Table of contents
1 Introduction................................................................................................................................... 7
2 Queensland banana growing industry....................................................................................... 7
2.1 Farm business environment........................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Key inputs into banana production............................................................................................... 11
2.2.1 Labour......................................................................................................................... 11
2.2.2 Diesel .......................................................................................................................... 11
2.2.3 Fertiliser ...................................................................................................................... 12
2.2.4 Pesticides.................................................................................................................... 12
2.2.5 Other inputs................................................................................................................. 12
2.3 Risks to viable banana production ............................................................................................... 12
2.3.1 Panama disease ......................................................................................................... 13
2.3.2 Tropical cyclones ........................................................................................................ 14
2.4 Key economic indicators of profit and performance..................................................................... 15
3 Water quality concerns from banana growing practices ....................................................... 16
4 Responses to water quality concerns...................................................................................... 19
4.1 Management practice responses to water quality concerns ........................................................ 19
4.2 Existing and past policy to promote adoption for water quality improvement .............................. 20
4.2.1 Legislation ................................................................................................................... 20
4.2.2 Reef Water Quality Protection Plan ............................................................................ 20
4.2.3 Paddock to Reef monitoring program – Reef Report Cards....................................... 21
4.2.4 Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan .................................................................. 21
4.2.5 NRM water quality frameworks for management practices ........................................ 22
5 Adoption of management practices ......................................................................................... 22
5.1 Theoretical concepts of the adoption process.............................................................................. 22
5.2 Adoption of best management practices by banana growers ...................................................... 23
5.3 Decision support tools .................................................................................................................. 23
6 Review of economic studies involving management practices on banana farms .............. 26
7 Scope of the economic research project................................................................................. 29
7.1 Planned economic analysis.......................................................................................................... 29
7.2 Site selection ................................................................................................................................ 31
7.3 Practice selection ......................................................................................................................... 32
7.4 Planned extension of results ........................................................................................................ 33
8 Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 34
9 Appendix 1 – Terrain NRM Wet Tropics Banana Management Practices ............................ 36
10 Appendix 2 – Improved Practices Catalogue .......................................................................... 38
11 Appendix 3 – ABGC Banana BMP Guideline........................................................................... 39
12 References .................................................................................................................................. 46
Table of figures
Figure 1 Australian Banana Production (kt) .................................................................................. 8
Figure 2 Wet Tropics Banan