Agriculture & Share Farming

Crown land is not idle land. As the delegated Crown Land Manager for the Lightning Ridge Area Opal Reserve, LRAOR has a responsibility to ensure that land within the Reserve is managed productively and sustainably, and share farming arrangements are one of the primary ways we deliver on that responsibility.

Share farming on Crown land involves LRAOR facilitating arrangements with local operators who wish to use Reserve land for agricultural purposes. Rather than simply leasing land and stepping away, LRAOR remains actively involved as the land manager, working with operators to ensure that production activity aligns with the broader management objectives of the Reserve, including weed control, native plantings, and environmental outcomes.

One example of this approach is cropping activity at Coocoran Lake, a program that demonstrates how Crown land within the opal fields can be used productively while maintaining respect for its cultural and ecological significance. The arrangements at Coocoran Lake are Indigenous-led, connecting local Aboriginal community members to Country through agricultural practice in a way that generates both economic benefit and cultural meaning.

The integration of native plantings and restoration works into farming activity is an important feature of LRAOR's approach. Where share farming takes place on the Reserve, operators work alongside land management priorities, contributing to revegetation, fencing, weed management and other activities that benefit the land over the long term. Agriculture here is not extractive; it is part of a broader land health strategy.

It is important to understand LRAOR's role clearly: we are a facilitator, not a regulator. Operators who wish to farm on Crown land within the Reserve work with Crown Lands NSW for any statutory approvals, permits and compliance requirements. LRAOR's role is to identify suitable arrangements, support their establishment, and ensure that farming activity aligns with the management plan for the Reserve.

The benefits of well-managed share farming arrangements on Crown land extend well beyond the individual operator. Agricultural activity generates economic participation for community members, contributes to land productivity, and creates a working relationship between people and place that is the foundation of good stewardship. For Aboriginal community members in particular, farming on Country is an act of cultural connection as much as it is an economic one.