Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/131975
news&views Water for food security Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke believes that water scarcity will be the cause of serious food shortages worldwide in the next 15 to 20 years unless the issue is addressed now. Delivering the annual City Food Lecture in London this year, Bulcke suggested the problem will be exacerbated by population growth and an increase in meat consumption, but could easily be averted if the food industry concentrates on sustainable water usage. Currently, more than twothirds of all fresh water is withdrawn by agriculture, but the physiological need of plants is about half this amount, Bulcke said in his keynote speech titled Water – the Linchpin of Food Security. "The main challenge – water for farming – is also the main opportunity as the saving potentials in agriculture are still huge." New energy management program at Bond Foreign investment debate China's largest food manufacturer and trader, COFCO, is looking to buy a Barossa Valley winery, to produce wine and market it under the company's Great Wall label, sparking debate about foreign ownership of Australian soil. Liberal senator Bill Heffernan, who is chairing a parliamentary inquiry into the issue, is concerned the current national interest test is out of date. "The Foreign Investment Review Board [FIRB] … needs to redefine what are the rules and regulations about foreign investment," he told the ABC. Nationals senator Fiona Nash agrees, saying the current test is not strong enough, and warning of the longlasting consequences of selling prime Australian land. Currently, almost 10 per cent of Australia's cultivated land is foreign owned and the FIRB has never rejected an application for foreign ownership of agricultural land. 50 Bond University in Queensland has partnered with US Ivy League university Dartmouth College to introduce a Master of Energy Management degree qualification to its academic offerings – the first of its kind in Australia in the field of energy sustainability. The program aims to produce worldclass energy experts with skills that meet Australia's looming conservation needs and to provide global perspective and industry connections. Professor George Earl, dean of the Institute of Sustainable Development and Architecture at Bond University, said this was an exciting development for both the university and the industry because energy management is a key component of Australia's future economic growth. "What we are focusing on is how we conserve and better use energy and power, and that is fundamental to the growth of Australia," Professor Earl said. "The course will produce world leaders in this field by transforming engineers to energy managers with the ability to look at buildings, new developments and urban design and how we can make them much more energy efficient." Surat Basin Energy & Mining Expo Southern Queensland's largest event for the resources industry, the Surat Basin Energy & Mining Expo, is back for its third year in 2013. To be held from June 19 to 20, this year's event is expected to be three times the size of its inaugural year and will again be held at the Toowoomba Showgrounds. Event organiser Bob Carroll attributes the escalating interest in the expo, both locally and internationally, to the frenetic activity in the region, as well as exciting infrastructure announcements such as the Surat Basin Rail project. The expo offers an invaluable networking platform for the Surat Basin area and an opportunity for key stakeholders to do business face-to-face. It provides a place for visitors to seek employment within the mining sector, to develop new business relationships and to source services and equipment. The 2013 event will exceed last year's record turnout, which saw the expo attract 438 participating companies occupying 520 exhibitor sites, 7,000 visitors over the two days, and sales estimated at $54 million. Pre-registration is free at www.suratbasinexpo.com.au, or register on the day for $10.