In response to what has been called Australia's worst drought in a thousand years,1 on Tuesday January 23rd Woolworths will donate its entire supermarkets profits from all Australian Woolworths & Safeway supermarkets to the Country Women's Association to help farming families with household bills, and for research into sustainable farming practices.2 A commendable action, to be sure: this is Australia's sixth consecutive year of drought. Statistics show that the country's most important river system, within the Murray-Darling Basin, could run out of water within months.3 Crop losses have resulted in soaring wheat prices and even recession in some rural areas.4 Every four days an Australian farmer takes his own life.5 Woolworths' donation will make an immediate difference in the lives of many farmers and their families. But if farmers don't move to sustainable farming methods for the long term, these social, economic and environmental conditions will continue. I wanted to know more about Woolworths "ongoing commitment to sustainable agricultural development."6
To find out more about the fundraiser, I spoke to Woolworths spokesman Luke Schepen and CWA National President Lesley Young. Schepen said Woolworths National Drought Action Day is expected to raise three to four million dollars for drought relief around the country. He said some of the donation "will be helping to put food on the tables, providing farmers with immediate support for household needs including paying bills, buying groceries and fuel." Young said the CWA has been distributing federal assistance and organising events and activities related to farm relief for years, and that the Woolworths donation would be distributed in a similar fashion. Families will be able to download applications for the Woolworths funding from the CWA website starting April 1, 2006, and further information will be available on the CWA and Woolworths websites in the coming days.
As for the use of the remainder of the funds, the details are sketchy. Schepen said it "is going into research to make sure that we can keep putting Australian grown produce on the table," but could give me no specific information about what that might entail. Neither Young nor Schepen mentioned how the funds would be divided between the two causes, but a statement attributed to Woolworths CEO Michael Luscombe on the Queensland CWA's website says "The majority of the money raised will primarily be used by the Country Women's Association to provide immediate support for rural families' household needs..." (emphasis mine). While Woolworths press release states that "100% of the donation will be directed to the Country Women's Association,"7 Young indicated that it was not yet determined whether the CWA would be involved in distribution of the funding for sustainable agriculture research. Schepen didn't directly respond to questions about how the drought was affecting Woolworths or the supermarket industry, or what the drought would mean for future business. Neither Young nor Schepen wanted to contemplate the ramifications of possible permanent drought conditions.8
According to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), climate change is intensifying the drought, 9 and the drought is exacerbating climate change.10 Recent UN figures show that Australia's greenhouse gas emissions were the highest per capita in the west, apart from Luxembourg, and that they had grown by 1.5 tonnes a head since 1990.11 Sustainable agriculture practices such as Landcare farming, Permaculture, Yeoman's keyline design, biodynamics and organics, if adpoted on a broad scale, can ameliorate the effects of drought and can significantly reduce Australia's emissions.
Young told me, "we've got children living out in some of those [rural] areas that can be six and seven and eight years old and have never actually seen it rain." Without continued and serious long term commitment, on a national level, to sustainable agriculture and to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, never seeing rain will be the least of the problems for Australia's youth.
I hope that all Australians make the time to shop at Woolworths on January 23, to help farmers and to show their support for sustainable farming methods. Retail giants like Woolworths have the potential to initiate real change, if their customers tell them that's what they want. After our interview, Luke Schepen suggested that I conduct a follow up interview with Woolworths CEO Michael Luscombe after National Drought Action Day. Once the funds are tallied, if the show of support is large enough, perhaps Michael Luscombe will be able to shed further light on Woolworths "ongoing commitment to sustainable agricultural development."
Click here to hear the entire interview with Country Women's Association of Australia's National President Lesley Young. (mp3, 5 min 22 sec., 2.5MB)
Click here to hear the entire interview with Woolworths spokesman Luke Schepen. (mp3, 5 min 22 sec., 2.5MB)
Click here for an inspiring Flash video by permaculturalist Geoff Lawton demonstrating the success of sustainable farming practices using the principles of Permaculture. (1.5MB)
Andi Hazelwood is a correspondent for Global Public Media and currently serves as the Relocalization Network Australasian Regional Coordinator for Post Carbon Institute. Stay tuned to relocalize.net for a follow up on Woolworths National Drought Action Day, and to Global Public Media for her upcoming in-depth coverage of Australia's drought. Contact Andi here.
1 - Australia suffers worst drought in 1,000 years, John Vidal, Guardian Unlimited, 8 Nov. 2006
2 - Woolworths CEO pledges substantial support for drought relief, Woolworths press release
3 - Australian drought 'worst in 1,000 years': expert, Breitbart.com, 7 November 2006
4 - Australia battles bushfires as drought scars land, Michael Perry, Reuters, 13 October 2006
5 - Beyond Blue calls for rural counseling, National Nine News, 19 October 2006
6 - Woolworths CEO pledges substantial support for drought relief, Woolworths press release
7 - ibid.
