Australian Farm Profit Drought Risk by Agricultural Region

2020-2021 data from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) measures drought risk exposure for Australian farms. It calculates the percentage change in farm profit between normal and drought years using the ABARES farmpredict model. The dataset covers AAGIS regions, excluding a few due to insufficient data.

Use Cases

• Calculate drought_risk percentage from drought_yr and normal_yr farm profit columns to quantify financial vulnerability.
• Map regional variations in drought_yr farm profit ($000) to identify high-exposure agricultural zones.
• Compare normal_yr farm profit ($000) against drought_yr figures to assess baseline versus stress-scenario income.
• Analyze AAGIS region-level data to inform targeted drought assistance and resilience policies.

Strengths

• Data derived from the ABARES farmpredict model, an authoritative source for Australian agricultural economics.
• Figures were updated in 2021 from the original 2020 report, providing recent estimates.

Limitations

• Insufficient data for QLD South Queensland Coastal – Curtis to Moreton and NSW Tablelands regions, creating spatial gaps.
• Specific row count and sample size for included regions are not provided.

Provenance

Source

Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).

Collection Method

Calculated from the ABARES farmpredict model, as detailed in the 'Measuring drought risk' 2020 research report.

Time Range

2020-2021.

Freshness

Data updated in 2021; metadata last updated April 2026.

Geography

Australian Agricultural and Grazing Industry Survey (AAGIS) regions, excluding specific Queensland and New South Wales areas.