Nepean River Vegetables

The Nepean River part of the Hawkesbury catchment provides a large river water licence that allows for substantial amounts of irrigation on the 40Ha farm. The subtropical temperate climate and nutrient rich alluvial soils (Environment NSW, 2011) allow for potentially high quality fruit and vegetable produce as well as poultry products (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2010-2011). The location also provides quick and easy access to major ports and markets, meaning produce is fresh and transport costs are minimised.

Vegetables:
The Penrith City Region produces a massive 4.2% of fresh vegetable products despite its small area (figure #, ABS 2010/11). The Nepean River provides water for hydroponic and irrigation watering, increasing produce
This is achieved by planting crops with different nutritional needs, and aids to avoid diseases and harmful fungi and bacteria, lowering the farmer’s economic risk, seen in CSIRO’s ‘Gardening down under’ 2001 and DoA’s “The Home Vegetable Garden” 1980 (both cited in Grayson et. Al)
There is a high demand for fresh vegetables with the promotion of healthy eating, and no GST on vegetables (ATO, 2012) increasing the farmers profits, which is why vegetables are highly suited to be grown in this area. There is also a high demand for ‘fancy’ lettuces and Asian vegetables, being the third most valuable vegetables to be grown.

Fruits:
Fruits have all of the same benefits as vegetables, with the area exporting stone fruits worth $354,428 (2010/11 census), but are much less suitable for a 40ha farm as a larger amount of land is needed to produce a similar profit, and trees will take years to fully grow for maximum productivity.

Poultry:
Poultry is booming in this region, doubling from 2005/06 to 2010/11 even though there has only been a slight increase from 4.6% to 5.9% of all in NSW (Census 2010/11). With a massive demand for poultry and eggs overseas, exports have doubled and in NSW increased from 1.2% 2005/06 to 1.7%
Rotted Fruit can also be used for feed, reducing the wastage of fruits that accumulate in landfill. Poultry also release much less methane than other animals, making poultry a better environmental option for animal agriculture.

Bees:
Bees can provide an alternate source of income through their honey whilst simultaneously pollinating the native flora as well as a farm’s crops, which rely heavily on bees to thrive. Honey is a big market in Australia with the approximately 20,000-30,000 tonnes of honey produced annually (RIRDC, 2014), which is why this is a viable option for this farm in conjunction with other crops.

Alpacas:
Alpacas are popular on farms in this area as they scare off pests such as foxes, a common problem due to the large poultry industry (Animal Control Technologies 2015). Keeping alpacas reduces the risk of damage to animals, and fruit and vegetables from predators. Foxes also reduce native biodiversity, so the presence of alpacas ensures that biodiversity is