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The Scott Coastal Plain has significant attributes that make it an area of State and regional significance for agricultural production. The climate, availability of good quality groundwater for irrigation, and large lot sizes provide opportunities for mechanised horticultural production which other parts of the State may not have.
An estimate of the area that could be used for each agricultural land use has been developed, at a broad study area level. The figures presented in this report show that diversified production combining tree plantation and/or irrigation (cropping or hay/silage) with grazing enterprises provides for potential increases in gross margins and buffers against movements on commodity prices in any one industry.
This report calculates gross margins for existing enterprises that operate in the Scott Coastal Plain and potential enterprises that could operate in this area. These gross margins are then used as the basis for calculating the existing and potential gross value of agriculture able to be generated from the Scott Coastal Plain area. The existing and potential gross value of agriculture figures are then used in conjunction with total value adding ratios to calculate the existing and potential total value added to the overall State by agriculture on the Scott Coastal Plain.
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Land use, Vegetation, Wetlands, Water supply, Scott Coastal Plain (W.A.), Land management, Land capability, Irrigated farming, Sustainability, Remnant vegetation, Water pollution, Environmental impact, Agroforestry, Dairy farming, Water management, Western Australia
Agriculture | Dairy Science | Sustainability | Water Resource Management
Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia. (2001), Scott coastal plain a strategy for a sustainable future. Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia, Perth. Bulletin 4513.