permaculture

[Victor Guest <vic@daena.eepo.com.au>]

From: "John Vickery" <jvickery@iatp.org>
To: Multiple recipients of list <ag-impact@freedom.mtn.org>
>From Agnet, July 23

KNOW YOUR POISONS, SAVE YOUR RIVERS
July 23/98
CSIRO Australia Media Release

Understanding the behaviour of pesticides and other farm chemicals can
minimise environmental damage, according to researchers.  
A major conference in Canberra this week will use research being done in
the cotton industry as the basis for a broad investigation of riverine
contamination. The conference is being organised by the Land and Water
Resources Development Corporation, with the Cotton Research and
Development Corporation, and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission.
Three main objectives of the conference are the understanding of pesticide
movement in the environment, the environmental impact of pesticides, and
the development of improved rural management practices.

According to Dr Mike Raupach of CSIRO Land and Water, a vital aspect of
the research is finding out the different ways in which chemical
contamination can actually reach rivers and waterways.
Endosulfan is one of the major potential contaminants of the riverine
environment in cotton-growing areas, says Dr Raupach. It is the most
heavily used of a range of chemical pesticides, with cotton crops being
sprayed many times each year.
It is carried by several different pathways from the crop to the river.
Using field data, together with sophisticated computer modelling, we can
show that spray drift and runoff are very important contributors to the
concentration of endosulfan in rivers.

"We also needed to check whether vaporisation of the chemicals, after they
have been sprayed on the cotton plants, was an important source of
contamination. The model shows that this is not the case. Airborne dust
was also shown not to be a significant source," says Dr Raupach.
Dr Raupach says that LWRDC and its research partners the Cotton RDC and
the MDBC, have developed an innovative research program dubbed The Cotton
Model.

The Cotton Model has been demonstrated via a series of Round Table
presentations to targeted industries, including rice, horticulture and
sugar.  A major outcome of the Cotton Model has been the development of a Best
Practice Manual for cotton growers. Implementation of the Best Practice
Manual has already begun.  The Conference is being held on 23 - 24 July at
Rydges Canberra.




******************************************************
John Vickery, Senior Associate
     Environment and Agriculture
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
2105 First Ave., S., Minneapolis, MN  55404-2505   USA
612-870-3430; FAX -4846    jvickery@iatp.org
http://www.iatp.org/iatp/