Viticulture Farming in Upper Hunter Valley - Case Study Example

Student’s Name: Lecturer: Subject: Date Due: Viticulture Farming in Upper Hunter Valley Table of Contents 1. List of Group Members 2. Executive summary of the Project 3. Situation Description (a). Group description, location, activities (b). Current production requirements (c). Challenges faced by the group and farmers in the region (d). Catchment Action plans and the environmental impacts of past practices 4. Situation Analysis (a). The gap between the production proposals, catchment plans and company requirements. (b). Available alternatives and their analysis and problem analysis 5. Conclusion List of Group Members 1. 11. 2. 12. 3. 13. 4. 14. 5. 15. 6. 16. 7. 17. 8. 18. 9. 19. 10. 20. Executive Summary The AGEN1001 F09C GROUP consist of viticulture farmers who are mainly concerned with the identification of the various challenges that are affecting vineyard farmers within the Upper Hunter Valley Region and providing the necessary solutions to the difficulties so as to meet the demands of the funding company. These problems mainly consist of factors that have a direct or indirect effect on the quality of farm produce. These include factors that have effects on the soil, water, atmosphere and the environment in general. Through this project, the group shall address the environmental effects of the past practices and determine if the recommended practices were applied. The project will consider the current production volumes and quality of viticulture produced by the group with reference to the proposed production practices. This will enable us to confirm if at the current production rate and quality we are realizing the company’s proposals. It will also enable the group to come up with realizable strategies to meet the company’s requirements. In order to meet the prerequisites of the funding company, the group will, through this project, analyze the gap that exists between the current proposals for productions, catchment action plans and the conditions of the company. The project will examine the proposed practices and the means by which they can be applied as a buffer against the challenges. Apart from the scrutiny of the practices, the project will in addition address the unknown issues on the challenges and recommend studies that should be furthered in an attempt to find solutions to the difficulties. Lastly, through this project the group will discuss the strategies it will apply in order to solve the difficulties and also come up with a list of actions it will take to facilitate the funding. Description of the Situation Description of the Group, its location and activities AGEN1001 F09C GROUP consists of 20 members and mainly carries out its viticulture activities in the Upper Hunter Catchment area. The Hunter River forms one of the largest river valleys with an estimated catchment area of over 2.2 million hectares. The region posses a distinctive diversity of both vegetation and landscape which comprises the dissected sandstones of the Great Dividing Range, open grasslands and woodlands, alpine rainforests and alluvial flood plains. The Hunter River catchment has become a key centre and has a wide range of industries that mainly concentrate in activities such as coal and gas mining, horse breeding, transport, farming and viticulture. However, all these industries have been directly or indirectly linked to the problems that face the ecosystem of the region. The Hunter Valley region is widely known for its viticulture practices and provides a wide variety of services that runs from vineyard operations to cellar doors. The region produces a wide variety of wines and as a result has attracted worldly renowned companies such as Tyrell’s and Lindeman’s which have started their production plants in the region. The viticulture practices have also attracted foreign investors, particularly from China, in the past decade thereby heightening the competitions within the industry. The successful agricultural activities in the area have been attributed to the rich alluvial soils, temperate climate and quality water supplies, and proximity and availability of access to major markets such as Sidney. Current Production Requirements, Practices and Effects on the Ecosystem Nevertheless, the increased activities in both mining and agricultural sectors in the recent past have led to reductions in the quality of wines produced in the region and subsequent destruction of the ecosystem. For instances, studies carried out on aquifers in the USA and Europe revealed traces of harmful. These disclosures have in turn led to various requirements by the markets with the purpose of ensuring the quality and safety of the viticulture and other agricultural products used by individuals. One such stipulation requires that the production processes of viticulture are ecologically sustainable. The degradation of the ecological system of the Upper Hunter valley has been attributed to the past agricultural practices. These practices included: poor and minimal soil conservation, pollution of the waterways, destruction of cover plants and biodiversity habitats, salinity and acidity of the soil that may be as a result of improper and excessive use of fertilizers and agrochemicals, and the invasion of the region by the African Olive and other weeds. The challenges and the recommended solutions are as follows: Challenges Faced by the Group and Farmers in the Region One of the key challenges that face the group is salinity. According to the hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Plan 2013-2023, salinity is considered as a major challenge to farmers in NSW. It is approximated that it costs the state government closes to $200 million in losses that are attributable to poor quality of produce, lack of suitable water that can be utilized to irrigate the lands and infrastructural damage that tend to increase the cost of production in the industry and the overall cost of the finished products in the market. The plan notes that the poor soil structure is responsible for the high levels of soil erosions in the region and that the soils are easily broken down and would often consist of high levels of salts. Although the presence of salts can be attributed to the fact that some parts of the Hunter Valley region were once under the sea water (ancient marine sediments have been discovered in areas such as Singleton), the salinity of the region has been noted to be because of release of the naturally occurring salts by the ground water into the rivers and creeks. The group has also noted that the water