A Brief Political History of South Australian Agriculture

Abstract

This paper aims to explain why South Australian agricultural land use is focused on continually increasing productivity, when the majority of produce is exported, at the long-term expense of agriculturally-based communities and the environment. A historical analysis of literature relevant to the agricultural develop

Sustainable agriculture and multifunctionality in South Australia’s Mid North region

“…impoverished soils) and climate-related hazards (e.g. droughts, floodings or bushfires) as well as market fluctuations in commodity pricing (Fielke and Bardsley 2015a). This has often been done through increasing farm debt levels (Fielke and Bardsley 2013) and reducing the size of the agricultural workforce, with consequent negative economic and social impacts on regional communities.…”

“…He drew the Line on a map in 1865 based on his own observations of rainfall patterns (Meinig 1962). The Line was meant to distinguish areas to the south suited for agriculture from marginal agricultural land to the north (Fielke and Bardsley 2015a). From that point on, the Mid North was shaped by multiple processes of advance and retreat of farming and settlement along and beyond this line.…”

“…From that point on, the Mid North was shaped by multiple processes of advance and retreat of farming and settlement along and beyond this line. The increasing demographic pressure from new settlers arriving in the State and the increased demand for land, at a time of consecutive seasons of high rainfall in the 1870s convinced the State Government in 1874 to break through Goyder's Line by selling land plots and allowing for cropping activities to extend further north (Fielke and Bardsley 2015a). Although the poor conditions for broadacre grain farming (Carson et al 2017) eventually constrained the spatial expansion of agriculture, this moment in history left a lasting imprint on the physical landscapes, creating more or less fixed delineations between the productivist agricultural areas within the bounds of Goyder's line, and the marginalised agricultural and pastoral areas on the fringes.…”

“…Indeed, the designation in 1939 by the State Government of the northern half of South Australia as Marginal Lands supported 'a policy of structural reorganization of farms […] with the aim of halving the number of holdings and doubling their size' (Williams 1977, 33). Sheep became even more of a farming staple during the 'wool boom' of the 1950s and new irrigation techniques made it possible for pasture, orchards and vineyards to develop around that time as well (Fielke and Bardsley 2015a). In more recent years, parts of the Mid North have become centres of agricultural consumption as well as production, linked to increasing tourism markets, lifestyle migration, and the South Australian Government's interest in the contribution of wine and regional cuisine to economic development (Carson, Carson, and Hodge 2014).…”

Rural transformation: Cherry growing on the Guanzhong Plain, China and the Adelaide Hills, South Australia

“…Capital has flowed into this sector attracted by the steady growth of tourists and day-trippers seeking to participate in gastronomic tourism, as paralleled on the Guanzhong Plain in China. Fielke and Bardsley (2015b) suggest that there may be a multifunctional future for South Australian agriculture, as opposed to a continuation of the productivist mode that has been dominant for over a century. This future may include a greater (re)connection between farmers and consumers through the growth of direct sales, as illustrated in the growth of cellar-door sales, farm-gate sales and farmers' markets.…”