The Wire

As the nation’s largest river system, the Murray Darling, continues to suffer from dry spells, it’s time to look at unorthodox alternatives for farming in the area. How about growing Hemp instead of cotton? The basin accounts for more than 40 per cent of Australia’s agricultural production and last year’s rainfall in the region was the third lowest recorded in over a century. Prime Minister John Howard has proposed an eight billion dollar budget to upgrade the irrigation system, while calling farmers and residents to “pray for rain”. South Australian Democrats Sandra Kanck is lobbying for change from cotton plantations to less water-needy crops such as hemp.