VegNET WA Strategy

3 KEY issues on the sustainability of WA’s vegetable growing businesses include farm biosecurity, water and nutrition management and food safety/quality assurance management.

VegNET WA Strategy A roadmap for enhancing WA vegetable growing businesses Working closely

BY VO THE TRUYEN REGIONAL with growers and related stakeholders. DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, VEGETABLESWA

As part of the VegNET Western Australia (WA) five-year strategy, the regional development officers will undertake an innovation broker role of sorts.

This will allow us to work closely with growers and related stakeholders, to create value by translating innovation into adoptable field practices. ‘Growers First’ is the first pillar of our strategy and we’ve prioritised the way we work side-by-side with our grower members and stakeholders to tackle the big challenges facing the industry.

Identified challenges

Through vegetablesWA’s extension program consultations (funded by HAL, HIA and APC VPC including VegNET Phase 1) with WA vegetable growers and relevant stakeholders over the past eight years, the priority of regional issues that have been identified are shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1. PRIORITY REGIONAL ISSUES

Rank 1 2

3

4 Overall Labour Market and business management Water and crop nutrition management Quality Assurance

5

6

7 Farm biosecurity

Pests and diseases management Communication North Labour Farm biosecurity

Market and business management Quality Assurance Communication Pests and diseases management

Prioritised focuses Growers first

By conducting a regional scan and gap The regional development team are analysis, we’ve been able to develop a committed to finding the right solutions few select projects. for each participating growers’ situation This search for relevant R&D, advances in technology and industry information, and understanding the specific requirements of their businesses. in support of the WA vegetable industry, This customer-centric approach provided us with a number of potential doesn’t just extend to how we work innovative solutions to regional issues. with growers, it is also reflected in our As a result, three key issues that are broader regional development agenda. making a profound impact on the Our project actions are designed to sustainability of WA’s vegetable growing enhance innovation system linkages, businesses were prioritised; they include participatory learning and adoption. — farm biosecurity, water and nutrition management Enhanced Innovation System five-year strategy, with production system and a clear objective to bring a measure of value to WA growers. issues (e.g. research scoping, demonstration sites, technology trials) The regional scan also found that the • Improve the ability of growers/ Quality Assurance Coordinator and stakeholders to find information Labour Facilitator projects, run by relevant to their production system vegetablesWA, provide a rich source of through strengthening regional expertise and industry value. networks, including helping find the Similarly, the areas of market and most appropriate service providers business management have been • Enhance knowledge and resources addressed by other projects under the sharing among growers/stakeholders same service provider. to facilitate innovation and innovation The industry indications from these adoption activities. projects will be incorporated as Five stage process to enhance additional sources of knowledge and growers’ decision-making and and understanding the benefits). Water and crop nutrition management South West Labour Market and business management Water and crop nutrition management Farm biosecurity

Quality Assurance

Pests and diseases management Communication South Labour Market and business management Water and crop nutrition management Farm biosecurity

Pests and diseases

and food safety/quality assurance management. Using this data, three projects have been developed, as part of the Contact the VegNET WA Regional Development team at to get more information. Linkages: • Increase the connection and participation of growers in regional projects and investments that are relevant to their information, in the execution of the three prioritised regional projects. innovation adoption: 1. Knowledge (expose to innovations management 2. Persuasion (the forming of a favourable attitude to them). 3. Decision (commitment to adoption). 4. Implementation (putting innovation into use via trial and error process). 5. Confirmation (reinforcement the adoption decision based on positive outcomes from it).

Promotion and assistance to evolve and adopt to the changing industry environment: • Increase growers’ awareness of challenges and opportunities evolving over time • Increase growers’ awareness of who and where they and their businesses are among others in the industry • Increase growers’ motivation to make changes to adapt themselves and their businesses to evolving production and market environment.

Growers’ ‘can do’ approach

All WA levy and fee for service paying growers can take part in the proposed activities within the VegNET WA project. Growers can simply start by contacting the VegNET WA Regional Development team at vegetablesWA to get more information on how to get involved.

MORE INFORMATION

Truyen Vo, Regional Development Officer, phone (08) 9486 7515, 0457 457 559 or email truyen.vo@vegetableswa.com.au.