National Horticultural Research Network - Horticulture Industry ...

National Horticultural Research Network
Implementing the future Framework September 2010
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Northern Territory
At present the NT is developing an extension strategy that will sit under its overall plan for
agribusiness development. The NT takes the definition of extension as “the process of enabling
change in individuals, communities and industries involved in the primary industry sector and with
natural resource management”. The purpose of extension in NT primary industries is to assist in
positive agricultural development by building capacity in industry, to achieve profitable production
and environmental sustainability, while maintaining biosecurity protection. The approach that the NT
takes to achieve this is either by stand alone extension projects, extension as part of research or
biosecurity programs on on-going information provision through a number of different media.
Management of extension projects is consistent with the NT Department of Resources project
management system. Partnerships in extension with industry associations, consultants and
agribusiness are an integral part of the NT extension effort. Approaches to evaluate the extension
effort will form part of the new NT Extension strategy.
Tasmania
The Vegetable Centre and the Perennial Horticulture Centre, both of the Tasmanian Institute of
Agricultural Research (TAIR: a joint venture of the University of Tasmania and the Department of
Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment), provide D&E services to industry. Provision of
services, through dedicated D&E staff, using a range of delivery strategies and technologies, is
embedded in the strategic plans of TIAR and the Centres. The Centres work in partnership with
industry bodies, agricultural service companies, Government Departments and other Government and
semi – Government bodies such as Natural Resource Management groups, to deliver D&E services to
industry. TIAR is currently undertaking a thorough review of the “what, why and how” of D&E in
order to develop a model that most effectively delivers to industry.
CSIRO
CSIRO traditionally extends the results of its research through a range of media. The overall
communication objective is to position CSIRO with the best possible prospects of support for its work
by providing key stakeholders and the general public with an accurate, up-to-date and objective
assessment of the organisation‟s research achievements, diversity, capabilities, and the economic,
social and environmental values and benefits flowing from its work. The range of media used include
press releases and interviews, articles in industry magazines and newsletters, CSIRO web site, fact
sheets, events (field days, conferences), business unit newsletters and other publications, answering
queries from the public, media monitoring and new media, including podcasting and video-casting.
Western Australia
The Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA) has „Development Officers‟ (DO‟s) who are
responsible for industry economic development. The DO and Research Officer functions are often
blurred in an environment with a heavy emphasis on applied field research.
The role of a DO varies between sectors of industry. In some sectors the role has a greater emphasis
on group extension with support for nationally coordinated programmes, on farm demonstration of
research outcomes from national projects with local verification of results, nationally coordinated
workshops, seminars, conferences and newsletters, as well as new variety introduction and evaluation.
The other approach that is more common in vegetables (where there are many more crops and hence
more research gaps and weaker national coordination at the individual crop level), is for extension to
be an integral part of regional industry funded (HAL) R&D projects. The primary emphasis in this
model is on „on-farm‟ and research station trials and demonstration plots backed up by field days and
workshops. IDO‟s employed by an industry body collaborate to provide the connection to a wider
industry audience through mass media communications and field walk coordination.
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