quality in the region is another key problem faced by the farmers. The low quality of the water has been attributed to other activities in the region such as mining and agriculture. These activities are responsible for polluting the rivers in the region. The coal and gas mining companies discharge their effluence into the rivers and other waterways. Excessive and unmonitored use of pesticides and herbicides in the agricultural fields has also led to pollution of the waterways thereby reducing the quality of water that is not only available for human use but also for other agricultural functions such as irrigation. The pollution has also led to the destruction of the biodiversity habitat and has been attributed to the various imbalances in the ecosystem of the region. Apart from causing ecological imbalance, the various forms of pollutions within the region have also been noted as the causal factors for the various health challenges within the population in the Hunter Valley. For instance, people living close to coal factories are likely to suffer from lung and chest infections due to the discharge of harmful gases by the factories. Users of polluted waters are also likely to suffer other complications. Another serious challenge faced by viticulture farmers in the Hunter Valley Region is the invasion of the area by African Olive. African olive is a noxious weed that originated from Africa and was first used in Australia between 1930 and 1970 as a decorative feature plant. The weed is destructive to the native ecosystem, environment and areas that are set aside for agricultural and horticultural functions. The weed destroys the biodiversity of the region through its belligerent competition for the limited resources with other plants. The resources comprise sunlight, water and other nutrients that are found in the soil and the ecosystem. To achieve its competition purpose, the weed ensures that it blocks other plant species from receiving sunlight, which is useful in the photosynthesis process, thereby eliminating them. African Olive has negatively impacted on the flora and the habitat of the biodiversity of the Hunter Valley through creation of significant imbalance in the ecosystem and by changing the natural environmental conditions. Moreover, the invasion of the region by the weed has resulted in huge losses as a result of loss in production capabilities that is mainly caused by the elimination of crops by the weed and also the harming of livestock. It is estimated that the Australian government looses approximately $8 billion due to weeds. This huge loss is as a consequence of the huge amounts of money used in the management of various weeds, reduction in the biodiversity habitats and losses incurred during the production process. Another major challenge faced by farmers in the Hunter Valley Region is the infestation by various pests. The pests destroy the vineyards in that while some pests suck the succulent juices from the plants, others such as the ball worm and army worms eat and destroy the leaves of the plants. This has in effect called for drastic measures to be taken. These include the application of various pesticides during the various growth stages of the vines. While it has been noted that the pests can greatly reduce the earnings of farmers due to their destructive nature, use of excessive pesticides in farms may lead to the development of resistance by various pests. This implies that the pests can no longer be killed using those pesticides. This calls for the development of new pesticides. The excessive use of pesticides in the region has also led to the imbalance of the ecosystem. That is to say, the pesticides have led to the death of various organisms the in the hunter valley ecosystem. A good example of how pesticides have destroyed the ecosystem was the use of the banned pesticide DDT in reducing and wiping out mosquitoes. In the long run, it was found out that apart from wiping out mosquitoes, the pesticide was responsible for the mutation and death of animals such as frogs thereby causing an imbalance in the ecosystem. We also noted that the pesticides are expensive and therefore can not be easily afforded by the farmers. Catchment Action Plans and Recommendations In order to enable viticulture farmers reap maximum benefits from their land and produce, the Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Action Plan 2013-2023 together with the government of Australia have come up with proper plans and strategies. These strategies include diversion of surface water away from eroding areas in order to prevent the breakdown of soils, encouraging top dressing of the soils that are low in fertility. This can be done using recycled compost manure and organic manure so as to enhance soil fertility and stabilize the soil. The need to effectively control the weed inversion in the Hunter Region and Australia in general has seen researchers come up with five basic principles and objectives. If correctly followed, the objectives and principles will ensure that the weeds are effectively managed thereby reducing losses incurred in production and subsequent degradation of the biodiversity habitats. These objectives include: putting in place effectual weed management and coordination strategies in order to lower the effects of the weeds in the region, recognition of knowledge gaps so as to enhance effectual management and scientific perception of the issue of weeds in the affected areas and strategic amplification of awareness on the issue of weeds within the affected communities and creation of awareness amongst stakeholders so that together they can carry out effectual and well coordinated weed management initiatives in the affected regions. The principles also call for implementation of early detection and treatment approaches for new weed invasions and the enhancement and standardization of both the data capturing techniques and the monitoring processes. In order to disclose the quality of water used in the irrigation of vineyards, the group has recommended that water bug survey should be carried out so as to establish the health of waterways within the Hunter Valley Region. Water bug studies mainly concentrate on macro-invertebrates that comprise water habiting organisms such as crustaceans, worms, mollusks and insects. These life forms are significant determinants of the quality of waters they habit. Proper surveillance of number and types of macro-invertebrates that in habits a specified waterway can disclose the health of the water body in that, many types of water bugs within a given waterway denotes that the