Project D: Program co-ordination - communication, extension and evaluation.

The GRDC seeks to contract a number of linked investments, each spanning a 5 year period, as part of a northern soils investment – Economics of ameliorating soil constraints in the northern region. It is expected investments will be contracted to start 10 March 2018. These investments will provide growers in the northern region with the knowledge (technical and economic) and tools to identify and manage soil constraints to achieve improved farm profitability. The focus will be:

a) innovations in diagnosis, mapping and selection of amelioration strategies

b) providing producers with practical ways to manage and/or ameliorate single or multiple constraints

c) developments in new forms and application techniques of ameliorants

d) management decisions to maximise profitability on constrained soils

Titles of the 4 linked investments are:

PROC-9175385 Project A: Spatial soil constraint diagnoses in the northern region

PROC-9175386 Project B: Soil constraint management and amelioration strategies for the northern region

PROC-9175387 Project C: Economics of adoption in northern region

PROC-9175388 Project D: Program co-ordination – communication, extension and evaluation

Given the complex nature of this investment and the wide range of skills required it is likely that this will require a collaborative approach that may include a number of public and private partnerships. The GRDC encourages whole of region tenders for all projects, however the GRDC will also consider multiple local tenders for Project B.

This GRDC investment is to:

Output 1

A co-ordination and collaboration strategy (internal communications) prepared in year 1 and updated each year. The plan will describe how and how often (a minimum of 2 meetings per annum) the Project Leaders will interact.

Details

The program co-ordinator will meet by telephone with project leaders quarterly. An annual program co-ordination committee meeting will identify and plan the direction of the program and to ensure that clear communication and collaborative linkages are maintained across the projects.

Output 2

Communications plan (external communications), prepared in year 1 and updated each year. The plan will include the communication and extension commitments for each project to ensure clear and consistent messaging.

Details

Extension and communication activities will include:

• integration of extension messages into existing industry specific networks and infrastructure including grower groups, GRDC’s communication and extension networks including eXentionAus.

• field days and workshops for growers and advisers

• training programs for advisers and soil amelioration contractors

Output 3

By 15 March 2022, a monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement (MERI) plan to measure the success of the program.

Details

The evaluation will engage with growers and consultants, in each sub-regions in first and final year of the program to establish the extent of industry change that can be attributed to the program.

Output 4

An Annual Research Report detailing the key findings of the project for the reporting period. The report will be structured using the GRDC Annual Research Report (ARR) template and developed in conjunction with the Coordination project.

The report will be used for distribution to grain growers in GRDC publications as determined by the GRDC.

Output 5

A Final Technical Report amalgamating the key findings, new knowledge and conclusions of the project to provide an overall interpretation of the work. The report will be structured using the GRDC Final Technical Report (FTR) template and developed in conjunction with the Coordination project.