Setting the benchmarks for the 'responsible farmer'

摘要

ONE OF the seven themes of the National Land and Water Audit discusses the relationship between the condition and management of natural resources used in agriculture and the economic and social consequences. This part of the Audit has some alarming news for those farmers who are unaware of what is happening, and poses four serious questions: as an individual land manager, are you mining your land? are your farming practices causing a deterioration of water quality? do you treat most of your farm insome sort of average way or do you manage different land classes differently? are you one of the few truly profitable farms, and if not, are you going to do something about it?