“In my role as National Soil Advocate, many of the thousands I have consulted reminded me that Australian agriculture also faces the global imperative to do more with less (less productive land, less water, lower inputs). They also emphasised the need to address declining levels of soil carbon, increasing soil acidification and loss of soil and nutrients resulting from erosion. Immediate and ongoing action is needed to ensure that Australian agriculture can continue to be productive, clean and profitable, to demonstrate the use of sustainable management practices our trading partners are now looking for, and to build the resilience we need to live with climate change and associated extremes in weather.”
Restore the Soil: Prosper the Nation
Restore the Soil: Prosper the Nation is a powerful plan for restoring Australia’s soils, written by Major General Michael Jeffery, National Soil Advocate in 2017. In it he draws together the ideas gathered during his extensive consultations as the National Soil Advocate and makes 10 recommendations to protect and improve the health of Australia’s soil, water and vegetation for the benefit of all Australians.
READ THE FULL REPORT HEREInterview with Major General Michael Jeffery: The National Soils Advocate
“As the Soils Advocate, I have been tasked by the Prime Minister to increase awareness of and advocate the critical importance of conserving and improving agricultural soil and landscape conditions to: benefit the environment; enhance agricultural productivity and realise continuing economic benefits; and secure sustainable food production systems.”
– Major General Michael Jeffery, National Soil Advocate.
On 18 July 2019, Major General Michael Jeffery, former Governor of Western Australia and Governor General of Australia, was re-appointed National Soils Advocate by the Prime Minister of Australia. On his first appointment to the role in 2012, he focussed his attention on understanding the roles, responsibilities and interconnectivity of groups involved in natural resource management and advocating the importance of prioritising soil health in the broader context of landscape management. Click the button to read his interview with the Future Directions Institute.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HEREMichael Jeffery's speeches about regenerative agriculture
- Opening speech at The ADC Global Blockchain Summit, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, March 2019
- Opening speech at Third International Controlled Traffic Farming Conference, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, February 2019
- Soils For Life Workshop, side event at Third Global Soil Security Conference, Sydney, NSW, Australia, December 2018
- Keynote at the Food Futures Conference 2018, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, November 2018
- Opening speech at the 2018 Negative Emissions Conference: Integrating Industry, Technology and Society for Carbon Drawdown, Acton, ACT, Australia, October 2018
- Keynote at the 2018 National Landcare Conference, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, October 2018
- Opening speech at the official opening of the Cooperative Research Centre for High Performance Soils (Soil CRC), Newcastle, NSW, Australia, August 2018
- Address at the Australian Davos Connection (ADC) Forum, Beijing, China, July, 2018
- Address at the Australian China Sustainable Agricultural Technology Forum, Salamanca Inn, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, May, 2018
- Keynote at the Farming for Sustainable Soils Conference, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, March, 2018
- Address at the Talkin’ Soil Health Conference, Katanning, Western Australia, Australia, March, 2018
- Watch Michael Jeffery’s welcome speech at the Platinum Producers’ Annual Conference in May 2019.
- In a February 2019 interview on Radio WA, Michael gives a terrific explanation of what we do at Soils For Life and how it is relevant to anyone who eats. Listen here
