Mr Bruno Moreira1, Dr Joe Eyre1, Dr. Barbara George-Jaeggli1, Prof Sudhir Yadav1
1Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
Biography:
Bruno, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at QAAFI/UQ, is dedicated to advancing sustainable practices within the grains domain. His current work centres on developing sustainability frameworks tailored for grains such as wheat and sorghum. Bruno's expertise spans data analytics and functional biomass research. He merges these areas to create solutions to transform waste into valuable resources. His work includes waste-to-fuel and waste-to-product strategies applicable across agriculture, agroindustry, and the environment. These solutions include fuel pellets and adsorbents, such as porous biochars, addressing challenges related to industrial decarbonisation and pesticide pollution in agricultural soils and watercourses.
Abstract:
Sustainability frameworks are essential for assessing how technologies, practices, and policy impact both the biophysical, economic and community values of the agricultural system. However, the current top-down frameworks in Australia may not reflect the diversity and complexity of wheat-based systems, nor recognise the sustainable practices of growers. A bottom-up model that aligns with the existing umbrella frameworks of the Australian Agriculture Sustainability Framework and the Australian Grains Industry Sustainability Framework has been developed to address this gap. This innovative model benchmarks sustainability standards against wheat-based systems across Australian regions, offering a comprehensive and context-specific evaluation. The model consists of six modules: Farm Management, Soil Health Management, Crop Management, Workplace Management, Biodiversity Management, and Capacity and Leadership. Each module has tangible parameters and a scoring system derived from machine-learning models, indicating the level of sustainability achieved by growers at state, region, and subregion levels. The scoring system also provides a roadmap for improvement by assigning higher weights to more relevant parameters in each region. Stakeholders from governmental, industrial, and academic sectors have been consulted to ensure a holistic and inclusive approach. This collaborative approach considers all pertinent aspects in decision making, leading to accurate outcomes. In conclusion, the bottom-up model offers a practical, region-specific approach for the Australian wheat industry. It could enhance the sustainability of the Australian agriculture and grain industry by engaging growers in a rewarding journey towards sustainability, with recognition and incentives for their efforts from industry, government, and consumers.