VegNET Phase 2.0 was delivered using an Innovation Systems approach to develop and commence implementation
of a five year Regional Extension Strategy. The VegNET Gippsland Regional Development Officer (RDO) attended
and actively participated in all training that was delivered on Innovation Systems approaches and Monitoring and
Evaluation, which guided the RDO through the process of Strategy development.

This included establishing a Regional Extension Advisory Group (REAG), which is representative of Gippsland’s vegetable growing industry and includes two agronomists to provide technical advice. Through consultation with the REAG and the broader industry, the RDO identified four focus areas for development within the industry:

• On-farm biosecurity
• Protecting Gippsland’s waterways
• Smarter Growing with agtech
• Building business capacity and a sustainable workforce

Through three-monthly meetings and informal feedback to the RDO, the REAG guided the development and
implementation of the projects within each of these focus areas and Monitoring and Evaluation plans.

While each of these focus areas are relatively broad, the projects were all designed with mechanisms to enable their focus to be refined as they are delivered.