8 - Australia's drought may stay for keeps, Benjamin Lester, Cosmos Magazine, 15 December 2006
9 - Global warming intensifying drought patterns: CSIRO, ABC News Online, 16 October 2006
10 - Droughts could boost global warming: scientists, ABC News Online, 16 July 2006
11 - Australia suffers worst drought in 1,000 years, John Vidal, Guardian Unlimited, 8 Nov. 2006
Comments
January 23rd, 2007
Woolworths drought relief questioned
[I just wanted to preface this with - these are my personal views and beliefs from what I have learnt, researched, read, heard and seen over the past few years...]
I must admit, I really struggle with the whole idea of Woolies supporting the drought affected farmers. I do not shop at Woolies, personal ethics prevent me from doing so after what they did in Maleny, their Wal-Mart-like approach to the consumer market, the proliferation of their supermarkets (one in Chancellor Park, one in Buderim, another in Mountain Creek - all within about 5kms of each other, just ridiculous), the questions raised publically about the 'freshness' of their food and the chemical-based (and oil and petroleum-based) agriculture they support to bring this food to the consumer table for low cost and high company profit. Also the payment farmers receive from Woolies for their produce - do they value our food producers enough? Do we value our food producers enough?
This large scale economic and chemical based approach to farming - I believe - has put us and the climate in this precarious situation. Broad desertification of land for farming equals lack of rainfall and we are all paying the price now. How many times do we need to see that aerial vision on the news of a tractor ploughing dust? The Earth's atmosphere is interconnected - cutting down trees in Africa will result in catastrophic weather events in Europe - just like we've seen already. You cut down trees - you stop it raining.
The emissions of our petroleum based food production is adding to global warming and on top of that, agriculture uses 70 per cent of our total water supply - yet home gardeners are being restricted in their water use. (Isn't watering a vegie patch in your own backyard more important and the least destructive thing we can do?) As David Holmgren said in his recent tour of the country and advice I intend to follow... "We must resist the restriction on water use for home food production."
I personally cannot support Woolies initiative (public relations strategy?) to provide money to farmers to support this continued practice. Personally I'd like to see an approach along the lines of the film "The Dirt on Farmer Joe" - how a farmer turned his failing land into productive organic food and made a substantial living for himself and his family while providing fresh, organic produce direct to his community. Our farmers must be valued more and we must appreciate and respect our food sources. We cannot continue to abuse our food systems and our farming lands and take, take, take. The dvd The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil shows the way, their farmers are now as highly paid as doctors.
I think this quote sums it up...
"Human vanity is best served by the reminder that, whatever their accomplishments, sophistication, or artistic pretensions, humankind owe their very existence to a six inch layer of top soil and the fact that it rains." Author unknown.
That's my piece.
Sonya
Rain Tree Organic Farm
Sunshine Coast
Queensland, Australia
January 23rd, 2007
One hand giveth...
Thanks for that well-elucidated opinion Sonya. As I live and work in Maleny, I find Woolworths' offer particularly bittersweet.
I don't think that one day's worth of working to help farming communities counts for much if the other 364 days of the year are devoted to weakening them.
Still, it is at least a step in the right direction. If only this were the first in a long journey. However, I suspect that it is merely a side-shuffle in a dance with public opinion.
Barry
Maleny, QLD
January 24th, 2007
constant pressure
Thank you both for your replies, I was hoping you'd chime in! It is highly unlikely that the Woolworths and Walmarts of the world will simply vanish. That, coupled with the fact that corporate giants like these have the money and power to initiate real change, makes me believe that folks like us need to support them when they do the right thing and suggest other solutions when they don't. We have to think and act cooperatively with each other as well as with our local, regional and national governments and businesses for the best possible transition into a low energy future.
As an update to the story, yesterday's Woolworths National Drought Action Day raised $4.7 million, greatly exceeding expectations. According to the latest press release, two thirds will go directly to farming families in need while the other third (that's over $1.5 million) will go to "an initiative to support sustainable agriculture". Woolworths will work with the CWA and the National Farmers Federation to determine the best use of that last third. It seems to me this would be a good time for the permaculturalists and other sustainable farming experts to make their voices heard by submitting case studies and hard information to Woolies, the CWA and the NFF letting them know that we support this effort, telling them what we know on the subject, and how we think the money should be spent- and to encourage them to continue these positive efforts every day, not just for a one-off fundraiser.
Sure, Woolies has a long way to go. But hey, so do I! But by letting them know I approve of this type of behaviour, perhaps it will continue. Rejecting it certainly won't motivate them to do it again.