AS THE agricultural research and development sector continues to evolve, private consultants and farmer groups are taking over many of the traditional extension roles of government agriculture departments.
There are now more than 200 farmer groups in Australia and 40 per cent of graingrowers are using private consultants.
Speaking at the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology conference in Canberra, chairman of the Birchip Cropping Group (BCG) in northern Victoria, Ian McClelland, said industry groups were becoming increasingly involved in research funding and extension.
“Farm groups are a farmer-based information source that know the questions that need answering,” he said.
“They are a great platform for getting researchers, consultants and farmers together to deliver information.
“The benefits are the researchers get recognition and feedback on the key issues, the consultants have a laboratory in the field, industry sees their products being demonstrated and farmers get interaction between these people.”
Mr McClelland said governments were narrowing research funding to projects that had a “public good” focus tied to broad policy objectives.
“A group like BCG, which has the mission of improving the prosperity of its farmers and agricultural communities through the adoption of innovation, takes the opposite view that helping farmers be more prosperous spreads the benefits right across the community,” he said.
“No other businessperson lives on the ‘factory floor’ like a farmer does.”
See the March 18 issue of The Land for more coverage of agriculutral research and funding issues.
Email a friend