VegNET – Western Australia: Looking ahead to 2021

22 February 2021

It was a busy 2020 for VegNET Regional Development Officers (RDOs), who had the task of developing a five-year regional strategy and focus activities through external consultations as well as the establishment of a Regional Extension Advisory Group. In this column, VegNET – Western Australia RDO Sam Grubiša discusses what the process involved and the outcomes that have been produced as a result.

The Western Australian regional development team consists of Truyen Vo and me, Sam Grubiša. With a diverse shared background covering scientific research, medical pathology, agronomy, trucking and good old hands in the dirt farm work, we are a high-fiving fiesta of theoretical and practical horticulture experience. So, when vegetablesWA was awarded the WA tender for VegNET Phase 2 – Regional Development Officer, we were ready and raring to go.

Regional development is our name, but extension is still our game. We are here to 100 per cent support Western Australian vegetable growers with all things related to Hort Innovation R&D and industry innovation, with our focus for the coming year informed by consultations with Hort Innovation’s industry specific Strategic Investment Advisory Panel (SIAP).

Developing a strategy

It began back in May 2020, with our first foray into agricultural innovations systems, regional scans and discussion papers. Training and support from Sean Kenny and Geoff Drysdale at Rural Consulting Group helped to guide us on our way to developing a five-year regional extension strategy and three key areas of focus by the end of August.

Truyen’s university degrees, along with years as a research scientist and extension officer, gave us an edge in understanding the direction and scope of this new project approach. With his theoretical and my practical knowledge of horticulture, we were able to visualise a plan to benefit the west. Now all we had to do was get it all down on paper and this is where the grey hairs really started to sprout!

We spent the next two months writing/ reviewing/re-writing… and starting again! Motivated by feedback and regional visits over the years, we chose to shine the spotlight on three of the main issues affecting the industry state-wide and have created the following focus activities:

Water and fertiliser use efficiency.
Biosecurity.
Base level quality assurance (QA) requirements – beginning with chemical certification.

Grower support

Once we managed to rein in our ‘thoughts of awesome’, we were able to produce a strategy and project briefs for our focus activities that will not only benefit WA’s regional growers, but were supported by our own personal strengths and passion for the industry. As a final function of the development process, a Regional Extension Advisory Group (REAG) was created to guide our strategic direction and assist in shaping the project briefs. Consisting of three diverse growers and one venerable industry representative, the level of feedback was invaluable in highlighting how we best achieve our proposed objectives.

After the REAG-sanctioned recommendations were incorporated and approved, we were ready to reveal the strategic plan that was developed for and endorsed by Western Australian vegetable growers and industry stakeholders. If you are interested in finding out more or would like to get involved with any of the above focus activities, Truyen and I are only a phone call, text, or email away. Plus, we get sick of talking to each other and would love the refreshing change of hearing voices other than our own.

With the beginning of 2021 comes the dawn of a more focused and energised Regional Development team in WA. We look forward to both old and new collaborations and learnings that will increase our and our growers’ knowledge and experience.