IN THIS ISSUE:
Rural landscape change - emerging challenges for extension. Update on a workshop held in Rutherglen in July looking at how the small farm sector is changing the rural landscape and how well extension is meeting the demands of the sector.

Capacity building workshops: what, why and how. The CVCB and APEN is running workshops around Australia in November on capacity building. Check out the program here.

What you want to know about capacity building. Some of the questions you want answered about capacity building, according to our online survey.

New projects funded by CVCB. The CVCB has just funded three new projects. 

Call for tenders. The CVCB is calling for tenders for a project to examine participation by women in leadership and management roles in agriculture

Work out there. Find out some of the things that are happening out there with capacity building

In print. New publication from Land & Water Australia. 

Handy links. Links to websites with useful tips for capacity building and working with groups.

Steering Committee
The Cooperative Venture for Capacity Building is managed by a steering committee comprising representatives from the partners. The committee is as follows:

Kevin Goss (Chairman), CRC for Plant-Based Management of Dryland Salinity

Roslyn Prinsley, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation

Ruth Nettle, Dairy Australia

Paul Comyn, Australian Wool Innovation

Tony Clancy, Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation

Andrew Hodgson, Meat & Livestock Australia

Elwin Turnbull, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia

Michael Lester, Land & Water Australia

Fiona Lynn, Murray-Darling Basin Commission

Tracy Henderson, Sugar Research and Development Corporation

John McKenzie, John McKenzie and Associates (Program Manager and Executive Officer)

Contacts
For more information about the CVCB and its activities contact:

Roslyn Prinsley, RIRDC, phone 02 6272 5227, email roslyn.prinsley@rirdc.gov.au

John McKenzie, John McKenzie and Associates, phone 0402 018 318, email john.mckenzie@clearmail.com.au

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Website
For information about the CVCB and projects go to website Cooperative Venture page.

But how well has extension adjusted to meeting the needs of this growing group of landholders? And how have they changed the social landscape in regional areas? In July over 100 people got together at a forum held in Rutherglen to answer these questions. 

The forum was convened as a key component of the research project, Improving Delivery Mechanisms for the Small Farm Sector, funded by Victorian DPI and the CVCB. The project was managed by the Catchment and Agriculture Services, Practice Change Social Research Team at Rutherglen, which has been researching the sector for the past three years. Research relied on statistical analysis and qualitative methodologies. 

As part of the project, northeast Victoria was selected as a pilot study area because of the large and growing number of small and lifestyle farms in the region, and because it is representative of the national trend.

The research has investigated:

• small and lifestyle farm 'place' and 'number' in the landscape (socio-economic mapping using ABARE, ABS, local government statistical databases) 
• views and values of the sector towards natural resource management, service delivery and engagement strategies 
• views and values of extension providers (private and government) about the sector 
• drivers and characteristics of the sector 
• extension delivery mechanisms.

“We are challenged in our current thinking about the way we do business with the small lifestyle farm sector,” said Carole Hollier, manager of the project.

“One of the biggest challenges will be how do we engage with the sheer numbers of small lifestyle farmers within the landscape,” she added.

As well as identifying how to respond to this challenge the forum, and the project itself, focused on new and creative approaches to better engage people. 

One of the research areas, which has arisen out of the work, that will be further explored this year in a new project, is the impact of the small lifestyle farm sector on biosecurity. New farm entrants with little or no farming history may not be aware of animal or plant diseases. Also, absentee landowners may have serious weed problems, which have the potential to impact on traditional agricultural industries. The new research project will explore the issues, and look at what government can do to managing the risk. 

For information about the project contact Carole Hollier, email carole.hollier@nre.vic.gov.au 

NEWS FROM THE CVCB 

REGISTER NOW FOR 
Capacity building workshops: what, why and how

The CVCB and Australasian Pacific Extension Network (APEN) are holding joint workshops around Australia in November about capacity building. If you want to find out more about capacity building and practical ways of designing and implementing capacity building activities and projects, then mark your diaries now. The workshops will help you understand:

• what capacity building is
• when to do capacity building (and when not to do it)
• how to do capacity building.

