AgricultureID

State · AU-WA

Western Australia

Mediterranean climate with wet winters and hot, dry summers across the southwest wheatbelt, grading to semi-arid interior and arid conditions in the north; winter rainfall drives the cropping season.

Major crop systems

  • Wheat
  • Barley
  • Canola (oilseed rape)
  • Lupins and other pulses

Major livestock systems

  • Sheep (Merino wool and meat) integrated with cropping
  • Beef cattle in the north (Kimberley / Pilbara rangelands)

Agricultural land: The Western Australian Wheatbelt is a very large winter-rainfall dryland grain and sheep zone on ancient, often sandy and dryland-salinity-prone soils; WA is one of Australia’s leading grain exporters. Irrigation: The wheatbelt is almost entirely rainfed under winter-dominant rainfall; irrigation is limited to the Ord River scheme in the north and horticulture near Perth and the southwest.

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).
  • Western Australia Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) — State primary industries department.

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-WA).
  • Any statistics from official bodies are dated and source-specific; none are reproduced here.
  • Canola is the commercial oilseed-rape crop.
  • Cropping is winter-rainfall dependent, and dryland salinity constrains parts of the wheatbelt.

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