Building the Traditional Owner-led bush products sector

Project locations: Townsville, Cardwell, Cairns, Darwin, Broome

Project partners: CSIRO ; Kimberley Land Council Aboriginal Corporation ; Girringun Aboriginal Corporation ; Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotany Centre (TIEC) ; In-Group Investments ; James Cook University ; Australian Native Food Industry Limited

Project summary and impacts

The Traditional Owner-led bush products sector, encompassing bushfoods, botanicals, native plant nurseries and related enterprises, is creating new opportunities for Indigenous economic development across northern Australia. Recognising the sector’s potential, this project sought to better understand its current state, identify opportunities for growth and establish priorities for future investment and research.

Led by an Indigenous Steering Committee and supported by researchers from CSIRO and James Cook University, the project brought together Indigenous enterprises, industry representatives and researchers to examine the opportunities and challenges facing the sector. Through literature reviews, stakeholder engagement and sector workshops, the project developed a clearer picture of the sector’s strengths, barriers and development needs.

Key outputs included a baseline assessment of the sector, an Indigenous enterprise network, and a Strategic Sector Development and Research Priority Framework to guide future growth. The project also highlighted the importance of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property protection, benefit-sharing and culturally appropriate business models in supporting sustainable sector development.

Since its completion, the project has helped raise the profile of the Indigenous-led bush products sector nationally, informing research, policy and industry discussions. Project outcomes have contributed to further research, supported Indigenous enterprise development initiatives, informed Indigenous cultural and intellectual property discussions, and helped shape best-practice approaches to working with Indigenous knowledge. As the bush products sector continues to expand, the project has provided an important foundation for Indigenous-led enterprise growth, investment and innovation across northern Australia.

Publications

Maclean, K., Woodward, E., Jarvis, D., Rowland, D., Rist, P., Turpin, G., Martin, P., Glover., R (2019). A strategic sector development and research priority framework for the Traditional Owner-led bush products sector in Northern Australia. CSIRO