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The 2017 Imperial Springs International Forum, jointly hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Australia China Friendship and Exchange Association (ACFEA), was held at the Imperial Springs International Convention Center on November 28th.
The forum invited over 20 international dignitaries for discussions on its theme of "Global Governance and China's Perspective." Former Governor-General of Australia Philip Michael Jeffery delivered the keynote speech, explaining Australia's latest efforts in protecting our planet. His proposal focused on three key elements: soil, water, and vegetation.
According to Mr. Jeffery, soil conservation was of great importance to sustainable development. The current population of the world is 7 billion, which is expected to exceed 9 or 10 billion by 2050. In order to feed so many people, both food and food production will have to increase by 60–70% in the same period. The task is daunting and will place a great burden on soil. Existing soil management can't do enough to produce the amount of food needed to feed the world.
There are two pressing issues related to soil conservation. The first is the degradation of cultivated land, with an average degradation rate of 1% each year globally, plus massive water loss and soil erosion. The second problem is the use of pesticides and chemicals – drugs that kill pests but degrade nutrients in the soil at the same time.
Mr. Jeffery's second key element was water. He said that a shortage of water resources was a common challenge encountered by all of mankind. Many countries, including China, India, and South American and Middle East countries, have introduced green initiatives to improve their ecological systems, but most environments were degrading and there was no way to reverse it.
Many water recycling systems were no longer able to regenerate natural water to sustain the nations' requirements. Pesticide residues in rivers were a detrimental effect of water runoff. Glaciers of the Himalayas were no longer able to provide adequate fresh water. Evaporation was another problem, with 5% of fresh water evaporating before it entered the soil, thereby losing the carbon in that water in the process. Droughts, waterlogging, floods, chemicals, and emissions of fossil energy are increasing the levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and we have no way to synthesize carbon or to make synthetic soil.
What can we do to address the water resource problem? Mr. Jeffery said that the answer was simple: store existing materials. On one hand, we should pay close attention to soil quality; on the other hand, we should continually remind ourselves of the burgeoning population of the world. We now have over 7 billion people and the pressing question is how do we feed these people using our existing soil supply? How can we apply water conservancy and hydrology theories to help preserve and improve soil quality? And how can we improve the quality of water injection in soil?
Equal attention should be paid to our existing cultivation methods. Soil, water and vegetation are closely linked to each other; if any one of these problems remains unsolved, problems for the remaining two will eventually become impossible to solve. For Philip Michael Jeffery, the top priority is to create a stimulating soil environment and find effective solutions for these three problems at the same time.
Mr. Jeffery demonstrated a convincing case in Australia. Researchers first set up a database with over 100 successful farming cases and they examined the internal relations among these three factors. These cases shared one similarity – farmers were able to create positive social and economic benefits and improve their farm yield. The case study formed a solid foundation for the agriculture sector in Australia to continue farming innovation.
Mr. Jeffery hoped that this Australian experience could be shared and learned by other countries. In his own words, it was "a soil project that is vital to life." In addition, Australia provided policy support to ensure the smooth implementation of these projects. The Australian Prime Minister will be introducing a new policy next week aimed at improving soil conditions and consolidating the links among these three factors. He extended an invitation for Chinese farmers to make full use of Australia's best practices.
To better handle these three factors, Mr. Jeffery called for closer cooperation on sustainable development within the international community. People should realize the strategic significance of soil, water, and vegetation, which were their nation's strategic assets. An independent management system must be put in place to deal with these three elements in a coherent manner.
Who will manage these agricultural resources? Farmers will bear the brunt of the effort. Mr. Jeffery expressed the view that each country should provide sufficient support to farmers, allowing them to fix prices of farm produce in a reasonable way. For soil that was beyond repair, it was the farmers' duty to cover the loss. There were about 130,000 farmers in Australia, who had made an enormous contribution to the farming industry of Australia. Farmers had also made great sacrifices in easing the pain of soil degradation, so it was natural to give farmers greater support.
How can we support farmers? First, we should price farm produce in a reasonable manner. Second, we can build farm-related infrastructure near schools, enabling students under 16 to understand the true value of soil, water, and vegetation, and the sustainable approach it takes to grow high-quality farm produce, raise healthy livestock, and provide foods that are safe. This approach would be effective in educating younger generations, making them think about how we can preserve our soil when they are still young.
Finally, we should carry out more scientific research in the agricultural sector. We should attach greater importance to agricultural science, especially in fundamental research, so that the latest findings can be applied to the majority of farmers in the quickest possible way. The knowledge structure of an industry, or the entire society, is very important. Why is fundamental research so important? The combination of soil and carbon can make the soil healthier, and if it has enough carbon, it will be able to retain water and nutrients. This is fundamental research. And how to evaluate carbon content more accurately, quickly, and cost-effectively is the direction that future agricultural research is headed.
The above three observations were proposed at the national policy level. There were over 100 ongoing agricultural research projects in Australia, and Mr. Jeffery hoped that these would give policymakers greater technical support. He also suggested that each country set up its own soil protection plan. To ensure the smooth implementation of this plan, at least one meeting should be held each year to supervise the implementation of the plan. Are there over 100 successful cases? What is the latest progress? To him, with concerted effort we will be able to build a long-term mechanism for soil protection.
Finally, Philip Michael Jeffery suggested that soil protection should be listed as a national strategy. By setting up small gardens near schools, we would be giving students a chance to learn the value of soil, water, and vegetation – and a chance to cherish the environment and understand how our food gets to our tables.
● The views expressed in the article are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and standpoints of the organizers.
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