A roadmap to an internationally competitive apple and pear industry

June 2008 | Prepared by AgFirst | Future Orchards® Orchard Walk presentation

This AgFirst presentation sets out the practical roadmap behind Future Orchards 2012: helping the Australian apple and pear industry move towards international competitiveness through improved productivity, fruit quality and orchard profitability.

The program was designed around several linked drivers. Growers needed to reduce orchard production cost per kilogram, increase the proportion of premium fruit and adopt production systems capable of delivering strong yields and quality consistently. Intensive orchard systems and better performance measurement were central to that shift.

The roadmap established staged goals for industry change, including stronger understanding of intensive systems, increasing adoption of intensive new plantings and, over the longer term, an industry capable of competing at world standards. Demonstration blocks and orchard walks were used to show growers the costs and returns associated with different systems.

The resource is useful as historical context for the Future Orchards® program and as a reminder that industry transformation depends on coordinated changes in orchard design, management, measurement and business decision-making rather than any single technology.