The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimated that in 2003, there were approximately 4390 vegetable growing operations and 6,000 growers across Australia, producing more than $1.7 billion worth of produce. Furthermore, a report conducted in 2005, the ‘Vegetable Growers with A Language Other Than English Snapshot Report’ identified 40 per cent of Australian growers were from a Language Other Than English (LOTE) background.
This RIRDC report brings together valuable information on LOTE growers and outlines how the communication barrier can be broken down.