An Australian contingent attended the 2018 International Spinach Conference (ISC) in Murcia, Spain, with the aim of increasing the capacity of Australian spinach producers to improve their production efficiency and product quality and help build the production capacity of the Australian vegetable industry.

The tour aided in identifying new practices, technologies, varietal improvements, and allowing producers to understand many of the global challenges and research opportunities from world-leading growers, researchers and breeders attending from USA and Europe.

As well as attending the 2018 ISC, the contingent visited Spanish producers supplying the European market, looked at sustainable vegetable production techniques with composting one of the focuses, attended spinach breeder trials, viewed the use of floating crop covers, research trials and processing facilities and technologies.

Project dissemination has and is occurring back through the attendee’s own grower networks immediately upon their return in late February. Media communication networks including a YouTube video, articles for Vegetables Australia magazine, and other communications.