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Agriculture New David Bellamy in Australia Professor David Bellamy has just been in Australia to promotea film he's made on the crisis in world dry land agriculture. “Wheat Today, What Tomorrow?” was produced by Barrie Oldfield, president of the Western Australian branch of The Men of the Trees. In the film Prof. Bellamy takes the viewer around the world, looking at the farms that have become part of the expanding deserts of the world. The sad fact is, he says, by the end of this century 35% of the world’s once-productive farm land will have been turned to desert because of bad management. SE clogically sound production hasto _ing in Australia or you knit the country- be possible, because it isn’t financially side back together again with trees and viable to let all the soil just blow away. It make it work. And business will actually must allcomedowntomoneyeventually, takenotice if youshow them how youcan so it is possible. make money. I think things are changing. Whoever’s in power has got to either When I was sitting in (Hobart's) Ris- say, ‘All right, we're going to wrap up —_ don Jail, I suddenly realised the only way wheat farming -it’saloadofrubbishand we're going to get the Holmes a Courts we shouldn’t be doing it here. Let it go’. and the Bonds and the rich people to sit Or they have to say, ‘We must make it upand take noticeis to show them how to economically viable, and the way todo make money. If wecan show that we can that isto put a perennial cropinbetween’. giveaninvestment which will give return Not wrap up wheat farming, but put in the long turn, then it starts to work. perennial crops all over the southern And it is actually beginning. lam now carob gum fron wheat belt -allofasudden the wheat belts director of three companies - biotech goes to Americ in between your perennial crops become companies - I'm now an advisor, and here. You’ve gol that much more productive. They can investors are talking realconservationist the streets! Why make a profit and actually start to pay. sense. And why are they talking conser- Why not get the: And when you think that the taxpay- _-vationist sense? Because they know they and feed them ers of Western Australia finance the de- canactuallymakemoneyattheend ofthe that have to gru! struction ofthe environment fortheclear- _ line- whereas so many people areinvest- wheat plant and ing and planting of wheat, whydon’tyou __ ing in things and the soil blows away. when they coulc start actually financing putting the soil back? There are an awful lot of people out of work here, unfortunately, om oi of TV Co: those would desperately like a job. There Ima very pris ways. I must be world who's tre “Conservation is not about stopping things. It’s about making things go in the right direction.” are jobs to be done and | think both sides -the labour unionson oneend, have got to turn around and say ‘Yes, these people should be allowed to do those jobs’ - and Here in Perth you've got lotsofcarob _and seen the tol the capitalists should be saying, ‘Yes, we trees that were planted a longtime ago. —_fortona world s want to put finance in’. They werebroughtinfromtheHolyLand you see so muct I was standing at the front ofthe hotel and theyre a marvellous tree with a long IfIcanleanc where I was staying and a very well- brown bean attached. The little seeds in _ thing to happen dressed bloke popped up to me and said, therealwaysweighthesameamountand = ‘thisis good for: “I'm a farmer and I had to sell out my they were the carat of diamonds. I was in getting somew! farm.” lasked him why,andit wasastory the Holy Land last yearand actuallysaw may see David that J actually made a film about: diamonds weighed with the seeds. certain sort of n “I sold my farm to a big investment The Boy Scouts have been doing re- good for the env company and now they’re coming back search into these beans and found that Conservatio to me and saying, ‘We can’t make any some of these carob beans have a 68% __ things. It’s abou money out of it’.” sugar content. They’re fallingoffthetrees the right directi ... Twenty-five percentofallthefarms - there are people out of work here, why —_ enough to lean: in Australia aregoingtogointothehands aren't they out collecting them and what we believe of big business. Either you wrap upfarm- selling them? Atthe moment youimport —_ weve been succ ing in Australia or you knit the country- side back together again with trees and make it work. And business will actually takenotice if you show them how youcan make money. I think things are changing. When I was sitting in (Hobart's) Ris- don Jail, Isuddenly realised the only way we're going to get the Holmes a Courts and the Bonds and the rich people to sit upand take noticeis to show them how to make money. If wecan show that we can givean investment which will give return in the long turn, then it starts to work. And it is actually beginning. I am now director of three companies - biotech companies - I'm now an advisor, and investors are talking real conservationist sense. And why are they talking conser- vationist sense? Because they know they canactually make money at the end of the line - whereas so many people are invest- ing in things and the soil blows away. carob gum from the Middle East which goes to America and then comes back here. You've got these beans growing on the streets! Why allow them to fall down? Why not get them out onto the wheat belt and feed them to those poor old sheep that have to grub up all the bottom of the wheat plant and put dust up into the air, when they could be eating carob? “Conservation is not about stopping things. It’s about making things go in the right direction.” TV Conservation Ima very privileged person in many ways. I must be the only botanist in the world who's travelled the whole world Here in Perth you've got lotsofcarob —_ and seen the totality of evolutionary ef- trees that were planted a long time ago. _fortona world scale. It gets so sad because They werebroughtinfromtheHolyLand you see so much being destroyed... and they‘re a marvellous tree with a long IfIcan lean out of the most capitalistic brown bean attached. The little seeds in _ thing to happen - the television - and say therealwaysweighthesameamountand —‘thisis good for conservation’, then we're they were the carat of diamonds.I wasin _ getting somewhere. One day you even the Holy Land last yearand actuallysaw may see David Bellamy advertising a diamonds weighed with the seeds. certain sort of motorcar or two which is The Boy Scouts have been doing re- _ good for the environment. search into these beans and found that Conservation’s not about stopping some of these carob beans have a 68% _ things. It’s about making things grow in sugar content. They’re falling offthetrees the right direction. And if we are brave - there are people out of work here, why —_ enough to lean out of the TV set and say aren’t they out collecting them and what we believe as conservationists, then selling them? Atthe moment youimport _ we've been successful. NEXUS New Times Five - Winter 1988 Prone on the prustisies 7 Gerson tonnes Meenaan RSE W 7204 [021 860 3900 TV Conservation