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In this section you will find detailed information, including national overviews and state and regional level assessments, from the 2000-2002 National Land and Water Resources Audit theme assessments.
Agriculture - Horticulture - Arid Interior
Arid Interior
Benchmarking Rural Industries' Practices and Productivity Performance and Review of Industries' Capacity to Change
Where is horticulture produced in the Arid Interior?
The horticulture industry's Arid interior production region includes the following growing areas: Carnarvon, WA; Sunraysia, Vic; Sunraysia, NSW/Vic.
In this region, horticulture is produced on 4,394 hectares of land.
How much horticulture does the Arid Interior produce?
Horticulture production in this region in 1998 included:
- 85,753 tonnes of horticultural product comprising 14,882 tonnes of annual crops and 70,871 tonnes of perennial crops;
- an average of 19.5 tonnes of horticulture product/hectare; and
- $67 million dollars worth of horticultural product, 18% from annual crops and 82% from perennial crops.
Production from the major crop types grown in the region is presented in the table below. These figures do not account for the entire horticulture industry in this region.
| Crop | Area (ha) | Production (tonnes)(ha) | Value ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asparagus | - | 680 | 3.2 |
| Bananas | - | 9,070 | 12.8 |
| Citrus | - | 66,900 | 38.9 |
| Nuts | - | 915 | 6.2 |
| Stone Fruit | - | 3,435 | 5.1 |
- signifies no information available
What land and water resources are invested in horticulture production in the Arid Interior?
This region is predominantly (approximately 75%) hot, persistently dry, desert. The boundary areas of this region are generally grasslands that are either persistently dry or exhibit periods of drought. Average annual rainfall in this region varies from 50 mm in south, central Australia, to more than 400 mm in some areas along the region's northern boundary. Average annual temperatures in this region range from a minimum of 9°C and a maximum of 24°C in the south to a minimum of 18°C and a maximum of 33°C in the north.
In this region, horticulture product is grown on 4,394 hectares of land. This production is comprised of 734 hectares of annual and 3,660 hectares of perennial. There are approximately 673 hectares of irrigated vegetable crops (annual) and 2,503 hectares of irrigated fruit crops (perennial) in this region.
What environmental challenges face the horticulture industry in the Arid Interior?
The HRDC Report surveyed state agencies and selected key stakeholder/ industry representatives. This survey was intended to provide an indication of regional and industry environmental issues. The HRDC Report did not receive responses on the allocation of environmental challenges in this region. However, on the basis of the configuration of horticultural land use within the region, it is expected that the priority environmental challenges will relate to:
- soil condition;
- water quality;
- waste management;
- pest management; and
- vegetation protection.
The relative weighting of these will be determined by local landscape features.
How is the horticulture industry meeting these environmental challenges in the Arid Interior and across Australia?
The horticultural industry is responding to environmental challenges through a number of mechanisms, including:
- Industry strategic planning;
- Adoption of management practice;
- Development and implementation of Codes of Practice;
- Research and development; and
- Interaction with State government groups.
For more information on these programs, see the national horticulture industry page or the links to the web pages of these bodies in the further information section included below.
How do these environmental factors and responses affect the future prospects of the industry in the Arid Interior region?
Each of the horticultural AER regions need to respond to identified environmental issues in a coordinated manner. This approach involves the following steps:
- Establish a database that is consistent with industry and national production/ environmental reporting procedures
- Participate in the development of catchment level plans within the region
- Develop a set of regionally relevant management practices that are consistent with industry Codes and guidelines
- Initiate a regional action planning process to ensure acceptance and adoption of proposed practices
- Establish a set of environmental indicators to monitor environmental performance
Further information
Link to Map maker to make a map using this information.
Link to data available for download on "A spatially consistent sub-set of agricultural statistics (AgStats) data 1982/93 to 1996/97"
"Benchmarking environmental challenges and agricultural practice - an overview" report. Summary
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