Dr Ed Barrett-Lennard believes a short growing season is the key to having productive salt-tolerant cereals (See Latest News).
Future Farm Industries CRC (FFI CRC) is playing a crucial role in developing new farming systems and technologies that will improve the resilience of Australian broadacre agriculture to climate change, climate variability and drought while improving productivity and sustainability.
The use of perennial plants is a primary focus of the CRC’s research because of their ability to cope with declining and variable rainfall environments while making a profit for the farmer. Deep roots allow perennial plants to capture and effectively use water at depth when there is little rainfall and remove excess water, which could otherwise contribute to salinity by recharging groundwater during wetter periods. Much of FFI CRC’s research is built upon the foundations of its predecessor, the CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity (CRC Salinity), which made significant headway in making saline lands more productive and sustainable through the use of perennial plants. CRC Salinity also identified that perennial plants could be applied productively to many non-saline farming systems.
FFI CRC is a unique co-investment and integration of activities between three major agricultural R&D investors, Australia’s largest agribusiness company, and the combined research might of six state agencies, four CSIRO Divisions and four universities. These Participants work together with companies, catchment management organisations and farm research groups to enhance the CRC’s adoption and commercialisation activities
FFI CRC headquarters is located at The University of Western Australia.
Its research, education and training collaborative activities are sited at 40 locations across southern and eastern Australia.
Future Farm Industries CRC Ltd was registered 25 May 2007 and commenced operation on 2 July 2007.
