I must justify from a scientific and biblical perspective the statement below. Anyone got any ideas?

Question

"The loss of 40% of aus. food from the murray darling fruit and vegie growing region is an unavoidable circumstance."

For my agriculture assignment.......help!! :P

Answer 1

It's easy...  Either it's God's punishment for the immoral acts of the government or of the people or of some of the people OR it is a result of variation in weather patterns and environmental/ecological changes which reduced the  agricultural productivity of the region.  

I don't mean to be glib because I recognize this is an important issue that is having a direct affect on people's lives but...  What kind of school are you attending that gave you this assignment?

God helps those who help themselves but, unfortunately, if the agricultural problems in this region are due to climate change, we do not have the technology to change this quickly so helping ourselves in the short term will be very expensive and, at best, only a bandaid.

Answer 2

I don't know if you can justify the loss as a  scientific or biblical perspective or not, but the drought in Australia seems to have been unavoidable.

After a sudden turn for the worse in seasonal conditions midyear and without immediate widespread rainfall, winter crops including wheat in many parts of eastern Australia look like failing for the second consecutive year, which would make it the third year in the past six.

Feed for livestock is dwindling and water inflows to the Murray-Darling basin, the food bowl of Australia and the major area for irrigated agriculture, are at record low levels.

The low level of irrigation water available has led to talk of a need to cut water to permanent agricultural plantings, such as citrus trees, to preserve supplies for humans and livestock.

Potentially at stake is the viability of many farming areas and communities in rural Australia.

As for the Bible, it sounds a lot like these verses in Haggai Chapter 1.

Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."

    7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. 9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands."

I make no judgment on anyone, especially on Australia, but am just pointing out some things that seem to go along with your question.

Answer 3

I'll get back to you when my "religious expert" wakes up and I can ask her. The wrath is upon those who wake her from divine respite.

Found it in Leviticus 24 thru 26 but you should look at most of this book as what you want is spread out.

The Sabbath Year

    1 The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. 6 Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your male and female servants, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, 7 as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten

18 " 'Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. 20 You may ask, "What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?" 21 I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. 22 While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.

As I said there is a lot more but these are the principals for crop rotation and also offerings to the poor (native outback tribes who don't farm but gather?) to take care of them. If you read threw Leviticus you will see many references to the law regarding land. Things were made very simple to undersatnd for the common person and reasoning for the law and scripture, the word of God. The bible presents these laws in a way that the regious can "celebrate" the codified verse by word of mouth from the religious heirarchy and so do the proper thing as understood when presented as Gods word. Easy to remember when you see how it was presented in this book. You can imagine the tradition being handed down as simple people gathered and spoke in their homes and farms. Also note that there are punishments for not following the codes and one might interpret that if you fail to follow the law of the land then your not blessed and you will loose a great deal, your 40% ?