
Tel: 0417 143 019

or

Sustainable Primary Industries Senior Program Officer
Catherine Viljoen
Email: catherine.viljoen@lwa.gov.au
Tel: 02 6263 6010