2016-07-12 - Item 12 - Att 1 - Agriculture and Agricultural Land in Noosa Shire

9. The Future of Agriculture in Noosa and
   the Broader Region
As indicated in Noosa’s Local Economic Plan, already mentioned, rural enterprises include a
variety of primary producers but also value-added boutique products, farmers markets, rural visitor
accommodation and experiences, and businesses that provide support services to the sector. The
rural sector has the opportunity to leverage a number of the region’s competitive advantages and
consumer trends:
•       Noosa is well known for food
•       Noosa Biosphere® Reserve status supports clean, green & locally produced food and
        beverages
•       there are a growing number of boutique producers
•       there is increasing demand for sustainably produced local food and beverages.

Ideally, the future of Noosa will include a continuation of food crops and animal husbandry so that
a wide range of nutritious food is available locally in both raw form and through value adding (such
as dairy products, cooked foods and condiments).

It is most likely that income derived through agriculture will continue to be supplemented by
additional household or family income. This might include employment elsewhere, but might be
derived on site through home-hosted visitor accommodation, home-based businesses or leasing of
underutilised storage sheds or paddocks.

The connection between farmers and consumers could increase through continuation and
expansion of farmers markets, roadside stalls and farm gate sales. Informing consumers, both
local residents and visitors to the Shire, on the availability of high quality local produce is an
ongoing exercise best done collaboratively.

At a regional level Noosa Shire is the northern-most local government of the SEQ Planning
Region. To the north and west Gympie Regional Council is within the Wide Bay Burnett Planning
Region. The Gympie Region relies heavily on agriculture and related industries including multiple
piggeries, cattle feedlots and beef grazing in the western part of the region, poultry farms closer to
the Noosa border and various timber mills. There are extensive forest reserves to the north east of
Gympie. The Mary Valley has been known for its strong dairy industry.

In 2012 the Queensland Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning released
an Economic Development Strategy for the Mary Valley in conjunction with incrementally releasing
properties previously acquired by the State for the Traveston Crossing Dam. In marketing
properties and developing the agribusiness economy of the Mary Valley the State was promoting
new dairy enterprises, intensive livestock uses such as poultry farms, tree crops (such as pecan
nuts), ginger, perennial horticulture, small crops and forestry.

Sunshine Coast Regional Council also has a strong agriculture industry which includes very
substantial poultry operations in the south, pineapple plantations, avocado and macadamia crops;
strawberries, ginger, mushrooms and small crops. Previously dairy and sugar cane were
particularly big contributors to the local agricultural industry. In the south, substantial pine forests
form part of the interurban break between the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay urban areas.

Lifestyle horticulture has become a strong sector around the Sunshine Coast with increasing
markets for nurseries, turf farms and cut flowers.

The 2013 the Sunshine Coast Council adopted a Rural Futures Strategy. This strategy included
an objective to maximise the use of land for agriculture and compatible purposes. Agriculture-
relevant strategies from this document included

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