AgricultureID

State · AU-SA

South Australia

Mediterranean climate with wet winters and hot, dry summers across the agricultural south, grading rapidly to semi-arid and arid conditions inland; it is the driest of the mainland states.

Major crop systems

  • Wheat
  • Barley
  • Canola (oilseed rape)
  • Pulses — lentils, field peas, faba beans
  • Wine grapes

Major livestock systems

  • Sheep (wool and meat)
  • Beef cattle and some dairy

Agricultural land: Winter-rainfall broadacre cropping on Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas and the Murray Mallee, alongside premium wine regions (Barossa, Clare, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale) and irrigated Riverland horticulture. Irrigation: The Murray River Riverland is the main irrigation zone, supplying wine grapes, citrus, and horticulture; broadacre grain and pulse cropping is rainfed.

Agroecological zones: Csa (Hot-summer Mediterranean), BSk (Cold semi-arid (steppe)), BWh (Hot desert)

Documented crops & livestock

Official institutions

  • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) — National agricultural research and statistics agency.
  • Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) — National statistical agency (agricultural census and surveys).
  • Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) — State primary industries agency.

Data coverage & limitations

Descriptive profile; subnational statistics are published by ABARES and the Australian Bureau of Statistics and are not reproduced numerically here.

  • Boundaries and administrative classification follow the official ISO 3166-2 system (AU-SA).
  • Any statistics from official bodies are dated and source-specific; none are reproduced here.
  • Canola is the commercial oilseed-rape crop.
  • Riverland irrigation depends on variable Murray River water allocations.

Sources

This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.

  1. [1]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Crop and livestock system context

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  2. [2]FAOSTAT — FAO statistical database (opens in a new tab)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: National agricultural production context

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12