The Perfect Storm For Mareeba Mangoes
by Ebony Faichney, Managing Director Farmour
Many farmers will argue that climate change isn’t real. But what they will tell you, is that the climate is changing…The seasons are changing… The weather isn’t like it used to be.
Horticulture on the Atherton Tablelands and Mareeba/Dimbulah has flourished to one of the largest food bowls in the country. The demise of the Tobacco industry in early 2000’s was the catalyst for diversification into high value tree crops like citrus, mango and avocado. This region boasts fertile soils, reliable water supply and perfect growing conditions. This trifecta is what allows for competitive production in counter seasons to southern growing regions. But as any farmer in the region will tell you, the growing seasons are changing.??
The recent crop of mangoes tells a story of climate extremes.
Winter 2023 was almost non-existent in Mareeba. The coldest winter temperature recorded at Mareeba airport was 13.7°C on July 27, with a July average of 20.1°C – far warmer than the historical mean minimum of 11.2°C. This saw a delayed and patchy flowering, resulting in one of the lowest fruit-sets the region had seen in years. Farmers were worried, many who rely on their mangoes as their only annual income. Some growers had a good crop, but most were below average.?
Orchards had multiple flowering events spanning over months, causing management challenges in caring for fruit at different stages as it developed. The farmers blamed the weather, rightly so, and were reminded it shows no mercy for their livelihoods. Then in October, Mutchilba and Paddy’s Green were hit with weeks of devastating fires. Fuel loads, temperatures and winds were high. Some growers had trees burnt, fences and infrastructure destroyed. It was a scary time for farmers and community residents alike.?
By mid-December the country was very dry, with hardly any relief from an early storm rain downpour.?
That dryness is now nothing but a distant memory for most. Nobody expected Cyclone Jasper to bring the annual rainfall in less than one week, let alone the months of incessant wet weather that followed which one can only describe as ‘a good old fashion wet season’. Many growers were unable to pick what small crop they had, many fruit were downgraded due to skin defects caused by the wet weather, and a trail of destruction in ruts, washouts and bog holes remains in paddocks today.?
Compounding this is the fact that mangoes are typically grown on shallow sandy soils, highly prone to erosion. Due to complexities in eligibility criteria, erosion repairs has been one of only few expenditure items approved for reimbursement under the small government disaster recovery grants available to Mareeba farmers following Cyclone Jasper. No Mareeba local I know has ever seen it this wet for so long. The 2023/2024 season was a perfect storm of events for Mareeba mango growers who experienced firsthand great loss and heartache from the changing climate.?
Dealing with unpredictable weather patterns is part of daily life as a farmer.?
Landholders are some of the most knowledgeable on the seasons and how they are changing. When your livelihood literally depends on the weather, you watch it very closely, and you do everything within your power to adapt your farming business around it.?
If you go looking you will find some adoption of practices that assist management of extreme weather here locally. To name a few:?
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Investment in this technology and infrastructure is not cheap, and many businesses currently face many long-term questions around viability and succession planning that are restricting their commitment to climate adaptation practices.??
The ‘My Climate View’ tool predicts that Mareeba will generally have milder winters and increased annual rainfall. This is a significant change in less than 30 years since the beginning of horticulture for this region. It will challenge production of the existing crops and management styles in this region that rely on cool winters for flower initiation and fine weather during summer harvest.??
As an advocate for farming businesses, I encourage everyone to accept the elephant in the room – our various climate change opinions. Not everyone believes the causes of our changing climate, but most can agree the climate is changing.?
Our views and the views of our stakeholders are important, and even more important is what we do about it. We need to prioritise real conversations & practical solutions to support the longevity of horticulture in FNQ.?
How do we make our faming businesses stronger to withstand the climate extremes, to ensure sustainable productive business??
Let’s focus on disaster preparedness activities for all climate extremes, not just drought. When a disaster does hit, make sure that horticulture has a fair seat at the recovery grant table, instead of being kicked out compared to our friends in the livestock and tourism sectors. Let’s return the core of research and development activities to grower led innovation. The answer to many of our problems are out there, we just need government, researchers, and peak industry bodies to listen to and work with their stakeholders – on all fronts, not just climate change.??????
See what the predictions are for your place in My Climate View and consider how you may have to change your life or business practices to accommodate a changing climate: https://myclimateview.com.au/?
#agribusiness #farmresilience #localknowledge #climatechange #regenerativeagriculture