Drought !

It seems that we have entered a new El Nino weather pattern and inland Australia is experiencing the ever tightening grip of drought.   Unfortunately, past history indicates that this weather cycle can last many months - and in extreme cases - persist for years.

Already we are seeing country towns facing water restrictions and many farmers are buying feed for their herds.  Inevitably, as drought persists adjustment will become scarcer and the cost of hay and other feed supplements will rise sharply.  This will quickly find it's way into the national cost of living.

This drought is coming at a particularly bad time.   We are losing our entire car manufacturing industry and some people blame the government for refusing to kick in millions of subsidy dollars to keep it in Australia.  The fate of a major fruit processing plant is under threat, and once again the " bail out " option is being canvassed by a multi-national owner.    Even our iconic airline - Qantas - is in trouble and faces an uncertain future.

Drought assistance to farmers seems certain to become controversial.  Some will argue that if we are not prepared to give subsidies to maintain jobs in the cities, the same thinking should prevail where farmers are concerned.   The industry should put money aside in good times - to tide it over when a drought shrinks incomes.

We are a nation of small farmers.   More importantly, these small farmers control the national food supply and we are living in an increasingly hungry world.  A country that lacks the ability to feed it's people is certainly vulnerable in time of war - or when a world food shortage fails to meet demand.

Perhaps our future is not in the arena of " making things " because of our high wage structure.   We have the broad area of an entire continent - and perhaps our future is in " growing things " - that a hungry world desperately needs.

The pattern of drought has persisted for centuries and we live in the times of innovation.  If we are to be the " clever country ", we need to bring this innovation into action to " drought proof " our farming industry to create stability.   I'ts a big ask - and it will cost a lot of money - but it is technically feasible.

We have unlimited fresh water to our north - delivered by the Monsoon each year.  Capturing it and holding it is an engineering undertaking that would rival the Snowy Mountains scheme, and then it would require a pipeline to carry that water to the farming areas of the south.   Wind and solar would generate the power to keep those pumps running.

Drip irrigation has enabled deserts to bloom in many countries.  Relatively small amounts of water used in a productive manner are more economical than open canals and water wheel irrigation from a long past era. We need to be innovative and use water sparingly - and the know how already exists to make this happen.

If contractions in our manufacturing base are going to shed jobs, bringing to fruition a major national strategy to drought proof the farming industry could provide the job relief we will desperately need - and ensure our future as one of the world's major food producing countries.

How we deal with this drought could be the tipping point !