• you’ll know what capacity building is
• you’ll find out why agencies and organisations today are promoting capacity building
• you’ll hear practical ways of incorporating capacity building principles into your projects and designing activities to support capacity building and 
• you can meet and talk with people who are doing it now. 

There will also be presentations on local capacity building activities and an opportunity for participants to discuss their own experiences and issues to do with capacity building. 

The workshops will be run in November 2005 at the following locations: 

• Toowoomba (10th)
• Mareeba (11th)
• Darwin (14th)
• Perth (16th)
• Adelaide (21st)
• Melbourne (22nd) and 
• Wagga Wagga (23rd). 

• what it is and isn’t
• who’s doing it and why

• results of research
• practical advice on designing and implementing extension projects to support capacity building

• does this make sense?
• possible issues or concerns

• how institutions can support or hinder the process

• issues to do with capacity building, both now and in the future

For more information and to register go to www.apen.org.au/events/2005wkshp11

What you want to know about capacity building
In August we asked Capacit-E readers to respond to an online survey asking them the three key things they would like to know about capacity building. Thanks to those who responded. While response numbers weren’t high, they will certainly help guide the production of a practical guide to capacity building, which is being written at present. 

Some of the things people wanted to know were:

• what capacity building actually is, i.e. a simple description
• when to do it and how to identify when it is called for
• how to evaluate its effectiveness (and failures), and how to set targets and performance indicators
• why do capacity building, especially in the context of extension
• what tools and resources are available.

New projects funded by CVCB
Three projects have recently been funded by the CVCB. 

Maximising the connection between R&D providers and agribusiness
The aim of this project is to focus on three case studies to research and answer key research questions:

1. What agribusiness information needs can RD&E providers supply?
2. How can the information be best supplied and accessed?
3. How can an RD&E advisory, priority setting and feedback model be established to satisfy the needs of farmers, agribusiness and RD&E providers, and can this be widely implemented?

This project will examine how catchment management organisations can better identify issues and areas where capacity building is the most appropriate and effective response for NRM outcomes, focussing on the example of salinity. 

Its main aims are to:

1. Refine the principles of the SIF3 framework, developed by Ridley and Pannell (2005), to identify where capacity building is the most appropriate policy response for NRM, and apply the revised framework with two catchment management organisations in Victoria and WA.
2. Understand and document differences between SIF3 results and current regional plans. 
3. Understand and document needs for capacity-building within catchment management organisations themselves in relation to technical analysis and decision analysis needs.
4. Understand and document capacities of organisations and agencies within regions to develop and deliver the desired capacity-building activities for land managers.
5. Revise SIF3 framework to improve its practicality and relevance and broader applicability and understand how this can best be communicated to organisations and rural communities to maximise its effectiveness and accessibility.

• identifying the nature and extent of links and partnerships between extension and VET;
• identifying the nature of the target markets and marketing approaches of extension and VET; and
• formulating options and recommendations about better alignment between extension and VET.

CALL FOR TENDERS

Commissioned project on women in leadership and management
The CVCB is calling for tenders from suitably qualified consultants for a project examining participation by women in leadership and management roles in agriculture.

A recent study by the Department of Transport and Regional Services demonstrates that the numbers of women on boards of most rural industry organisations has not increased over the last ten years.

This consultancy aims to evaluate existing leadership, training and development programs in order to assess the relationship between these and the attraction of women to leadership positions in rural industries and encouragement of women’s involvement in rural industries.

Tenders close 14 October. To obtain a copy of the project brief contact John McKenzie, email john.mckenzie@clearmail.com.au

WORK OUT THERE

Funds for innovative farmer designed projects
The Sugar Research and Development Corporation (SRDC) Board recently approved funding of almost $410,000 for 2005-2007 to support nine grower groups in Queensland and NSW undertake innovative projects to improve their performance. SRDC Executive Director, Russ Muchow, said that he was encouraged by the initiative and enthusiasm from groups of growers in proposing these projects, which ranged from developing an innovative wallaby management strategy to controlled traffic farming systems. Importantly, all the projects were designed by growers and were aimed at improving industry performance. 

