How Australia plans to green its Outback desert in Becoming World's largest produce exporter

How Australia plans to green its Outback desert in Becoming a Global produce exporter Australia is the most deserted inhabited area on Earth. With 70% of the area occupied by a desert, the country’s demographics tell that it’s not a heaven for agriculture. The unpredictable rainfall in central Australia is unique compared to other drylands. Instead of agricultural seasons, the transforming rhythms of arid Australia are characterized by erratic bursts of productivity that break up protracted droughts.

Australia is now setting its eyes on regreening the outback for developing agriculture. The country aims on captivating ever-growing Asian market. The population in Asian countries is increasing boundlessly and there is an immense need for more food supplies. Australia is planning on making Outback arable to cash upon this opportunity to become one of the most important produce exporter in the world. As of today, Australia is not doing bad at all as almost 70% of Australian agricultural production being exported and the country exports more agricultural products than its imports. Australian agricultural exports were worth nearly $49 billion in 2018–19. Australia's top agricultural export destinations are China, Japan, the US, and the Republic of Korea. However, China continues to be Australia's leading agricultural product importer.

Australians are smart as they have been making infrastructural plans to enhance their agriculture since 1930s. Now they are turning one of their biggest disadvantage into an advantage i.e., flooding. Parts of outback South Australia have been devastated by flooding. But Australia planned to have a reservoir that could save all the flood water inlands so that it can be used for irrigation. However, they already had one but not in its best shape.

The Great Artesian Basin is Australia's largest groundwater basin and one of the most significant underground water sources on the entire planet. In fact, for much of inland Australia, it is the sole trustworthy source of fresh Water. More than 80 settlements in Queensland depend on the Basin's precious Water, which covers 1,203,920 square kilometers of land or around 65% of its total area. The Basin has been depleting for a long time, and it is a crucial source of Water for the locals. The water flow is also accompanied by low pressure and flow rates. So, to revive the whole system, a framework of dams was designed to bring Water from the North-Eastern parts of the continent to the center.

The plan sounds overwhelmingly ambitious, and science proved it certainly was. The plan was not feasible because there was an error in the initial calculation of evaporation rates. Scientists suggested that the evaporation levels would be intense, and the sizes of reservoirs would not be big enough to induce rainfall, so the project cost was much more than its benefits. However, a small project of the same category proved viable when demand for agricultural products in Asia increased immensely. So, the policymakers decided to establish a network of tunnels that would irrigate the southern part of the continent.

However, this project came at the cost of environmental hazards and disturbed the natural water flow. The government of Queensland has taken other steps to revive the basin. The first step was to ensure efficient channels for water usage, which involves managing water flow by rehabilitating or replacing bores, and replacing open bore drains with pipes, tanks, and troughs. Since 1989, the Queensland Government has also invested $81 million in programs to cap pipe stock and domestic bores. The expected uptake of innovative agricultural technologies will lead to many changes in how farms are managed and allow agricultural yields to stabilize or increase without adverse environmental impact and the conversion of additional non-agricultural land.

If these approaches are successful and can mitigate the negative consequences of climate change, this should also result in improved conservation of biodiversity. Australia for the past couple of decades has been thriving in agriculture and to maintain this competitive advantage the Australian agricultural industry must continue to think strategically and exhibit strong leadership to exceed $100 billion by 2030. Australia has actually carved out its planned for 2030 for becoming a leading produce exporter. It is projected that Australia will see record sales this year in both agriculture and cattle sector. A record grain harvest was produced last year as a result of the improved seasonal circumstances, and a bumper harvest is anticipated this summer.

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[theprimest]

THANKS SO MUCH FOR WATCHING!!
If you can accidentally Scroll up and smash the like button I will be forever grateful. Comment down below I'm answering all comments on this video :)

[rickjohnson]

As an Australian, I’m calling bulls**t on this video. Many claims are made, but no sources for those claims are provided. It sounds like someone’s fantasy, rather than a genuine plan.

