Author: Ben Slatter
In 2023, data describing crop loss/waste on Australian horticulture farms were collected for the second consecutive year 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 Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) commissioned this component of the Horticulture Survey to support their program of work under the National Food Waste Strategy (the Strategy). The Strategy seeks to halve Australia’s preventable food waste across the food supply and consumption chain (supply chain) by 2030. The crop loss/waste survey results presented here aim to fill specific data gaps on food loss and waste in primary production in the horticulture industry. This survey will support an understanding of the extent of the problem and provide insights into how surplus crops are managed by growers on-farm. By providing a picture of production loss and waste, growers, the food manufacturing industry and the food rescue sector will be better placed to consider opportunities for the recovery of potential lost produce towards alternative
The results of the survey will also inform the development of new food waste policies, strategies and initiatives. This will complement joint work already underway by DCCEEW and End Food Waste Australia to deliver the Strategy. It will also support the work being undertaken by Australian governments and industry to transition to a more circular economy.
The crop loss/waste information was collected between June and September 2023 through telephone surveys, conducted on behalf of ABARES by Lighthouse Data Collection. The survey results for 2022–23 are based on a weighted sample of 2,753 horticulture farms across Australia (2021–22: 2,692 farms), selected by region and farm size to be representative of the total population of 11,342 farms (2021–22: 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 for 2021–22 and 2022–23.
How to use this data visualisation
- Select from the year and state/territory fields at the top.
- Download the data for the entire dashboard by clicking the ‘Download data’ button in the bottom-left corner. For more information on the results and definitions of items, click the explanatory notes button in the top-right corner.
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 2022–23 varied significantly depending on crop type and region. The average percentage of crop loss/waste in 2022–23 ranged from a high of 38% per farm for dried grapes to a low of 14% for mushrooms.
While the percentage range of crop loss/waste in 2022–23 was similar to 2021–22 (from a high of 34% to a low of 13%), some crops were impacted differently between the two years (Figure 1). For example, wet conditions associated with La Niña were a challenge for grape growers in Victoria as diseases such as downy mildew contributed to crop loss/waste of 46% per farm for dried grapes in that state (compared with 14% in 2021–22). Similarly, unseasonal winter rain caused pineapples to prematurely ripen in Queensland, resulting in crop loss/waste of 28% per farm (compared with 14% in 2021–22).
Figure 1 Percentage of crop loss/waste per farm, by crop type, 2021–22 to 2022–23
Most of the horticultural crop loss/waste in 2022–23 occurred pre-harvest (66% of total loss per farm across all crop types, down from 76% in 2021–22), or during/after harvest (24%, up from 22%). The remainder was recovered for alternative uses (10%, up from 2% in 2021–22), such as compost, animal feed, the sale of secondary products and biofuel.
Australian horticulture farms provided information about the causes and fates of their crop loss/waste in 2022–23, with multiple responses allowed per farm. Most farms that experienced crop loss/waste in 2022–23 indicated that weather events were the primary cause of their total crop loss/waste (63% of farms), with most of this loss occurring pre-harvest and largely outside of their control (Figure 2). Other reasons for crop loss/waste in 2022–23 included pests and disease (34% of farms), quality not to specification (11%, down from 18% in 2021–22), changing commodity prices (11%, up from 7%), a lack of labour availability (7%, down from 16%) and excess production (5%, up from 3%).
Figure 2 What caused the crop loss/waste, 2021–22 to 2022–23
Most horticulture farms indicated that their crop loss/waste in 2022–23 was left on the ground (44% of farms, unchanged from 2021–22) or ploughed into the ground (25%, down from 26%) (Figure 3). Crop loss/waste was also disposed of, for example by binning, burning or dumping (13% of farms), recovered for compost (10%, down from 18%), recovered for animal feed (9%, down from 10%), buried on farm (3%, down from 5%), recovered for use in other products (3%, down from 4%) and recovered for fuel (<1%).
Figure 3 What was done with the crop loss/waste, 2021–22 to 2022–23
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 and factor into their financial decision-making. However, with survey respondents also reporting other economic and supply chain forces as reasons for crop loss, consideration can be given to strategies across the value chain for reducing waste and increasing resource efficiency in the industry.
Commonwealth of Australia 2017, National Food Waste Strategy: Halving Australia’s food waste by 2030, Canberra, accessed 25 March 2024
Downham, R 2022, Crop loss/waste on Australian horticulture farms, 2021–22, ABARES, Canberra, December. CC BY 4.0. DOI: 10.25814/4ysb-qv62, accessed 25 March 2024