Sustainable farming project expands

An Australian first, Project Catalyst provides economic support to sugarcane farmers to trial and adopt cutting-edge sustainable farming practices in a bid to reduce the environmental impact that sugarcane production has on the Great Barrier Reef.

In its second phase, the quality of more than 77,000 megalitres/year of run-off and drainage water has been improved, with almost 140 tonnes of pollutants per annum no longer entering the fragile Great Barrier Reef.

These results are primarily due to the 53 sugarcane farmers currently involved in Project Catalyst, who are trialling sustainable farming innovations in such areas as GPS-guided controlled farming, pesticide and soil management, and irrigation planning.

The Coca-Cola Foundation, which has already committed US$1.25m to Project Catalyst, will provide a further US$500,000 to support the program’s expansion, with 20 additional farmers planned to join the project in its next phase.

The success of the project, in its second phase of operation, has led to positive overseas interest, with international delegates from global companies such as Kraft Foods, Bacardi, BP and Coca-Cola USA flying into Queensland to attend a Project Catalyst field trip in Mackay on Saturday, 12 November.

Project Catalyst is funded and jointly run by the Coca-Cola Foundation, WWF-Australia, Reef Catchments and North QLD Dry Tropics and Terrain NRM groups.

Additional funding for farm-based incentives is provided by the Federal Government through its Reef Rescue program and Project Catalyst outputs are linked to the Paddock to Reef Program (a joint Commonwealth and Qld Government-funded initiative).

Coca-Cola South Pacific Public Affairs and Communications Manager Michelle Allen said the success to date was a result of the collaborative nature of the initiative.

“The diverse stakeholders involved have enabled Project Catalyst to achieve greater success than if one partner had tried to deliver these initiatives in isolation,” Allen said. “The innovative practices being trialled and validated have the potential to pave the way for the development of the best practices of tomorrow both locally and globally.”

Will Higham, Operations Manager for Land & Water at Reef Catchments, said promising innovative solutions were being developed under Project Catalyst.

“Practices such as latest-technology, GPS-guided farming systems and chemical-management strategies are having positive environmental and economic impacts,” Higham said. “Phase two results show that the development of innovative farming systems using precision agriculture and fewer fertilisers and herbicides are improving water quality and creating better economic returns for growers.”

Project Catalyst Burdekin grower David Cox joined the project last year and welcomes plans for an additional 20 growers from the Burdekin and Wet Tropics regions in 2011/12.

“Project Catalyst provides the ideal environment to share my own aspirations and ideas for sustainable farming with fellow growers, and I’m looking forward to more growers involving themselves in the program into the future,” Cox said. “The growers and partners within Project Catalyst have been positive about the benefits that can be realised through testing innovation on farms and have allowed growers to lead the process and showcase what can be achieved.”

“The work being done through the Project Catalyst partnership is vital for the health of our Great Barrier Reef,” said WWF-Australia’s Rob Cairns, Program Manager for Sustainable Agriculture.

“The improvements being made by cane growers are really encouraging. We see this work as an opportunity for Australia to take a strong lead in developing innovative practices that are better for farmers and better for the Great Barrier Reef.”