In 2022, Edith Cowan University (CRICOS Provider No. 00279B) will begin offering Western Australia’s only university-level horticulture program, with the goal of expanding teaching and research capacity for one of the state’s most vital businesses.
Fruit, vegetables, nuts, flowers, turf, and nursery items are all part of Australia’s horticulture industry. The industry is labor-intensive and primarily seasonal, and it operates in a highly competitive domestic and international market.
Key Takeaways:
- Edith Cowan University will launch WA’s sole university-level horticulture program in 2022.
- Horticulture currently contributes AU$2.6 billion to Western Australia’s economy.
- To increase the quality of horticultural exports, ECU’s new program will bring together experience and cutting-edge research.
Horticulture now provides AU$2.6 billion to the WA economy, but new agreements with Indonesia, as well as free trade deals currently being negotiated with India, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, are expected to give a boost.
Professor Zora Singh, an internationally recognized horticulture expert who recently joined the institution, developed the new major in the Bachelor of Science program to be offered at ECU.
The new program will bring together experience and cutting-edge research to improve the quality of horticulture exports, with a focus on reducing produce waste and extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.
According to Singh, the WA government has set a goal of doubling the state’s food output by 2025, and ECU’s graduates will be well-positioned to join an industry that is currently in desperate need of professionals with the necessary know-how and skills.
Improving efficiency in the local horticultural industry is seen as critical to expanding WA’s international export market.
ECU’s teaching and research will focus on enhancing horticulture output, sustainability, market access, and profitability.
The university’s existing research capacity in the fields of proteomics and nutrition will open doors for collaboration in the future.
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