Opportunities for developing protected cropping in Australia — National RD&E Strategy overview

Abstract

Horticulture production systems using protected cropping combine a range of technologies and agronomic practices to address climate variability challenges, crop biological constraints and market opportunities for the Australian horticulture industry. The Australian Protected Cropping Strategy 2021-2030 was released in 2021 to give horticulture growers and businesses, Hort Innovation and industry stakeholders clear direction and priorities for investment in research, development, and extension (RD&E) initiatives that benefit vegetable, berry, nursery, and tree-fruit value chains. This presentation will discuss the Strategy’s findings and what they tell us about the growth opportunities for protected cropping across Australia. It will also highlight some of the opportunities, issues, and RD&E activities that are contributing to adoption of this production system in warm environments. While protected cropping in Australia is largely located in temperate climate regions, there is strong potential for expansion of protected cropping in the tropics. These opportunities have been examined recently by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in collaboration with industry stakeholders and research groups, focusing on horticultural crops that will benefit from fit-for-purpose technologies that mitigate risks associated with climate variability and assist accessing domestic and export markets.