“In Australia we are lucky because most of our food is grown and produced here. We produce enough food to feed 75 million people. That is enough to feed the entire population three times over. We have a very safe, reliable, and efficient food supply chain.
Australia's 85,000 farms produce enough food to meet almost all the nation's needs, but the country's capacity to feed itself has a major limiting factor: Water.
Australia's exports are estimated to feed around 36.6 million people. When you add this figure to the population of the country, this means that Australian farmers feed around 61 million people overall. Breaking the figures down further, each Australian farmer produces sufficient food for 600 people for one year.
The claims that Australia grows enough food to feed seventy million so there will never be a food shortage in Australia is grossly misleading and gives this country a false sense of security. Australia may well produce sufficient calories to feed seventy million, but those calories are, mainly, in 'unimproved' foods.
How much food does Australia produce? Australia produces enough to feed 3 times our population. So, there's no doubt about the country's ability to punch above its weight when it comes to agriculture.
Australia has an abundance of renewable and non-renewable energy sources including fossil fuels. Our energy resources power our homes, cars and industry, and are a key contributor to Australia's economic prosperity.
Our diverse soils and climate provide a wide variety of fresh food all year round. Historically we produce far more than we consume domestically. We sell around 65% of farm production overseas, making Australia a leading food-exporting nation.
Water scarcity, heat stress and increased climatic variability in our most productive agricultural regions, such as the Murray Darling Basin, are key risks for our food security, economy, and dependent industries and communities.
The Australian Academy of Science has recommended that 23 million people would be a safe upper limit for Australia.
Sugar cane is the most produced food commodity in Australia followed by wheat & barley. Australia produces more than 32 million tonnes of sugar cane and 17 tonnes of wheat . Beef is the most produced animal protein in Australia followed by chicken and sheep meat. Beef is the 6th most produced food in Australia.
Australia may not be directly able to feed Asia or the world. But our know-how in food production has the potential to contribute to the diets of hundreds of millions of people around the globe.
Australia's population density is low because most of the country's interior is desert (also known as the outback) and presents extremely difficult living conditions.
Based on these trends Australia's population is projected to reach 35.9 million in 2050. Population growth, by supporting reduced ageing of the population and adding to the labour force, benefits the Australian economy but puts pressure on infrastructure, services and the environment.
Among the most self-sufficient countries, Argentina could feed itself with just 5.5% of its land. The US and Canada only need 12-13%, Sweden is also at 13%. Ireland is at 14.56%, Finland at 18%. Austria, Denmark, France, and Poland are in the 40 to 50% bracket.
Even the future of Australia's mighty $49 billion agricultural sector is looking shaky. Thanks to climate change, production of major export commodities such as wheat, beef, dairy and sugar will fall as much as 19 per cent by 2050, the Climate Group's report found.
Experts are calling for a national food plan to tackle problems of food insecurity – despite the country producing enough food to feed 40 million people a year. New Zealand ranks 14th in the world for food self-sufficiency – but you wouldn't always know it by our supermarket shelves.
If this rate of growth is restored after the pandemic, Australia will exceed 40 million by 2050 and 100 million before 2100.
The Visitor visa allows you to visit Australia, either for tourism or business purposes. It is open to all nationalities. Generally, a period of stay of up to three months is granted, but up to 12 months may be granted in certain circumstances.
Estimates vary, but we're expected to reach "peak human" around 2070 or 2080, at which point there will be between billion and 10.4 billion people on the planet.
Today, the world produces 150% more food on only 13% more land compared with 1960, thanks to many innovations in food production made over the years. We produce enough food to feed 1.5x the global population. That's enough to feed 10 billion yet we are at just over 7 billion currently. There is enough for everyone.
Shortages Australia: Eggs, Milk and Cooking Oil Are Just Starters.
Most of Australia's imports in these sectors are sourced from New Zealand – the U.S. is the second largest supplier. Consumer aspirations, both personal and social, along with product developments by suppliers and retailers, continue to be important influences on shopping choices.
There are also insights confirming what many of us already know: New Zealand is our main source of imported fresh seafood, dairy products and livestock.