Australian Government set to release a 20-year soil strategy and a 2023-2028 National Soil Action Plan.
The Australian Government will develop a new approach to soils advocacy as part of a more ambitious vision to invest in sustainable agriculture and on-farm climate adaptation.
As part of this broader approach, the role of the National Soils Advocate in its current form will not be continued when the current Advocate, the Hon Penelope Wensley AC finishes her term on 28 August 2023. Additionally, the Australian Government will soon release a 20-year soil strategy and a 2023-2028 National Soil Action Plan.
The government is continuing to invest in soils with $56 million announced in the May Budget to partner with state and territories to implement the National Soil Action Plan and a soil monitoring program to provide much-needed data to support decision making by farmers and land managers to improve soil management. The National Soils Action Plan is being finalised with stakeholders and is expected to be released in the coming months.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt said good soil management plays a big role in maintaining farm productivity. We need to maintain the perfect time to integrate soils within the broader context of sustainable land management. Improved soil management plays a critical role in underpinning the sustainability of our agriculture industry and responding to climate change. But we feel more can be done to approach it in a more integrated way.”
