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Over the past two decades, Australian agriculture has undergone rapid transformation and restructuring, which is particularly evident in the evolution of coastal horticulture. Some areas traditionally used to produce broadacre crops, such as sugarcane, are now being repurposed for horticulture. In other contexts, horticulture has expanded to areas adjacent to residential zones, generating potential for land use conflict. These shifts have elevated the role of horticulture as a regional economic driver but also raised questions about its social license to operate. The fundamental aim of this research project is to understand these tensions, thereby providing industry and community stakeholders with insights that can help generate sustainable outcomes for the industry and host regions.
Central to this goal is an appreciation of the fact that the sector is embedded within global networks, including those providing foreign investment and finance, reliant in many cases on export markets, and highly dependent on overseas workers. This global integration has propelled Australia to become a key player in international horticulture. At the same time, international climate change commitments and increasing global food insecurity underscore the importance of ensuring that horticulture can contribute to thriving communities, sustainable and just food systems, and healthy ecologies into the future.
Our research focuses on horticulture in coastal Queensland and northern New South Wales, where processes of globalisation and industry growth occur within regional landscapes that are multifunctional – that is, where agricultural production occurs alongside a range of other land use values, such as providing a healthy living environment, cultural connection, and ecological value and recreation. The growth of horticulture also places pressure on the labour force and wider community wellbeing, as evolving socio-cultural norms across Australia have further imposed requirements on the horticultural industry to align with sustainable practices. At the same time, lands used for agricultural production are now contested by various interests, such as housing, tourism, Indigenous recognition, and environmental protection. Together, these trends raise critical questions about resource allocation, land use planning, governance, resilience and social justice.
In this dynamic context, this research project delves into the multifaceted changes that have shaped the evolution of horticulture in coastal Australia. It explores the transformation of agricultural activities, the global networks in which the sector is embedded, the competition for land, labour and resources, and the imperative for industry to navigate the evolving social landscape to balance economic priorities with environmental and community considerations.
About the research project
This three-year research project is funded by the Australian Research Council and includes researchers from three Australian universities. The project seeks to understand the role of globally networked horticulture in processes of regional development.
It examines how issues are being debated and addressed by diverse stakeholders who are located at the ‘global production network-territory nexus’. We use this term to capture the connection between international networks of food production, consumption, retail, trade, investment, lead firms, labour and regulation with the challenges facing multifunctional regions - environmental imperatives, competing land use demands, social-cultural dynamics, and sometimes contrasting visions of regional development (see below).
Figure 1. The GPN-territory nexus as it relates to horticulture in Australia.
Aims, methods and outcomes
The project will compare four regional case studies across two states from the Northeastern Coastal Strip (NECS) of Australia, covering seven key horticultural crops (See below Figure). The NECS is not an official political demarcation but emerges as a cohesive entity in the horticultural landscape of Australia. Positioned east of the Great Dividing Range, with catchments flowing into the Great Barrier Reef and other sensitive natural environments, the NECS brings together coastal lifestyles and urban settlements with a long history of dynamic agricultural development. A humid tropical and sub-tropical climate with fertile river valleys establishes the NECS as a national hub for fruit, nuts and vegetable production.
The project combines an analysis of census, trade, land and industry data with in-person interviews to hear the voices of regional stakeholders. These methods will allow us to:
- Determine how regional economic, socio-cultural and environmental dynamics influence the development of high-value horticulture in the NECS, often with global linkages.
- Generate outputs in the form of published research and presentations for industry, community and academic audiences, as well as policy recommendations.
- Produce new knowledge to inform recommendations for ensuring a sustainable and equitable future for these growing horticultural regions in Australia.
Figure 2. The Northeastern Coastal Strip of Australia
Source: the authors, based on data from ABS (2021, 2024) and ABARES (2024). Map created using ArcGIS.