Top end not country's food bowl

8th February 2010

A NEW report has dashed hopes that northern Australia is the nation's next potential food bowl.

The Northern Australian Land and Water Taskforce released its report into the sustainable development of the top end on Monday.

The document details 15 recommendations to develop northern Australia, ranging from increasing investment in climate, water, land and environment research to establishing a Council of Northern Australia.

The council would be chaired by the prime minister and plan for the region's sustainable development and lead the way to achieving it.

The report states that governments, as an urgent priority, should ensure that all communities in northern Australia have access to quality drinking water.

It also proposes the harmonisation of pastoral lease conditions - including those on indigenous land - across the region to allow for greater diversification and flexibility of land use.

However, the report has smashed the notion that northern Australia could be the nation's next food bowl, as water there is seasonally limited and the ability to capture and store surface water for consumptive use is constrained by the climate and topography of the land.

"Contrary to popular belief, water resources in the north are neither unlimited, nor wasted," the report states.

"Equally, the potential for northern Australia to become a food bowl is not supported by evidence."

The document states future development of the land needs to be smart and built on the area's special attributes.

"While there are opportunities for agriculture to grow, particularly in the pastoral industry, there are also limits to available water and suitable agricultural soils."