Factors driving horticulture productivity (HA24004)

This project is enhancing the horticulture industry’s understanding of productivity opportunities and challenges by engaging a broad range of stakeholders and providing practical tools for ongoing analysis.  

Building on previous modelling and scenario analysis from the ‘Economic contribution of Australian horticulture (MT21010)’ project, it delves deeper into the factors driving productivity within the sector, equipping the industry for more informed decision-making.  

Challenge 

Productivity is a major driver of economic performance, resilience, and sustainability of activities within the horticulture industry. However, it is influenced by a complex mix of internal and external economic factors and drivers across the entire industry value chain.  

There are many ways in which productivity can be defined and measured, and the horticulture industry currently lacks a unified approach or language for understanding these dynamics. Bridging this gap is crucial to ensuring the industry can effectively address productivity challenges.  

Response  

To address this, the project will provide levy payers, industry stakeholders, industry bodies, and value chain members with: 

• A revised economywide model of productivity incorporating key drivers to help stakeholders understand the broader economic context.
• A tool for scenario analysis, enabling industry participants to model and evaluate productivity scenarios.
• Reports in both technical and plain English to ensure results are accessible to a wider audience.
• A series of communications to disseminate findings to stakeholders and facilitate discussions on productivity issues.  

Benefit  

The project will provide the horticulture industry with a comprehensive framework for understanding how productivity is defined, measured, and influenced, allowing for more strategic analysis and decision-making. This will result in improved productivity, economic outcomes, and resilience within the horticulture industry, and a clearer pathway toward sustainable industry growth. By equipping stakeholders with practical tools and insights, the project will help the industry address productivity challenges more effectively and collaboratively.