[nni]

I've lived in Australia all my life (57 as of 23 April 2024). Never heard of this.

[tonyp]

If you understand how Australian governments work it will never happen.

[paulalderson]

I've lived Down Under for 76 years and greening the Centre is all news to me. Nice idea though.

[ross.venner]

No mention of the great bane of Australian agriculture, salinity.

[rogerjamespaul]

Australia is not planning to green the Country, presently destruction of our environment is continuing at an alarming rate. As of today, only 50% of Australia's historical forests and bushlands remain intact. Since 1750, the country has lost 27% of the total rainforest, 28% of mallee forest, 19% of open forest, and 11% of the woodland forest. Australia has ranked 5th overall in the study, destroying an average of 416, 840 hectares of forestry per year between 2015-2020. Australia is the only developed nation on the list and has been for some time. Article dated: 28 Mar 2023

[PsychicIsaacs]

This will be a disaster unless some highly experienced folks such as Geoff Lawton and Alan Savory are involved. Irrigation agriculture in Outback Australia will lead to a huge salinity problem.

Folks would be best to go with Syntropic Agroforestry or the Alan Savory method, if they did that, this entire country could be a lush paradise within just a few years!

[camf]

As an Aussie, this is the first I am hearing of the plan!

[michaelclement]

Water usage from the artisan basin is pretty much on the limit, as noted in the video there are some initiatives to conserve water, however it won't be anything near enough to green the outback

[bonniepoole]

Monocropping causes the soil to deteriorate. Are soil restoration practices being put to use? Australia has a great tradition of Permaculture; these biodiverse farms are highly productive and grow nutrient dense, organic produce. Think about sustainability and health, not just profit!

[MafiaboysWorld]

3:02 What you are referring to is the Bradfield project. It has been on the table since the 1920s and science didn't deem it unviable back then, politics and finances did. Only now has our current state Premier, Anastacia Palazschuk put the foot down and put this project into the start of construction as a "now or never" project due to the constant increases of cost. The plan is to redirect the water from the gulf areas down towards the south west to then allow the water to flow down rivers that went through drought due to El Nino in the 2010s, such as the Warrego and Condamine rivers.

[BornAgainCynic]

Mate, we can't even get a high speed train organised!

[cat_luver]

I think it’d be way easier to just replant Victoria and NSW deforested areas that have been turned into cattle farms, and use that cattle farm land to create tree plantations to slow deforestation and plant fruit trees. And then either decrease the amount of cattle farms or move the, into more arid areas and natural grasslands so they won’t have to destroy trees to house cows and sheep. Turning dessert into forest is near impossible.

[lambertodgr]

How many million tons of oranges did riverina farms dump last week because they had minor blemishes and the supermarkets rejected them, in favor of unblemished ones imported from China?

[victoryfirst]

Good luck to you Australia with your farming projects.

[JoeyBozify]

That’ll be the day, who’s coming up with these brainstorms !!

[RaniVeluNachar-kxlu]

Employ various low tech methods to keep the water on the land longer. Giant Swales, and retention ponds connecting very slow and curving streams and rivers. Try not to loose any of the seasonal rains to runoff.

Build "leaky" dams in dry creek beds to catch and hold and let the water catch and hold on down the creek bed, and cut paths for the overflow to vent sideways into shallow streams.

Planting rushes and water tolerant trees along the creek to encourage the area around the creeks to store carbon in the root of complex creek ecosystems will give the area an appearance of a temperate climate and will reduce the heat and wind destruction of the land.

[brianlong]

55% of Australia is used for farming most of that grazing....
Australia produces enough food for about 80 million people.

18% of Australia is desert, but 30 to 35 is classified as semiarid.
70% of Australia is grassland
12% to at best 17% is open woodlands and forest...

[kimberleypex]

Every good idea is a light on Earth. ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Great news. Thanks.