A polygon dataset that estimates the Strategic Agricultural Land (SAL) within New South Wales. Strategic agricultural land is highly productive land that has both unique natural resource characteristics (such as soil and water resources) as well as socio-economic value (such as high productivity, infrastructure availability and access to markets). Biophysical strategic agricultural land is land with a rare combination of natural resources highly suitable for agriculture. These lands intrinsically have the best quality landforms, soil and water resources which are naturally capable of sustaining high levels of productivity and require minimal management practices to maintain this high quality. Purpose is to identify Strategic Agricultural Land (SAL) within the state.
This dataset has been capatured and mapped at a regional scale Criteria for Biophysical Strategic Agricultural Land that falls under soil fertility classes 'high' or 'moderately high' under the Draft Inherent General Fertility of NSW (OEH), and land capability classes I, II or III under the Land and Soil Capability Mapping of NSW (OEH), and reliable water of suitable quality, characterised by having rainfall of 350mm or more per annum (9 out of 10 years);
or properties within 150m of a regulated river, or unregulated rivers where there are flows for at least 95% of the time (ie the 95th percentile flow of each month of the year is greater than zero) or 5th order and higher rivers;
or groundwater aquifers (excluding miscellaneous alluvial aquifers, also known as small storage aquifers) which have a yield rate greater than 5L/s and total dissolved solids of less than 1,500mg/L.