Coastal Horticulture in Northeastern Australia: Global Networks and Regional Development

The Cairns Institute researcher Zoe Wang has co-authored a scoping report titled “Coastal Horticulture in Northeastern Australia: Global Networks and Regional Development”. This report, co-authored with seven other researchers from the University of Queensland and the University of Sydney, presents the preliminary findings of their collaborative ARC Discovery Project (DP230100962). The project examines the multifaceted changes that have shaped the evolution of horticulture in four regions across Queensland and New South Wales: Cairns, Wide Bay, Richmond-Tweed, and Coffs Harbour.

The project aims to understand the role of globally networked horticulture in regional development by examining how issues are debated and addressed by diverse stakeholders located at the ‘global production network-territory nexus’. In its first year, the project team engaged with multiple stakeholders in the four regions, including growers and horticultural businesses of various sizes, food processors, state governments, local councils, peak industry and natural resource management bodies, Indigenous organisations, advocacy groups, and community leaders. Interviews and meetings with more than 70 participants led to the identification of several interconnected trends shaping the future of coastal horticulture:

1. Increasingly globalised horticultural networks involving trade, farming inputs, technology, international labour, and foreign ownership of land and firms.
2. Multifunctionality of rural land in coastal regions where food production competes with other land uses, including conservation, housing, tourism, and recreation.
3. Significant shifts in land ownership dynamics.
4. Complex farm labour dynamics.
5. Evolving social license challenges, including maintaining environmental integrity and food security.

The project combines an analysis of census, trade, land, and industry data with in-person interviews to capture the voices of regional stakeholders. It seeks to understand how regional economic, socio-cultural, and environmental dynamics influence the development of high-value horticulture in these regions, often with global linkages. The goal is to produce new knowledge that informs recommendations for ensuring a sustainable and equitable future for these growing horticultural regions.

If you would like to engage in this project, please contact Zoe Wang at zoe.wang@jcu.edu.au.