HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE!!!

Discussion in 'The big picture' started by duanejen, Sep 16, 2009.

  1. duanejen

    duanejen Junior Member

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    HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE WRITTEN

    Tipping Point or Turning Point?

    They said it couldn’t be done – to bring together at least 55 farmers and agricultural consultants representing every conceivable pastoral philosophy for 2 full days and nights for harmonious dialogue. Add to this a dose of 19 scientific and social academics, 9 bureaucrats, two journalists, 5 former soldiers and a socio-economist and you probably have a recipe for disaster.

    Not so, particularly when one of the former soldiers doubles as a former Governor General and his name is Michael Jeffery. At ANU’s Kioloa Coastal Campus on the NSW South Coast last weekend some of Australia’s brightest and best converged to find a solution to the nation’s agricultural and environmental crisis.

    The event was sponsored by the Federal Departments of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (combined under Caring for our Country), CSIRO and NSW Industry and Investment (formerly the DPI). ANU’s Centre for Dialogue and the Fenner School of Environment and Society provided vital in-kind support while facilitation was brilliantly handled by Global Learning.

    Entitled “The Land Restoration Imperative – Many Pathways, One Goal”, the Dialogue provided the opportunity for round table discussion of all the major issues facing our food and agricultural sector – water, soils, vegetation, animal husbandry, human nutrition, rural employment and climate change. Experts in each field spoke briefly on each topic to stimulate wider discussion. As the programme developed, it became clear that everyone had a way to deal with the problems and the similarities in results were startling.

    The goals of maximum moisture retention, balanced soil biology, resilient pastures, healthy animals, mineral-dense food, engagement with the urban community and adaptation to climate variability were universally embraced. The methods adopted by permaculturalists, natural sequence farmers, cell grazers, carbon farmers australia (sequestration), pasture croppers, holistic managers, biological/bio-dynamic/organic practitioners in achieving these objectives might seem to be diverse, but on closer inspection are surprisingly similar.

    Having established a commonality of purpose, the Dialogue moved inexorably to the “How To Fix It” stage. Farmers are a proud and independent bunch and none of them believed that it was solely a government hand-out solution. Caring for our Country could provide a major portion of the funding for whole of catchment projects but landowners, business, the energy sector, taxation and employment avenues were also part of the answer.

    However, Michael Jeffery pulled an unexpected rabbit out of his hat. He introduced the assembled gathering to Outcomes Australia, a pro-bono organization under his chairmanship and comprising a who’s who of Australian movers and shakers. Those who give their time free of charge to address difficult issues include bankers, doctors, lawyers, the media, engineers, company CEOs, scientists and professional thinkers. Outcomes Australia has recently agreed to put its considerable weight behind the Land Regeneration project with a major emphasis upon the recognition that water, its supply, use and regulation is pivotal.

    “Our water has to be controlled at the national level with a value attached to it that equates to its importance”, General Jeffery told the Dialogue. “Unless we can address the threat to world-wide water and food security, we stand to see conflict on a scale unknown since WWII. World peace in the face of catastrophic global warming, depends substantially upon providing safe water and nutritious food to a population set to double by the middle of this century.”

    General Jeffery encouraged his agricultural troops by saying, “Australia can lead the way in demonstrating to the rest of the world that degraded landscapes can be rejuvenated.”

    For those who attended the Dialogue and those who wanted to be there but couldn’t, the work now starts. Everyone present knows the job ahead is enormous and they have already formed into expert teams to develop policies and plans to ensure that Outcomes Australia does indeed cure the ailing landscape.


    EVERYONE IS INVITED TO GET ON THE 'OUTCOMES AUSTRALIA' TRAIN AND BE PART OF RESTORING OUR LANDSCAPE AND BE A PART OF HISTORY WHICH WILL LEAVE OUR COUNTRY IN A BETTER STATE FOR ALL FUTURE GENERATIONS!!
     
  2. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Re: HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE!!!

    What a bloody good idea!
     
  3. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    Re: HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE!!!

