It’s clear that Australia’s growing population needs more food, but we need to produce it more efficiently. With this in mind, Flinders University researchers are investigating the wide-ranging issues around food sustainability to find solutions for our country.
Flinders researchers are improving the nutrition of staple food crops such as cereals, oilseeds and grain legumes through breakthroughs in what is known as biofortification - the process of breeding crops to increase their nutritional value. This can be done either through conventional selective breeding, or through genetic engineering.
Plant scientists have been working in tandem with economists to assess commercial distribution channels to ensure that the research is applied to the crops grown in communities that most need them.
New food products beyond the shore
A critical part of the food sustainability solution is to examine new food sources – with research in aquaculture and marine bioproducts providing extraordinary possibilities. Our oceans offer fresh solutions, yet much of what lies under the surface has not been tapped into.
Australia has the world’s third-largest marine area and Southern Australia has more than 1,400 species of seaweed, which are known as types of marine biomass. Up to 60 per cent of these seaweed species are found only in SA waters. Harnessing the power of this marine plant can lead to its industrial use in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food production and stock feed.
It’s not just seaweed. Flinders seafood production and sustainability researchers are working with industry collaborators to identify other sources of marine biomass – including algae, sea sponges, corals, barnacles and more. By using advanced manufacturing technologies and processes, a host of other products can be produced that can improve the health and nutrition of all Australians.
In the world of marine aquaculture, researchers are also using innovative technologies to develop more advanced feeding and breeding programs for fish.
“While fish provide vital human nutrition, temperature stresses are increasingly putting pressure on local fish, crustacean and molluscan species in coastal systems around the world,” says Flinders University Professor Jianguang (Jian) Qin.
Improving oceanic fish farming systems is pivotal to saving wild fish stocks from overfishing and further environmental degradation.
“The industry is developing more advanced feeding and breeding programs, advanced water filtration systems and predictive analytics for optimising production,” says Professor Qin.
This research is helping to provide continued, but sustainable, access to fish – an important food source for Australians, who consumed about 350,000 tonnes of seafood in 2021-22.
Changing practices on the land
Above ground, the smarter use of current farming practice is crucial to ensure the longevity of sustainable agriculture.
Groundwater is the main water source for more than 80 per cent of the country. As the development of industrial and agricultural practices in Australia increases, the demand for water also steadily grows.
A new model to guide and improve government and industry groundwater research priorities has been issued by the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training at Flinders University.
“The big picture is about far more than just efficient irrigation,” says Professor Adrian Werner, a professor of Hydrogeology at Flinders University.
“It’s about the ongoing health of vital water systems.
“It will interlock with other research that can provide a more cohesive environmental solution for intensive agriculture and irrigation areas, which can be applied to areas across Australia.”
A team of leading environment and resource economists recently joined Flinders to collaborate with industry stakeholders and regional communities for developing solutions to water scarcity.
This newly formed group will shape policies that influence the allocation of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin, water markets, sustainable farming, and impacts of drought and flooding.
Researchers are also examining the difficulties of land restoration after farming. By addressing these challenges that face conservationists, nutrient-poor landscapes can once again become productive and provide a more sustainable environment for our future.
Ultimately, how we use our land, and oceans, for agriculture has great bearing on individual human health. This is why Flinders is focused on discovering and developing practices that will safeguard food sustainability in the years to come.
