Author: Rhys Downham
In 2022, data describing crop loss/waste on Australian horticulture farms were collected through the ABARES Horticulture Survey. Crop loss/waste refers to primary production outputs that were intended for human use but ended up either not being harvested, disposed of, or were recovered for alternative uses. The crop loss/waste information was collected between May and August 2022 through telephone surveys, conducted on behalf of ABARES by Lighthouse Data Collection. The survey results for 2021–22 are based on a weighted sample of 2,692 horticulture farms across Australia, selected by region and farm size to be representative of the total population of 11,004 farms. Surveyed horticulture farms include fruit, nut and vegetable growers, and nursery and floriculture producers.
Results from the ABARES Horticulture Survey are presented in this publication using a data visualisation product. Users can select from state/territory options to observe trends in crop loss/waste on Australian horticulture farms in 2021–22
How to use this data visualisation
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Select from the state/territory field in the top-left corner.
- For more information about the results and definitions of items, click the explanatory notes button at the top.
Crop loss/waste data visualisation
The PowerBI dashboard may not meet accessibility requirements. For information about the contents of these dashboards contact ABARES.
- Crop loss/waste on Australian horticulture farms in 2021–22 varied significantly depending on the type of crops grown. The average percentage of crop loss/waste in 2021–22 ranged from a high of 34% per farm for berries and other tropical fruit (including coconut, custard apple, durian, jackfruit, mangosteen, papaya and pawpaw) to lows of 13% per farm for almonds and 14% per farm for pineapples.
- Most of the horticultural crop loss/waste in 2021–22 occurred pre-harvest (76% of total loss per farm across all crop types), or during/after harvest (22%). Only a small amount of crop loss/waste (2% of total loss per farm across all crop types) was recovered for alternative uses, such as compost, animal feed, biofuel and the sale of secondary products. Crop loss/waste also varied across Australia, reflecting the types of crops grown and the underlying reasons for the crop loss/waste.
- Australian horticulture farms provided information about what caused and what was done with their crop loss/waste in 2021–22, with multiple responses allowed per farm. Most farms that experienced crop loss/waste in 2021–22 indicated that environmental factors (such as natural disasters, pests and disease) were the primary cause of their total crop loss/waste (82% of farms), with most of this loss occurring pre-harvest and largely outside of their control. Other reasons for crop loss/waste in 2021–22 included crop quality not meeting specifications (18% of farms), a lack of labour availability (16%), changing commodity prices (7%) and excess production (3%).
- Most horticulture farms indicated that their crop loss/waste in 2021–22 was left on the ground (44% of farms) or ploughed into the ground (26%). Crop loss/waste was also recovered for compost (18% of farms), recovered for animal feed (10%), buried on farm (5%), recovered for use in other products (4%) and recovered for fuel (<1%).
- Agricultural production is inherently risky and horticultural crops are typically more vulnerable to pre-harvest crop loss than other agricultural products. Each year, external events outside the control of farm managers affect the production of horticultural crops, with this production risk being a natural part of Australian agriculture that farmers regularly contend with. Limiting pre-harvest crop loss is both difficult and expensive, and Australian horticultural producers are accustomed to factoring these losses into their financial decision making.
Crop loss/waste on Australian horticulture farms, 2021–22 - data tables (XLSX 87 KB)
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