4627.0 - Land Management and Farming in Australia, 2013-14 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 31/07/2015   
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This document was added or updated on 21/10/2015.

LAND USE ON FARMS
In 2013-14

NATIONAL AND STATE/TERRITORY

    • Agricultural businesses managed 53% of Australia’s total land area during 2013-14.
    • The area of land mainly used for crops (including vegetables, fruit, nuts, rice, cotton, grapevines, nurseries and land left fallow between crops) increased by 696,000 hectares, or 2.2%, to 32.3 million hectares when compared to 2012-13 estimates.
    • Approximately 37% of Victoria’s agricultural land was mainly used for crops. This was the highest proportion across all Australian state and territories.
    • Of the 406.3 million hectares of land managed by agricultural businesses, 12.1% or 49.3 million hectares were used for grazing on improved pastures.
    • Tasmania remained the state with the largest percentage of agricultural land classified as improved pasture for grazing (53.3%), with Victoria the second largest (41.8%).
    • The area of other land used for grazing (which includes natural pastures/grasslands, rangelands, woodland/shrub land, forested areas and swamps/wetland) represented 72.1% of the 406.3 million hectares of land managed by agricultural businesses.
    • Grazing on other land remained the major use of agricultural land in all states/territories with the exception of Victoria and Tasmania. The Northern Territory had the largest proportion of grazing on other land with 94.1%.
Graph Image for Land use

Footnote(s): (a) Includes ACT

Source(s): Land Management and Farming in Australia, 2013-14



AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS (AAE) REGIONS
    • Subtropical Plains (AAE 04) reported the largest proportion of land used for agriculture (94.2%) whilst Temperate Coast South (AAE 05) reported the lowest proportion (25.1%).
    • Cropping was the most common use for agricultural land in Wheatbelt West (AAE 15) (55.3%), Wheatbelt Central (AAE 11) (40%), and Wheatbelt East (AAE 14) (35.5%).
    Percent of land used for agricultural production, 2013-14
    Land used for agricultural production as a proportion of land owned and operated by agricultural businesses
    Image:  Map of land used for agricultural production, 2013-14