On The Homefront: Agriculture & Food Production

Many farmers were blocked from enlisting in the armed services. Their job of producing food for soldiers serving at home and abroad, to supply our allies who could no longer source food and other commodities from European suppliers, and to feed those at home was considered important enough to declare agricultural work a reserved occupation. This did not, however, prevent labour shortages occurring as many casual labourers enlisted, particularly from 1942 onwards.

In Queensland, the impact of war-time rationing of foodstuffs such as sugar, butter and meat (and sometimes eggs and milk during periods of shortage) was lessened by larger suburban blocks which allowed many families to grow their own vegetables and fruit, and keep chickens. In some cases, people kept a cow or goat to supply cream and milk.

During 1942 food shortages began to loom on the Australian home front. The agricultural industry was struggling with massive labour shortages, a severe and prolonged drought, and major shortfalls in imports of seed stock and fertiliser. Prime Minister, John Curtin, launched “Dig for Victory”, a publicity campaign urging householders throughout Australia to grow their own vegetables as a contribution to the war effort by reducing the competition between private consumption and the government for scarce food resources.

Schools also dug deep. At Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School, lawns were dug up and boarders grew their own vegetables. On 21 July 1942 the Queensland Times reported of the efforts of Glamorganvale State School students, who

For some time past have been busy forming seed beds and vegetable plots. Various vegetables are now reaching the saleable stage. All money received from their sale is being held by one of the scholars, who has been appointed Treasurer. At suitable times these amounts on hand will be handed over to various patriotic bodies in the district. In the event of the supply exceeding the demand, the intention is to hand the surplus to one of the institutions, who can make use of them. A large plot is being prepared for English potatoes, which will be planted in the Spring. The Head Teacher and scholars are to be congratulated on this “dig for victory” effort.

Local radio station 4IP even included a regular 30-minute “Dig for Victory” session in its programming, and retailers advertised the availability of seeds.

In some Ipswich areas farmers’ land was taken over for military purposes, for example near Calvert for an ammunition dump, and at Redbank for a firing range.

In July 1942 the Australian Women’s Land Army (AWLA) was established to help fill the shortage of labour in the rural sector. Volunteers were trained in farming skills and they worked on rural properties, their modest wages paid by the farmer. At its peak, 3,000 women were members of the AWLA, 700 of them from Queensland. The average working week was 48 hours of often-arduous work, which included vegetable and fruit growing, pig and poultry raising, and stock work. Some farm labour shortages were also alleviated by the employment of prisoners-of-war. The farmers provided accommodation and meals, and paid the men’s wages.

After the war more farmers began to acquire mechanised farming implements such as tractors and utilities. Irrigation also became more common, using water from government-constructed storages. Churchbank Weir, constructed in the late 1940s on Warrill Creek, supplied water for stock, and also for irrigation of fodder and small crops.