4 Agricultural systems in Australia

Before you start

Main focus

Agriculture has been at the centre of Australia’s development since European settlement in 1788, and over this time the nature of agricultural practices has changed dramatically. As it looks to the future, agriculture in Australia faces the challenge of providing food and fibre security in a sustainable way for an increasing population, with the threat of climate change and environmental degradation placing an enormous burden on the nation’s ability to increase production.

Why it’s relevant to us

In highly urbanised modern Australia, consumers are becoming increasingly alienated from the production of the food they eat and the natural fibres they wear. There needs to be a greater awareness of the vital place that agriculture has in the lives of all Australians and an understanding of the threats that will be faced by the industry in the future.

Inquiry questions

• What role did agriculture have in the development of Australia?
• What is the state of agriculture today?
• How have past agricultural practices impacted on the Australian environment?
• What threats are facing future agricultural production?

Key terms

• Commodity
• Dryland agriculture
• Economy of scale
• Environmental degradation
• Factory farm
• Food security
• Green Revolution
• Sustainable agriculture
• Turbidity

Let’s begin

As with many other countries, agriculture has been at the forefront of Australia’s development. The expression ‘riding on the sheep’s back’ was a reference to the prosperity that Australia derived from the production and export of wool in the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. Life in the bush and on the farm has featured largely in the history of Australia, mythologised in such works as Banjo Paterson’s poem The Man from Snowy River and the comical stories of Dad and Dave in On Our Selection, shown in some of Australia’s earliest films. Agriculture’s significance in modern times is still celebrated in the resurgent popularity of annual agricultural shows such as Sydney’s Royal Easter Show. Today agriculture remains a major part of the Australian economy, producing a diverse range of products, from sheep, cattle and wheat in Australia’s vast inland, to cotton and rice in Australia’s irrigation districts, to tropical fruits such as mangoes and bananas in Australia’s north.