CANBERRA, Jul 5 (NNN-AAP) – Australia’s national science agency is driving the adoption of a drought-resistant shrub, to help farmers survive a dry winter.
Under its Drought Resilience Mission, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), encourages livestock farmers across Australia’s south-east to plant hundreds of thousands of Anameka Saltbushes.
Developed over 15 years by the CSIRO, the elite variety of saltbush grows in all conditions and has higher nutritional value and improved palatability for livestock.
Its wider adoption is being promoted by the national science agency, in drought-prone regions for the first time, amid dry conditions heralded by an El Nino event.
“Anameka Saltbush is a moderate-energy, high crude protein and sulphur feed source that is full of essential minerals and antioxidants,” Hayley Norman, a CSIRO agricultural scientist, said in a media release today.
“It grows well on most landscapes, and once established, Anameka Saltbush can become a ‘living haystack’ for grazing livestock for more than 20 years, if managed correctly.”
“We’re now bringing these benefits to new regions across Australia’s south-east, to carry farmers through poor seasons and build their resilience to drought.”
According to CSIRO modelling, the shrub offers farmers economic returns 20 percent higher than standard saltbushes.
Livestock that graze on the bush also yield greater meat and wool production.
Anameka has traditionally been grown in Western Australia to manage salinity, but has now been adopted by 325 farmers across the country.
Launched in 2021, the Drought Resilience Mission, aims to reduce the impacts of drought in Australia by 30 percent by 2030.– NNN-AAP