    I can see Tony Coote and Peter Andrews in this and I guess that Jeff Lawton will be there now that he is running courses at Tony's place.These are people who can take the next step and we need to encourage and support them.
    intent-observation-intuition
     
  4. WolfJag

    WolfJag Junior Member

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    Re: HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE!!!

    Right on. I wish something like this would happen over here. Best of luck to you Aussies. If good results are produced, maybe our short-sighted politicians and other policy makers will set eyes on you.
     
  5. janahn

    janahn Junior Member

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    Re: HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE!!!

    They never mentioned it to me

    www.janahn.com.au
     
  6. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    Re: HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE!!!

    Oh dear how does it feel to be out of the loop.
    I first heard about it in the pub at Johnderian or was it Quinlow?
     
  7. janahn

    janahn Junior Member

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    Re: HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE!!!

    so true purple pear, i am gutted....totally....

    www.janahn.com.au
     
  8. janahn

    janahn Junior Member

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    Re: HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE!!!

    Micheal Jeffery suggests that water should be controled on a federal level...and all of the genuine thinkers here seem to agree...without thinking...water is best controled on a local watershed basis. Because there is a talk fest headed by high profilers, it does not mean that it is "state of the art thinking". Maybe it is, but unless they have addressed "the simple to fix problem" of urban waste, little will be achieved. Every environmental problem is fixed with labour and good design. Every technique is already known.

    Like lambs to the slaughter...the avid envionmetalists follow...because somebody says something that is appealing..it must be right.

    Best example last week of organisers of Enviroweek telling people to eat less meat because it uses too much water.
    Cattle industry responded with absolute bulldust to counteract their claims. Neither side was right, but a lot of people are satisfied simply because it "sounds right"

    www.janahn.com.au
     
  9. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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    Re: HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE!!!

    G'day janahn

    Where is "here"? Is "here" the PRI Forum?

    Maybe "already known" to a select few, but surely not to the vast majority of those that make up the mass production/mass consumption 'western' capitalist cultural paradigm that is predominately responsible for the "environmental problem"? Therefore isn't it an imperative that we have these conversations, and continue to have them until the message gets through?

    Granted, there is a lot of misinformation out there, a lot of 'greenwash'. Of course some 'environmentalists' are going to jump on the (very) 'light green' bandwagon from time-to-time, only to find that the wheels fall off a few miles down the track. This is why it is so very important for people to have opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the complex nature of the tasks that lay ahead before they act. I think it was Mollison who once said, "One hundred hours of thinking = one hour of work", or words to that effect?

    Perhaps now would be a good time then to enlighten those very same people as to the true reason why "neither side was right"?

    True, but that could also mean that we should not be so quick to tar all of the participants with the same brush. After all, the event was titled, "The Land Restoration Imperative – Many Pathways, One Goal".

    "High profilers" aside, people such as Andrews do have an important message to get across, and we should be doing everything within our power to provide these people with suitable platforms, and not just bagging them en mass.

    Perhaps there is some 'sour grapes' shining through here, janahn, as you did not receive an invitation? Why not join in for the next "talk fest", and share with everyone your own 'pathway' towards the 'one goal'? After all, we are all in this leaky boat together.

    Cheerio, Mark.
     
  10. janahn

    janahn Junior Member

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    Re: HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE!!!

    Satire may be misunderstood by some for "sourgrapes"

    My shop is open now to the public, everything I have learnt to do with land is on display.
    No Doctors lawyers or bankers will be seen anywhere.

    Good idea re Enviroweek vs Cattlemen.

    I will prepare a posting.

    https://www.janahn.com.au

    PS People like Andrews are genuine workers. Its the Bankers Doctors and Lawyers I was taking a shot at.
     
  11. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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    Re: HISTORY IS ABOUT TO BE MADE!!!

    G'day again janahn

    Thanks for your response.

    Oh, OK. I was never very good at interpreting satire.

    Why, are not these people very influential within the greater (mostly ignorant) community, and therefore the very people that you should have visiting your farm?

    Look forward to it. Oh, and by the way, I like the look of your farm, and more importantly, what it represents. Well done!

    Cheerio, Marko.
     

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