What is it all about?

This investment is tackling the barriers to sustainable expansion in cool climate horticulture by addressing critical issues and risks associated with climatic variability and extremes in temperature and rainfall. The aim is to increase cool climate horticulture by 20 per cent over the next five years.

Key activities of the program include:

• Optimising management practices for high-intensity perennial cropping, particularly in protected cropping systems, for better supply, quality, yield, labour efficiency, and pest and disease outcomes.
• Developing strategies for maximising early return on investment of new horticulture plantings.
• Developing strategies for managing intensive horticultural production on fragile soils and optimal soil, water, and nutrient resource use with a sustainability focus.

The project will focus on high-value crops in cool climate horticulture regions across Australia, including raspberries, blackberries, cherries, potatoes, onions, carrots, and green peas. Several commercially managed farms will be used as research trial sites, some of which will double as demonstration sites.