Australian Farms and the Challenges they face

Australian farms and farming communities

About ninety per cent of all cattle are used for beef. Queensland and New South Wales are Australia's main beef cattle producers, with the Northern Territory contributing to ten per cent of the beef cattle market.

Farming is an economically and culturally important part of life in Australia.

Many Australians are directly or indirectly involved in farming. For those Australians not involved with farming, the country's recent rural and agricultural history still has strong links to the heritage and culture of Australia.

 

An overview of the history of farming in Australia

In the first few decades after European settlement in Australia, farms developed around the early settlements. These farms mainly grew wheat crops and raised sheep that had originally been brought over from Europe

Farming in Australia today

Economic importance of farming in Australia

Agriculture is an important sector for the Australian economy, generating up to $43 billion in gross value each year.

Farming employs around 370,000 people across Australia.

Although agriculture is not as extensive as at its peak in the mid 1970s, farms still take up around sixty per cent of all the land in Australia.

Farms in Australia have traditionally been family businesses, passed on from generation to generation. However, since the 1950s, international economic factors and changes in farming methods have lead to larger farms being more economically viable than small ones. The number of farming families in Australia has steadily decreased and the average size of farms has increased.

Many modern farmers find that they struggle to make a profit and some are forced to find extra work off the farm to supplement the farm income.

Types of farming in Australia

Different types of farming are mainly concentrated in the areas that suit them best, depending on water availability and climatic conditions.

Livestock grazing activity, mainly sheep and cattle, takes up the most land in Australian agriculture. Sheep are mostly found in New South Wales, Western Australia and Victoria.

Drought and other impacts of the Australian climate

One of Australia's most well-known poems, My Country by Dorothea Mackellar, contains the lines 'A land ... of droughts and flooding rains'. To many people, this sums up the difficulties of being a farmer in Australia.

Australia is the world's driest inhabited continent; only Antarctica has less rainfall. Large tracts of land throughout inland Australia are prone to droughts, sometimes lasting several years.

Irrigation is a very important factor in making farming viable in inland Australia. Vast irrigation systems, such as the Snowy Scheme have been established to divert water inland for farming. Water is also obtained by boring underground and is stored in dams on farms.

Australian soils generally have a low fertility, so superphosphate and nitrogen are widely needed to compensate. Farmers also face challenges dealing with soil erosion and salinity.

The cultural importance of farming in Australia

 

Even though over sixty per cent of Australians live in the capital cities, as a nation Australia still recognises its close affinity to the unique landscape of the countryside and to those who live on the land.

Regional centres and towns are important social and economic communities throughout Australia. Whereas the capital cities are concentrated mainly along the Australian coast, rural towns have spread across the country's interior to service the outlying farms and farming communities.

Many country towns and farming communities are popular tourist destinations for Australians and international visitors. They offer an opportunity to gain an insight into the history of Australia, to enjoy the more relaxed lifestyle, to sample the local food and produce, and to admire the beauty of the farming landscape.