FarmTalk #34 – Getting it together: steps to sharing expert support

Fact Sheet #34 – March 2009

Dr. Nicole Dimos – Mallee Sustainable Farming Inc.

The issue
Many of the farming systems changes taking place across the Mallee require education, training and on-farm trial and error. Good examples include making the shift to no-till, stubble retention and precision agriculture.

Making use of expert advice for local situations can be an important component of adopting complex new technology. However, the use of specialist consultants is low in some areas of the Mallee.

In response to this, MSF developed a pilot program to help farmers in areas with a low usage of agricultural consultants to benefit from expert support. The pilot program involved developing Local Adoption Information Clusters (LAICs). LAICs link a small number of neighbouring farmers with a consultant to provide relevant expertise. The pilot model provided farm-specific specialist advisory support to encourage trialling and adoption of new farming practices.