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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 - Subtropical Slopes And Plains
Subtropical Slopes And Plains
Benchmarking Rural Industries' Practices and Productivity Performance and Review of Industries' Capacity to Change
Where is horticulture produced in the Subtropical Slopes And Plains?
The horticulture industry's Subtropical slopes and plains production region includes the following growing areas: Lockyer Valley, Qld; Granite Belt, Qld; Darling Downs, Qld; Burnett, Qld; Warwick, Qld.
In this region, horticulture is produced on 15,278 hectares of land.
How much horticulture does the Subtropical Slopes And Plains produce?
Horticulture production in this region in 1998 included:
- 268,086 tonnes of horticultural product comprising 189,032 tonnes of annual crops and 79,054 tonnes of perennial crops;
- an average of 15.4 tonnes of horticulture product/hectare; and
- $181 million dollars worth of horticultural product, 67% from annual crops and 33% from perennial crops.
Production from the major crop types grown in the region is presented in the table below. These figures do not account for the entire horticulture industry in this region.
| Crop | Area (ha) | Production (tonnes)(ha) | Value ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asparagus | - | 480 | 2.8 |
| Beans and Peas | 210 | 1,000 | 1.0 |
| Brassicas | 925 | 1,570 | 12.1 |
| Cucurbits | 555 | 5,870 | 2.3 |
| Leaf Vegetable | 840 | 31,005 | 20.3 |
| Melons | 715 | 12,915 | 5.5 |
| Onions and Garlic | 200 | 6,455 | 3.9 |
| Peppers | 200 | 2,535 | 3.4 |
| Pome Fruit | - | 29,000 | 28.0 |
| Potatoes | 865 | 20,290 | 9.2 |
| Root Vegetable | 345 | 11,770 | 2.3 |
| Stone Fruit | - | 6,080 | 10.2 |
| Sweet Corn | 325 | 3,945 | 1.8 |
| Tomatoes | 380 | 9,925 | 10.6 |
- signifies no information available
What land and water resources are invested in horticulture production in the Subtropical Slopes And Plains?
This region is predominantly (approximately 70%) subtropical, with areas of persistently dry grassland in the west and temperate areas with no dry season in the east. Average annual rainfall in this region varies from 400 mm in the inland, western areas, to more than 600 mm toward the coast. 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 15°C and a maximum of 30°C in the north.
In this region, horticulture product is grown on 15,278 hectares of land. This production is comprised of 9,729 hectares of annual and 5,549 hectares of perennial. There are approximately 5,855 hectares of irrigated vegetable crops (annual) and 3,345 hectares of irrigated fruit crops (perennial) in this region.
What environmental challenges face the horticulture industry in the Subtropical Slopes And Plains?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 main environmental challenges facing the horticulture industry in this region as identified by the extension officers are:
- soil loss;
- options for storing farm chemicals; and
- options for disposing of chemical containers.
How is the horticulture industry meeting these environmental challenges in the Subtropical Slopes And Plains 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 Subtropical Slopes And Plains 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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