CASE STUDY
North West Queensland seeks a strategy and implementation plan for new agricultural products
Client
Problem
The North West Minerals Province region of Queensland needed a Plan B, a diversification strategy to support the growth of sectors beyond mineral resources. The strategic blueprint identified Agriculture as a key opportunity for the North West. However, existing agriculture was limited and focused on grazing cattle.
Solution
Following a competitive tender, Coriolis was engaged to “develop a long term strategy and implementation plan for enhanced agricultural production and employment, focused on expansion, diversification and intensification.” Coriolis was chosen, in part, due to our unique approach to the question.
What we did
This project combined both multiple situation assessments and a screen.
First, the project conducted a Situation Assessment to set the scene. What was the situation? What were the challenges facing the region? Why did the region need a strategy? How is existing agriculture in the region performing?
Second, the project conducted a Screen to identify and evaluate potential products that could both (1) be grow in this challenging environment and (2) were in growing demand in export markets. This multi-stage screen was developed to identify high potential products that fit with regional conditions (e.g. a semi-arid desert climate) and also had a large and attractive global market. The project identified and evaluated fourteen climatic peers looking for options (e.g. Burkina Faso) leading to the identification of over 100 potential new agricultural products. These products were ranked across a range of qualitative and quantitative criteria. Twenty attractive products came through the screen. Of these, 3 products were identified as the most desirable.
Finally, the project conducted in-depth Situation Assessment on each of the three identified high potential agricultural diversification opportunities (sesame, mung beans and shea nuts). From these sesame was identified as a $250m opportunity, mung beans as a $70m opportunity and shea nuts as a $40m opportunity.
The project involved significant travel across a region three times the size of Germany. The project conducted a large number of interviews with a very diverse set of stakeholders across the region, from farmers through to mayors.
The research and analysis culminated in a Strategy and Implementation Plan to enhance agricultural production and employment in North West Queensland
Total regional population in NW Queensland has been declining since the mid 1970s; longer for some areas.
Source: wide range of ABS (and predecessor organisation) publications; Coriolis modelling & analysis
The project used a multi-stage screening process to identify products with high growth potential.
Output
The project delivered five reports, including:
The regional situation assessment
The screen results
Situation assessments on the three identified high potential targets
A strategy and implementation plan.
Outcomes
Reports are not results. The real outcome of the project was multiple trials with crops in the ground across Queensland.
“The value in this project was we were then able to secure funding going forward for implementation.”