Canola Vs Cotton Essay
Cotton vs. Canola: A Sustainability Comparison
By definition, sustainable agriculture is the production of food, fibre, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare. This form of agriculture enables us to produce healthful food without compromising future generations' ability to do the same. Without sustainability, the world’s future generations of farmers will be faced with extreme agricultural issues and be faced with having to produce food, fibre, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that account for the poor quality of environment in which to produce these. Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals--environmental …show more content…
health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. The following report aims to compare the Australian cotton and canola industries with particular attention to agricultural sustainability in terms of soil conservation, water management, management of weeds pests and diseases as well as biodiversity protection and economic risk management.
Cotton
Cotton is an important crop world-wide, producing a range of essential products from all-natural fibre to oil and animal feed and the most widely produced natural fibre in the world. Australia produces three percent of the world’s cotton producing enough fibre to clothe 500 million people, but is the third largest exporter, behind the US and India. More than 99 percent of Australia’s cotton is exported. Australia’s average yearly cotton production has risen dramatically - from 9,000 bales in the 1960’s to an average 3.9 million bales. Over the last 20 years Australia’s cotton yield has increased by 38%. There are more than 1200 cotton farms in Australia, directly employing 10,000 Australians in a non-drought year.
Annual cotton production on average for the last five years (2009-2014):
Irrigated planted area 354,775 ha
Dry land planted area 96,074 ha
Irrigated crop yield 9.85 bales/ha [2236 kg/ha]
Dry land crop yield 4.09 bales/ha [928 kg/ha]
Total production 881,463 metric tonnes [3.9 million bales]
The gross value of production $2 billion
Average cotton area per farm 495 ha
Average profitability $410/ha
Figure 1: Annual Cotton Production in Australia
Canola
Canola seed is grown to produce canola oil, a useful vegetable oil used in a range of cooking and manufacturing applications and canola meal, the dry matter left after the oil is extracted and is a valuable high protein livestock feed supplement. A minor crop in the late 1980s, Australia’s canola crops have grown to a size and quality that meets the high expectations of exporters, domestic crushers and intensive livestock producers. Australia’s exports consistently exceed one million tonnes. Canola is now Australia’s third-largest broad acre crop (after wheat and barley) and is widely grown across south-east Australia and in Western Australia: Figure 2: Canola production regions within Australia
Average annual canola production:
Area planted 2254000ha
Total production 3million metric tonnes
Figure 3: Annual Australian canola production
Since the first commercial planting of canola in Australia in 1969, Australian canola production now makes up for 15-20% of the world’s export trade.
Sustainable Cotton
The Australian Cotton industry along with The Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), work toward a common goal: Australian cotton growers grow more cotton on less land, with more efficient water use and with less impact on the environment than ever before.
Committed to sustainability and continuous improvement, the Australian Cotton industry is dedicated becoming the most environmentally and socially responsible producer/supplier of cotton in the world and become a global leader in sustainable agriculture by delivering evidence based assessments of sustainability and environmental performance.
The CRDC has invested $200 million in research and development over the past 24 years with an estimated minimum $1.4 billion benefit return. Cotton Australia has recently joined two international sustainability partnerships: the Cotton LEADS Program and the Better Cotton Initiative as well as the introduction of myBMP; the Australian cotton industry’s voluntary farm and environmental management system for growers to improve on-farm production. myBMP ensures that the Australian cotton growers produce economically, socially and environmentally sustainable …show more content…
cotton.
Sustainable Canola
One of Australia’s primary export markets for canola is the European Union (EU) along with China, Japan and Pakistan. In recent years, European Union has become the most valuable market for Australia’s canola exports with about 70% of the demand for use in biodiesel.
In late 2010, due to our world’s depletion of fossil fuels, the European Union implemented a requirement that “any biomass which was used to produce eligible biodiesel would be produced in a ‘sustainable’ manner.” This requirement, the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), established specific criteria for sustainable and renewable sources in order to produce environmentally friendly biofuels.
As a result of the this, the Australian canola export supply chain then implemented a sustainability certification scheme to avoid any trade or export restrictions involving canola export to European Markets. Currently, there are several Australian canola companies whom have established requirements that cultivated seed must be certified sustainable to comply with RED standards. These companies include Glencore Grain, ADM, Cargill Australia and SQP Grain. Each company has their own form of declaration along with their own modified sustainability requirements. Australia has exported over 5 million m/t of canola to countries within the European Union (EU) over the past three years and, thanks to these declarations, will continue to export to the EU trade market.
Soil conservation
The main changes in management of cotton soils over the past 30 years as evidence of the Cotton industry’s enhancement of soil conservation have been: an overall reduction in tillage, widespread adoption of controlled traffic-permanent bed farming systems and increased application of nutrients in response to higher crop yields and the need for fertilizer replacement of nutrients.
Cotton is grown in rotation with other crops (generally legumes) to increase nutrient level in the soil and are sometimes left ‘fallow,’ allowing a natural build-up of nutrients to reduce the necessity for fertilization. Many cotton farmers use organic fertilizers such as chicken and feed lot manures, and some are experimenting with bio-solids, or human waste products. With the help of myBMP, in 2011, already a significant decrease was seen in cultivation and stubble burning as well as increases in the use of controlled traffic farming systems to reduce soil compaction and to retain permanent beds and soil testing for fertilization decisions along with the use of manures or composts for fertilizers in nutrition
programs.
Although irrigation-induced soil salinity/salinization is not a widespread problem, it remains a recognized risk for irrigated cotton as a consequence of excessive deep drainage which can create rising water tables so monitoring is ongoing.
