[Anthropgrad] RMAP ARGUMENT - Panel: Dr John Angus, Dr Eric Craswell and Dr Barney Foran. Moderator: Dr Michael Bourke - 4.30-6pm Monday 28 July

[RMAP Seminars]

IS AUSTRALIAN RICE A WASTE OF AUSTRALIAN WATER?

Moderator: Dr Michael Bourke
Panelists: Dr John Angus, Dr Eric Craswell and Dr Barney Foran

Monday 28 July 2008, 4.30-6pm followed by refreshments
Sparke Helmore Law Lecture Theatre 2, ANU

Abstract
Three eminent agricultural scientists will vigorously debate the issues 
of growing rice in Australia. Dr John Angus argues that rice is not a 
waste of Australian water and contests that high profitability along 
with the ability to change production in response to water supply, are 
positive factors. Disputing this position, Dr Eric Craswell illustrates 
the global perspective and highlights the incongruence of rice growing 
under conditions of scarce water supply. He recommends Australia abandon 
rice production and leave it to countries such as Thailand and Vietnam 
with a adequate water. The third scientist, Dr Barney Foran, argues that 
the 'rice and water' debate needs to be set within a consumption 
lifestyle frame and suggests that water policy must be based on analysis 
of 'full life cycle' impacts created by us, the consumers.

Biographical information

Dr John Angus (Division of Plant Industry, CSIRO Canberra 
<http://www.csiro.au/org/PI.html>) is an agronomist working at CSIRO 
Plant Industry with interests in the efficiency of nitrogen and water 
use by cereals and the role of crop sequences. His scientific interest 
in rice started as a visiting fellow at the International Rice Research 
Institute in the late 1970s and he has maintained contact with IRRI 
colleagues ever since. He also has a long-standing connection with rice 
research in the Riverina. He developed a decision support system that 
has been used for the past 14 years by Australian rice growers for 
tactical management of nitrogen, water, harvest timing and zone management.

Dr Eric Craswell (Fenner School of Environment and Society ANU 
<http://geography.anu.edu.au/fenner/welcome/>) has worked on nitrogen 
cycling and the efficiency of fertilizers for cereal crops at research 
centres in Queensland, United States and the Philippines. He spent an 
extended period working on land and water resources management in 
developing countries, including 13 years as Research Coordinator at the 
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research in Canberra, 
and 5 years as Director General of the International Board for Soil 
Research and Management in Bangkok. His last fulltime position was 
Executive Officer of the Global Water System project based at the 
University of Bonn in Germany. He is now a Visiting Fellow at the Fenner 
School on Environment and Society at the Australian National University.

Dr Barney Foran (formerly with Sustainable Ecosystems, CSIRO Canberra 
<http://www.cse.csiro.au/>) holds honorary research positions at the 
Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National 
University, the Institute of Land Water and Society at Charles Sturt 
University in Albury, and the Integrated Sustainability Analysis group 
at Sydney University. His research interests centre on making the 
transition to economies and lifestyles that are less impacting on land, 
water, biodiversity and atmospheric resources. His current research 
focuses on linking Australia's need for energy security and emissions 
reductions while improving economic resilience and equitable lifestyles. 
He has degrees in agriculture from the University of Queensland and 
ecology from the University of Natal.

Dr Michael Bourke (Human Geography ANU 
<http://rspas.anu.edu.au/hg/index.php>) has been engaged in research and 
development activity in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and 
Vanuatu for the past 37 years. His priority is to publish some 
substantial books that capture some of this experience in a concise and 
accessible form. His research interests include: village agriculture in 
PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu; the relationship between environment, 
crops and people; intensification of land use; sustainability of 
agriculture; responses to food shortages in relation to rural poverty 
and rural development.
-- 

Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Program

Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies

The Australian National University

RMAP Blog <http://rspas.anu.edu.au/blogs/rmap/>   RMAP Seminars 
<http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/seminars.php>   ANU Parking 
<http://transport.anu.edu.au/index.php?pid=93>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.anu.edu.au/pipermail/anthropgrad/attachments/20080723/4fd8b675/attachment-0001.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: ARG_rice_flyer.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 186138 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://mailman.anu.edu.au/pipermail/anthropgrad/attachments/20080723/4fd8b675/attachment-0001.pdf