Valuing the Australian lifestyle horticulture industry
| Autor: | R. Prince, Donald S. Loch, D. E. Aldous |
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| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Acta Horticulturae. :17-24 |
| ISSN: | 2406-6168 0567-7572 |
| DOI: | 10.17660/actahortic.2015.1103.3 |
| Popis: | The lifestyle horticulture industry can best be described as a “living green industry”. It involves the production, sale, management and maintenance of plants used for environmental, recreational and leisure purposes. In Australia, this specialised sector of horticulture has become one of the more profitable and rapidly growing primary industries since World War II. This paper discusses the significance of the Australian lifestyle horticulture industry in terms of its environmental, aesthetic, social and recreational values in the urban environment where 87% of Australians live, work and play, as well as the impact of these commodities and services on the health and well-being of those communities. The industry also generates substantial direct and indirect economic benefits. However, the few available statistics from which the size of the industry can be assessed are, at best, unreliable. While these do indicate that the lifestyle horticulture industry is one of the largest agricultural industry groupings, they grossly underestimate the full value of lifestyle horticulture activities in Australia. As a result, the commodities and services associated with the lifestyle horticulture industry have been poorly recognised and undervalued by the wider agricultural sector. Governments at all levels, as well as the community at large, can be said to take the value and benefits from the lifestyle horticulture industry for granted. Greater discussion needs to take place between the government, industry and community to increase teaching, research and extension funding into the lifestyle horticulture industry that contributes so much to AustraliaRSQUOs livelihood, lifestyle and quality of life. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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