By definition, sustainable agriculture is the production of food, fibre, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare. This form of agriculture enables us to produce healthful food without compromising future generations' ability to do the same. Without sustainability, the world’s future generations of farmers will be faced with extreme agricultural issues and be faced with having to produce food, fibre, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that account for the poor quality of environment in which to produce these. Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals--environmental …show more content…
health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. The following report aims to compare the Australian cotton and canola industries with particular attention to agricultural sustainability in terms of soil conservation, water management, management of weeds pests and diseases as well as biodiversity protection and economic risk management.
Cotton
Cotton is an important crop world-wide, producing a range of essential products from all-natural fibre to oil and animal feed and the most widely produced natural fibre in the world. Australia produces three percent of the world’s cotton producing enough fibre to clothe 500 million people, but is the third largest exporter, behind the US and India. More than 99 percent of Australia’s cotton is exported. Australia’s average yearly cotton production has risen dramatically - from 9,000 bales in the 1960’s to an average 3.9 million bales. Over the last 20 years Australia’s cotton yield has increased by 38%. There are more than 1200 cotton farms in Australia, directly employing 10,000 Australians in a non-drought year.
Annual cotton production on average for the last five years (2009-2014):
Irrigated planted area 354,775 ha
Dry land planted area 96,074 ha
Irrigated crop yield 9.85 bales/ha [2236 kg/ha]
Dry land crop yield 4.09 bales/ha [928 kg/ha]
Total production 881,463 metric tonnes [3.9 million bales]
The gross value of production $2 billion
Average cotton area per farm 495 ha
Average profitability $410/ha
Figure 1: Annual Cotton Production in Australia
Canola
Canola seed is grown to produce canola oil, a useful vegetable oil used in a range of cooking and manufacturing applications and canola meal, the dry matter left after the oil is extracted and is a valuable high protein livestock feed supplement. A minor crop in the late 1980s, Australia’s canola crops have grown to a size and quality that meets the high expectations of exporters, domestic crushers and intensive livestock producers. Australia’s exports consistently exceed one million tonnes. Canola is now Australia’s third-largest broad acre crop (after wheat and barley) and is widely grown across south-east Australia and in Western Australia: Figure 2: Canola production regions within Australia
Average annual canola production:
Area planted 2254000ha
Total production 3million metric tonnes
Figure 3: Annual Australian canola production
Since the first commercial planting of canola in Australia in 1969, Australian canola production now makes up for 15-20% of the world’s export trade.
Sustainable Cotton
The Australian Cotton industry along with The Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), work toward a common goal: Australian cotton growers grow more cotton on less land, with more efficient water use and with less impact on the environment than ever before.
Committed to sustainability and continuous improvement, the Australian Cotton industry is dedicated becoming the most environmentally and socially responsible producer/supplier of cotton in the world and become a global leader in sustainable agriculture by delivering evidence based assessments of sustainability and environmental performance.
The CRDC has invested $200 million in research and development over the past 24 years with an estimated minimum $1.4 billion benefit return. Cotton Australia has recently joined two international sustainability partnerships: the Cotton LEADS Program and the Better Cotton Initiative as well as the introduction of myBMP; the Australian cotton industry’s voluntary farm and environmental management system for growers to improve on-farm production. myBMP ensures that the Australian cotton growers produce economically, socially and environmentally sustainable …show more content…
cotton.
Sustainable Canola
One of Australia’s primary export markets for canola is the European Union (EU) along with China, Japan and Pakistan. In recent years, European Union has become the most valuable market for Australia’s canola exports with about 70% of the demand for use in biodiesel.
In late 2010, due to our world’s depletion of fossil fuels, the European Union implemented a requirement that “any biomass which was used to produce eligible biodiesel would be produced in a ‘sustainable’ manner.” This requirement, the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), established specific criteria for sustainable and renewable sources in order to produce environmentally friendly biofuels.
As a result of the this, the Australian canola export supply chain then implemented a sustainability certification scheme to avoid any trade or export restrictions involving canola export to European Markets. Currently, there are several Australian canola companies whom have established requirements that cultivated seed must be certified sustainable to comply with RED standards. These companies include Glencore Grain, ADM, Cargill Australia and SQP Grain. Each company has their own form of declaration along with their own modified sustainability requirements. Australia has exported over 5 million m/t of canola to countries within the European Union (EU) over the past three years and, thanks to these declarations, will continue to export to the EU trade market.
Soil conservation
The main changes in management of cotton soils over the past 30 years as evidence of the Cotton industry’s enhancement of soil conservation have been: an overall reduction in tillage, widespread adoption of controlled traffic-permanent bed farming systems and increased application of nutrients in response to higher crop yields and the need for fertilizer replacement of nutrients.
Cotton is grown in rotation with other crops (generally legumes) to increase nutrient level in the soil and are sometimes left ‘fallow,’ allowing a natural build-up of nutrients to reduce the necessity for fertilization. Many cotton farmers use organic fertilizers such as chicken and feed lot manures, and some are experimenting with bio-solids, or human waste products. With the help of myBMP, in 2011, already a significant decrease was seen in cultivation and stubble burning as well as increases in the use of controlled traffic farming systems to reduce soil compaction and to retain permanent beds and soil testing for fertilization decisions along with the use of manures or composts for fertilizers in nutrition
programs.
Although irrigation-induced soil salinity/salinization is not a widespread problem, it remains a recognized risk for irrigated cotton as a consequence of excessive deep drainage which can create rising water tables so monitoring is ongoing.