waters are healthy while fewer living organisms may translate into unhealthy waterway. Absence of many organisms may be attributed to pollution and other environmental factors. The water bugs are important to the balancing of the eco-system due to the fact that they provide for to other living organism such as birds, fish and frogs. For instance, Mayfly nymphs are chemically sensitive and can not survive in waters that are oxygen deficient. The nymphs form the diet for the trout and other fresh water fishes. Therefore, low presence of the mayfly nymph within specific water way may be attributed to the presence of pollutants in the water. This in effect has a direct impact on the trout population within the ecosystem. The group has also called for the mining companies to carry out responsible mining and discharge of their waste products. That is, the companies should ensure that whatever they discharge into the rivers and the atmosphere does not cause harm to the biodiversity habitat and the human population. Apart from that, having noted that water is a scarce resource and very useful for viticulture farming, the group has come up with various means of conserving and recycling water. These include activities such as mulching and planting of cover crops that retains and increases the moisture levels within the soil and construction of dams that can be used for both storage and recycling purposes. To facilitate the protection of the biodiversity habitats, the farmers are encouraged to properly use the pesticides, fungicides and agrochemicals. The group has also implemented the use of other methods that improves and maintains the biodiversity habitats such as planting of trees that ward off pests and the use of cover crops and organic manure. Lastly, the reduction of the effects of pests within the region has seen our group come up with various solutions. These include: the use of other biologically and ecologically friendly means of controlling pasts such as planting of trees that are capable of warding-off the pests. We have also recommended that we use ecologically friendly pesticides. Apart from that, the group members are keen on the usage of pesticides on their farms and as such ensure that they are no excessive use of pesticides to avoid pollution of the environment in order to maintain the balance within the ecosystem. The group has also been practicing other pest control methods such as crop rotation and destruction of the affected fields before the pests spread to other fields. Recommendations The group recommends that its members and other farmers in the region should re-seed the affected lands with the native grass, shrubs and trees. If taken into account, this activity will ensure minimal loss and degradation of the soil, improvement of soil health, carbon and aeration and will also prevent the effects of acid sulfate soils and salinity. Additionally, we recommend that the stakeholders in the projects should also be involved in the conservation and recycling of water through construction of dams, creation of awareness on why we should conserve our waterways and also help the group in advocating for the discharge of safe wastes into the waterways. The group has also recommended its members to avoid excessive and unnecessary use of water. Lastly, the group recommends that further research should be conducted on the issue of soil salinity in order to come up with cheaper means of managing the levels of salinity. And that the government and other stakeholders should join the farmers in the pursuit of the best pesticides and herbicides to be used in the vineyards. Analysis of the Situation The gap between the production proposals, catchment plans and company Taking into consideration the current production process and the requirements of the company, there is a wide gap that will have to be filled. However, the group has already met some of the demands. These are in the areas such as increasing ground cover through the planting of perennial plants, cover crops and trees, improving soil conservation and maintaining and increasing the biodiversity habitats. The areas that we have not sufficiently met as a group include the efficient use and recycling of water and the proper use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides in order to reduce the levels of pollution caused by the chemicals. The group has, therefore, embarked on educating its members on the importance of using fertilizers and pesticides properly. The group has also stressed on the importance of efficient use and recycling of water. Monitoring of chemical use and water conservation, and will also reduce the levels of pollution caused by the agrochemicals and fertilizers. Therefore, in contrast to the initial practices the group has met most of the requirements proposed by the funding company and is currently working on the remaining few. Other Available Alternatives The group has considered the following alternatives in cases where the necessary product for conservation is scarce or absent. Utilization of wastes realized from the wine production process for the purpose of increasing and conserving the amount of water in the soil. Mulching using the wastes also increases the number of living organisms, especially earth worms, in the soil and also reduces the amount of water wasted. The practice also ensures minimal usage of water in irrigation as the fields takes several days to dry. Another useful alternative that the group has considered in a bid to conserve the waterways and to minimize their pollution is the recycling of waste water. Run off water from the farms can be collected in a common reservoir and reused to irrigate the fields during the dry seasons and can also be utilized in various farm activities such as in the processing of the wines. Lastly, the group also noted that in the near future it would enhance the production of organic wines. Conclusion In a nut shell, even though the recommendations were not practiced in the past, we recommend that the firm consider this group for funding because the group has already met most of the requirements of the company and is in the process of meeting the remaining few. Also, the group intends to create more awareness on the importance of conservation of the environment. Another venture that the group intends to undertake in order to meet the demands of the company is to start making organic wines. We, therefore, seriously take into consideration the requirements and if given a chance we shall deliver the best viticulture produce while also ensuring that the environment is properly conserved. Read More