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Farm Facts

Food, Fibre & Forestry Facts is published annually by the NFF as a compendium of useful and authoritative facts and figures about Australian agriculture, based on fully attributed data from independent sources.

It is designed as a fast reference to national and state-by-state facts about Australia’s farm sector, including specific data on Australia’s leading agricultural commodities, covering: Beef, Cotton, Dairy, Dried Fruits, Forestry, Grains, Rice, Sheep Meat, Sugar and Wool.

The full publication can be downloaded below.

For a selection of Food, Fibre & Forestry Facts social media images see here www.agday.org.au/farm-facts

Agriculture plays a vital role in Australia, contributing to our social, economic and environmental sustainability.

Social >

There are approximately 85,681 farm businesses in Australia, 99 percent of which are Australian owned and operated. Each Australian farmer produces enough food to feed 600 people, 150 at home and 450 overseas. Australian farmers produce almost 93 percent of Australia’s daily domestic food supply.

As of 2016-17, there are 304,200 people directly employed in Australian agriculture. The complete agricultural supply chain, including the affiliated food and fibre industries, provide over 1.6 million jobs to the Australian economy.

Economic >

The agricultural sector, at farm-gate, contributes 3 percent to Australia’s total gross domestic product (GDP). The gross value of Australian farm production in 2016-17 was $60 billion.

Australian farmers export about 77 percent of what they grow and produce. Australia’s farm exports earned the country $44.8 billion in 2016-17, up from $32.5 billion in 2010-11. The value of our farm exports, and indeed the future of Australian agriculture, depends largely on conditions in overseas markets, due to our high level of exports.

Australian farmers remain internationally competitive through efficiencies and productivity growth. The growth in the farm sector has increased steadily from 1974-75 to 2016-17, consistently out-performing other sectors.

Environmental >

Australian farmers are frontline environmentals, owning, managing and caring for 48 percent of Australia’s land mass. Australian primary industries have led the nation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions intensity — a massive 63% reduction between 1996–2016. Australian water consumption decreased in 2014–15 by 7% from 2013–14. The largest decrease in water consumption was in the agriculture industry. Since 2011, areas managed for conservation have continued to expand, to about 18% of
Australia’s land area. Farmers are at the frontline of delivering environmental outcomes on behalf of the Australian community, with 94 percent of Australian farmers actively undertaking natural resource management. The NFF was a founding partner of the Landcare movement.

For more information

For more facts and figures, and the fully attributable sources of the facts mentioned above, please view NFF Farm, Fibre & Forestry Facts 2017.

Further information