CSIRO Scientist Points Up Efficient Use of Farm Inputs for Growth

During the Food Security from Sustainable Agriculture conference held in Christchurch, New Zealand last 15 November 2010, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) scientist Dr. Michael Robertson said that there is a big gap between what the farmers in Australia and New Zealand can possibly produce and what they currently produce. He mentioned that there is a consistent growth in production in both countries, but there is also an increasing amount of inputs such as fertilizer, fuel, feed, and labor.

Dr. Robertson challenged his fellow scientists with his statement "As researchers we now have a vital role in generating new technologies to meet the input use efficiency challenge and close the yield gap. Extension and adoption programs that take these new technologies onto farms will be crucial." He said that for the next 30 years, there will be a transformation in the ways on how farmers gather and comprehend information about farm activities, and how they communicate with other producers and other key agricultural sectors. This will lead to new ways of improving production and the rest of the agricultural industry.

For more details, visit http://www.csiro.au/news/More-efficient-use-of-farm-inputs-key-to-growth.html.