agricultural production value (ABS 2017a), making Queensland a significant agricultural producer or around 8% of Queensland’s economic output (Department of
Agriculture and Fisheries 2018). The value of food processing and distribution in
Queensland (incorporating manufacturing and retail and services) is estimated to be
almost $14.3 billion for 2015–2016 for a sector which employs around 246,500
people (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2018).
Despite the changes in reporting practices, the actual numbers of agricultural
businesses are declining. Rural Queensland is experiencing population decline in
many areas. Between 2006 and 2011, there were around 20,000 fewer farmers, a fall
of over 11% in just 5 years and a decline of over 40% from 1981 to 2011 (ABS
2012a). Drought and selected declining commodity prices have all contributed to
this loss. This chapter outlines examples of current initiatives to address food waste
and those emerging business opportunities including biofuture products (biochemicals and biofuels) through simple plate to paddock practices associated with recovery of urban collected organics for farm nutrients. There are also established and
emerging opportunities for a range of commercial and industrial waste (resource)
streams which provide valuable resources into high-technology nutrient fertilisers.
Whilst there is more recognition and awareness to ensure that organics and valuable
soil nutrients are captured and returned/recycled to farmland in a ‘plate to paddock’
approach, some of these ‘waste/resource streams’ have emerging and newly
recognised risks associated with their application to farmland, particularly land
used for food production.
8.2 Queensland’s Climate
Queensland is a temperate and typically sunny state, ranging from tropical to
sub-tropical conditions, with average summer temperatures of 29
C and average
winter temperatures around 16
C. Most of Queensland receives more than half of its
annual rainfall during the summer months (December–February) with average
rainfall varying from less than 200 mm in the central-west region to over
3200 mm on the far north coast (Australian Government 2017a). Queensland
benefits from a varied range of climatic zones and microclimates which facilitate a
wide diversity of growing conditions and the ability, in some areas, to provide
multiple cropping opportunities within a single year. As such, agricultural production is distributed across different climatic zones and also geographically. Much of
the most productive arable land is located in the south-east areas or closer to the
coast, whilst western parts of the state are dry and drought prone and more widely
utilised for grazing purposes. Northern Queensland is affected by the seasonal
migration of the monsoon across the equator. This results in a distinct dry season
(May to September) and wet season (October to April), with the latter part of the wet
season characterised by monsoonal activity. South-East Queensland is characterised
by a range of climates from sub-tropical in the north through to temperate in the
south, with a typically drier winter and wetter summer. This area is also influenced
8 Sustaining Queensland’s Agricultural Sector: Challenges and. . .
119
Agriculture and Fisheries 2018). The value of food processing and distribution in
Queensland (incorporating manufacturing and retail and services) is estimated to be
almost $14.3 billion for 2015–2016 for a sector which employs around 246,500
people (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2018).
Despite the changes in reporting practices, the actual numbers of agricultural
businesses are declining. Rural Queensland is experiencing population decline in
many areas. Between 2006 and 2011, there were around 20,000 fewer farmers, a fall
of over 11% in just 5 years and a decline of over 40% from 1981 to 2011 (ABS
2012a). Drought and selected declining commodity prices have all contributed to
this loss. This chapter outlines examples of current initiatives to address food waste
and those emerging business opportunities including biofuture products (biochemicals and biofuels) through simple plate to paddock practices associated with recovery of urban collected organics for farm nutrients. There are also established and
emerging opportunities for a range of commercial and industrial waste (resource)
streams which provide valuable resources into high-technology nutrient fertilisers.
Whilst there is more recognition and awareness to ensure that organics and valuable
soil nutrients are captured and returned/recycled to farmland in a ‘plate to paddock’
approach, some of these ‘waste/resource streams’ have emerging and newly
recognised risks associated with their application to farmland, particularly land
used for food production.
8.2 Queensland’s Climate
Queensland is a temperate and typically sunny state, ranging from tropical to
sub-tropical conditions, with average summer temperatures of 29
C and average
winter temperatures around 16
C. Most of Queensland receives more than half of its
annual rainfall during the summer months (December–February) with average
rainfall varying from less than 200 mm in the central-west region to over
3200 mm on the far north coast (Australian Government 2017a). Queensland
benefits from a varied range of climatic zones and microclimates which facilitate a
wide diversity of growing conditions and the ability, in some areas, to provide
multiple cropping opportunities within a single year. As such, agricultural production is distributed across different climatic zones and also geographically. Much of
the most productive arable land is located in the south-east areas or closer to the
coast, whilst western parts of the state are dry and drought prone and more widely
utilised for grazing purposes. Northern Queensland is affected by the seasonal
migration of the monsoon across the equator. This results in a distinct dry season
(May to September) and wet season (October to April), with the latter part of the wet
season characterised by monsoonal activity. South-East Queensland is characterised
by a range of climates from sub-tropical in the north through to temperate in the
south, with a typically drier winter and wetter summer. This area is also influenced
8 Sustaining Queensland’s Agricultural Sector: Challenges and. . .
119