There is broad agreement that research and development is an investment in the future viability and success of an industry. This view has underpinned the establishment of the Western Australian Agricultural Research Collaboration (WAARC), which is a WA state government initiative to foster collaboration among WA’s participating research organisations (DPIRD, CSIRO, Grower Group Alliance, and universities Curtin, Murdoch, and UWA) to support new projects and research capacity building.
The WAARC initiative is comprised of six programs of work, all of which are potentially relevant to the sustainable intensification of agricultural production in northern Australia. Of these, the Northern Agriculture program focuses exclusively on developing research and research capacity in this region. The objective of the program is to increase the Gross Value of Production through intensification of agriculture by 2030 focussing on sustainable growth of irrigated agriculture and the northern beef industry. One of the key areas of priority in the Northern Agriculture program is the integration of irrigated agriculture and beef production. Growth in agriculture in Northern WA focuses on intensifying the cattle industry and optimising irrigated agriculture, ensuring that this is achieved in a way that is environmentally and socially responsible. Ensuring this growth is of economic benefit to First Nation’s pastoral and related enterprises is a related key priority.
The expansion of irrigated cropping and pasture (pivot irrigation systems) in northern Australia are opportunities for strategic feed supplementation of cattle with benefits for the efficiency of production and increased flexibility and diversification of beef supply chains. Current businesses vary widely in the level of vertical integration and supply chain diversity, and consequently the level of business risk. The market conditions faced by producers in northern agriculture are volatile, and threats include biosecurity, sustainability and social licence. Developing applied research projects, and the people capacity, including First Nations people, to undertake these, will have an important role in the success of agricultural industries in northern WA.
The WAARC northern program is currently looking for opportunities to invest in new projects and capability-building activities to support the agricultural industry in northern Australia. It is envisaged that this will be achieved through the strategic development of projects with research partners and industry, and by providing leverage to extend other research activities. In particular, WAARC is seeking to support longer-horizon research developing and integrating new areas of science with potential for industry application.