Aboriginal landowners & farmers collaborate

More land in Central Australia being released for agribusiness development

Centrefarm, the body established by Aboriginal landowners in Central Australia in 2003 to develop horticultural business on their land, is growing.

Five parcels of land in the Anmatjere (Ti Tree) region have been released for agribusiness development with a further six due for release by the middle of this year.

Centrefarm’s General Manager Alan Cooney told the NT Indigenous paper, Common Ground:

“Land in this region is very attractive to agribusiness. It’s an easy to manage environment, there’s adequate and sustainable water resources. The environment is clean, so chemical use is minimised.”

These projects, in which land is leased to commercial interests, are aimed to establish large-scale capital investment creating an economy that provides employment while the traditional landowners retain ownership.

Centrefarm’s main functions are to:

• Identify commercial horticultural opportunities on Aboriginal land;
• Inform and advise Aboriginal landowners about horticultural opportunities and assist with feasibility studies, commercial trials and project development;
• Seek investment for commercial horticulture on Aboriginal land;
• Assist Indigenous landowners to benefit from commercial horticulture projects through leasing of land and infrastructure, equity, income and employment;
• Seek support from relevant funding bodies for Aboriginal participation in horticultural projects;
• Coordinate resources and expertise available from government, industry and research bodies to assist Indigenous landowners in the development process;
• Ensure horticultural development is environmentally sustainable and compatible with indigenous cutural and social values.

To start up, Centrefarm received grants from the Pratt Foundation and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. Currently it receives funding from the Aboriginals Benefit Account and Central Land Council.

Centrefarm expect to derive a significant portion of its operating revenue from fees for services provided to industry and landowners in facilitating development on the land it presides over.

We’d love to get some feedback on some of these projects??