Farms & Farming in Australia
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There are over 85,000 farms in Australia, nearly all of them are family owned and operated. The farms produce over 90% of the food consumed in Australia. The rest is imported from other nations.
Australia does export some of its food, like its famous macadamia nuts. Wheat is a primary crop for both import and export, as is sugar. Farmers grow wheat, barley, cotton, sugarcane, corn, rice, oats, nuts, and fruits and veggies. Farmers grow tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes, avocadoes, grapes, and oranges. They can also grow asparagus, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and onions. Many people in Australia have small gardens and grow fruits and vegetables.
It's amazing really how many different food items Australian farmers can grow successfully considering Australia is the driest continent on earth. Rainfall is limited. Water is scarce. And, Australia has old, shallow, salty dirt. Yet, thanks to modern technology, farms are flourishing.
Sounds like paradise, doesn't it? Unfortunately, over time, people have changed Australia's environment. The first people were careful with the land. They burned parts of the bush to encourage plants to grow. It sounds more like destruction, but this type of burning, called firestick burning, actually helps certain plants grow. Some plants in Australia only drop their seeds after they are burnt. The seeds sprout rapidly in the nutritious ash soil left behind from the burn.
But, since Europeans started settling in Australia, things have changed. Forests, woodlands, and grasslands were cleared to make room for cities, industry, and farming. Australia is still clearing land rapidly to provide for its growth in population. In some places, the removal of native plants has caused underground salt deposits to surface, which kills land for planting. In others, mass clearing has allowed weeds to flourish and pests to damage. This is already a problem for Australia and is becoming a worse one. Hopefully, modern technology can turn things around soon.
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Download this free booklet about agriculture - food, fiber, and foresty - in Australia
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