2006 Rural Women’s Award
The RIRDC Rural Women’s Award 2006 is now open and receiving applications. The award is designed to recognise and encourage the vital contribution women make to agriculture and rural Australia, by providing them with the support and resources to further develop their skills and abilities. It is focused on supporting women with strong leadership skills, a positive vision for the future of agriculture and the potential to make a difference in their chosen field. Nominations close 15 October 2005 - World Rural Women’s Day. Download application forms from website www.ruralwomensaward.gov.au 

Industry Partnerships - Young People’s Development Awards 
The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is calling for applications for its Industry Partnerships - Young People's Development Awards. These Awards are designed to help young men and women develop the skills, knowledge and networks required to make a greater contribution to the future of their industry. They also aim to increase the profile of young rural people, so that they can contribute to the government and industry decision-making process. Applicants can seek sponsorship for a specific project relevant to their ongoing employment. Projects could include attending an industry study tour, conference, meeting, or investigating new market opportunities for their industry. Funding limits of $5000 (for domestic projects) and $10,000 (for international projects) apply. For an application form and more information go to www.daff.gov.au/youngleaders or email youngleaders@daff.gov.au. Applications close Friday 28 October 2005.

Looking for sustainable rural enterprises 
The Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities at La Trobe University is looking for your help with research it is doing into identifying rural communities pursuing socially, environmentally and economically sustainable enterprises.

Do you know of any innovative enterprises in country towns where the population is less than 10 000, and where community capacity building and environmental protection are integral factors, i.e. where the enterprise is actively involved in adding value to existing initiatives and resource use, and creating new local learning and enterprise development opportunities? 

If you do contact Maureen Rogers, phone 03 5444 7523, email maureen.rogers@latrobe.edu.au or go to website http://www.latrobe.edu.au/csrc

IN PRINT
Australia's Farmers: Past, Present and Future, Report June 2005. A new publication from Land & Water Australia's Social & Institutional Research Program. This report examines trends in the demographic structure of Australia's farmer population for the period 1976 to 2001 and addresses a number of questions commonly asked about the future of the Australian farm sector. Go to http://www.sirp.gov.au/publications.asp to either download the report or order a hard copy.

HANDY LINKS
Interactive Social Atlas. The BRS has just developed a interactive social atlas. This is a great resource for anyone interested in finding out more about rural and regional demographics. With this web-based tool you can generate a customised regional atlas containing social and demographic information including population, employment, household, income and education statistics specifically for any region in Australia. Find the atlas at website www.brs.gov.au/socialatlas

Comprehensive statistics. While we are on the subject of statistics, ABS has just released their publication Australian farming in brief. You can download this for free. It contains the latest data on agricultural land area, irrigated area, and gross value of commodities at national level. Go to website 
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/172177A1A0227EC9CA256889000F2C08

Effective Capacity Building in Nonprofit Organizations. While it has been written for non profit organisations, this publication, which you can download from the web, has lots of practical information for people involved in capacity building. Includes an explanation of the reason for capacity building, success factors and a capacity assessment grid. Go to website   http://vppartners.org/learning/reports/capacity/capacity.html

Directed creativity toolkit. A practical guide to working with groups and individuals to help them think creatively about issues and develop innovative solutions. Go to website http://www.directedcreativity.com/pages/ToolKit.html

Conversation mapping. If you are interested in developing rich pictures as a way of tracking ideas in discussion then you’ll find this guide to conversation mapping by Bruce McKenzie very handy. It is outlines step-by-step instructions for using visual mapping to help track and understand a complex conversation. Go to website 
http://www.cynefin.net/kbase/29_Conversation_Mapping_BMcK_0605.pdf