Designed for vegetable, potato and onion growers, the Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar (AVIS) delivers expert knowledge, practical takeaways and research-driven insights relevant to today’s industry.

The seminar is designed to assist growers improve profitability and efficiency by highlighting the latest global technologies and innovations. The program also showcases the outcomes of investments made through the vegetable grower levy.

At this year’s seminar in June at Hort Connections, two of the sessions explored practical applications of AI on the farm and examined strategies to better understand consumer behaviour and encourage people to follow through on their intention to eat more vegetables.

Converting what consumers say they’re going to do into what they actually do:
Lessons for driving growth in fresh produce consumption

Despite widespread awareness that fruit and vegetables are good for health, increasing fresh produce consumption remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges.

International food marketing expert Professor David Hughes, Emeritus Professor at Imperial College London, explored why consumers often fail to translate good intentions into purchasing behaviour, and what the fresh produce industry can do about it.

One of the strongest themes was the growing importance of convenience. Time-poor consumers are increasingly choosing pre-prepared, ready-to-eat products while frozen fruit and vegetables continue to gain market share.

Hughes also noted that younger Australians consume around one-third fewer vegetables than older generations, warning that eating habits formed early in life are unlikely to change significantly later. While there is growing resistance to ultra-processed foods, they still make up a significant portion of young people’s diets. This highlights a clear gap between consumer intentions and actual behaviour.

Price is also influencing purchasing decisions, but Hughes emphasised that lowering prices alone will not drive consumption. Four out of 10 households in Australia spend three-quarters of their annual income on rent, mortgage repayments, bills and groceries – making them sensitive to price. However, Hughes noted that dropping vegetable prices can instead reduce the perceived value of the produce rather than increase consumption. To drive this point, Hughes used the example that while apples are vastly more affordable, their consumption is declining, while the popularity of berries is surging, despite costing more per serve. Instead of cheaper prices, consumers are looking for greater value and more compelling reasons to choose fresh produce.

While most people understand on a surface level that fruit and vegetables are healthy, they are increasingly seeking specific health benefits. Young consumers in particular respond to messages linked to specific outcomes such as gut health, fibre intake, energy, skin health or cognitive performance, rather than general nutrition advice. They are increasingly conscious of their health and the impact of what they put into their bodies, which provides hope for the fresh produce industry.

Hughes encouraged the industry to move beyond broad health messaging and better connect with evolving consumer priorities. Changing people’s diets is hard work. But quick, tasty and healthy products, combined with clear communication about the unique benefits of individual products offer the greatest opportunity to drive future consumption.

AI on the Farm:
Practical Pathways for Growers

Artificial intelligence (AI) has enormous potential to transform vegetable production, but for many growers the challenge is knowing where to begin. Carl Larsen, Principal at RMCG and Ben Finkel, CEO of the Australian Regional AI Network, shared practical insights to improve productivity, reduce administrative burden and strengthen business decision making.

Drawing on Carl’s expertise as a socio-environmental scientist with more than 15 years of experience across agriculture, horticulture, natural resource management and climate resilience, and Finkel’s leadership in supporting agribusinesses to adopt AI responsibly, the pair focused on bridging the gap between innovation and practical application of AI on the farm.

Identifying where AI delivers value

Their work explored how AI can be applied within vegetable production systems, with three key objectives: identifying the highest impact areas for the vegetable industry, assessing their feasibility and readiness, and developing a practical roadmap for industry adoption.

The timing is significant. Rising labour shortages, increasing compliance requirements and ongoing cost volatility are placing pressure on growers to find smarter ways of working. AI presents new opportunities to automate repetitive tasks, improve forecasting and support informed decision making.

The central question guiding the research was: Where can AI deliver real value for vegetable growers, and what should levy investment prioritise next?

The findings revealed that while current AI adoption among growers remains low, interest increases significantly once growers see practical, low-risk applications.

Early adoption is already occurring in business management, where AI is helping with tasks including meeting minutes, compliance documentation and workforce management support. Beyond administration, there is emerging potential in forecasting, quality assessment automation and crop monitoring.

However, several barriers continue to slow adoption. Limited regional connectivity, implementation costs, concerns around data ownership and trust, fragmented digital systems and subscription fatigue were all identified as significant challenges.

A practical roadmap for adoption
Larsen and Finkel presented a staged approach to AI adoption.

Immediate (0-12 months)
Build confidence
The first step is using readily available AI tools to simplify everyday administration. Applications such as generating meeting minutes, preparing audit documentation and developing multilingual inductions provide immediate productivity gains with minimal investment. Carlsen and Finkel also highlighted the opportunity to embed AI capability through VegNET phase 4.

Mid-term (1-3 years)
Test and pilot
As confidence grows, businesses can begin using AI in production systems through applications such as pest and disease monitoring, predictive maintenance and crop forecasting. Grower-led innovations, including projects like the Open Weed Locator, demonstrate how practical solutions can emerge from the industry itself.

Long-term (2-5+ years)
Scale and trust
Long-term success will depend on building confidence in AI systems through validated data pipelines, robust privacy protections and verification guardrails. Trust in these safeguards will enable more advanced AI applications across the vegetable industry.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGES
Larsen and Finkel encouraged growers to approach AI as a practical business tool. Their advice was simple:
• Start with existing AI tools, many of which are free or low-cost, to improve personal productivity and reduce administrative workload.
• Translate your knowledge base of your business into an AI skill. Allow AI to enhance existing expertise rather than replace it.
AI is no longer a future concept. By starting with small, practical applications today, businesses can build the confidence and capability needed to take advantage of more advanced technologies as they emerge.