Summary of the report

Executive Summary
What this report is about
A national forum, Rural Landscape Change: emerging challenges for extension, convened by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Victoria, took place on 20–21 July 2005 at Rutherglen in north-east Victoria. The forum was funded through the DPI Victoria and the Cooperative Venture for Capacity Building (CVCB).

Aim
The forum was designed to capture new knowledge as part of the project and to explore engagement strategies and capacity building opportunities for the small lifestyle farm sector. A number of key speakers from a variety of agencies shared their experiences and perspectives on demographic change in regional Victoria, the organisation of government on service delivery, extension models and principles, and the social aspects of changing rural communities.

Key messages
The key messages that came from the forum presentations and discussions were:

• The social landscape has been changing and continues to change in many parts of regional Australia. This can be a catalyst for tension in regional landscapes as small lifestyle farmers bring a completely different set of cultural values compared to their larger, traditional counterparts.
• The small lifestyle farm sector is socially, economically and culturally diverse. Farmers in this sector have different extension and education needs compared with commercial producers, and they have different social and information networks. Extension approaches need to be flexible, inclusive and transparent, and respect the diverse views, values and motivations. There is a need to challenge traditional paradigms surrounding extension, for example, by using non-traditional service providers to deliver messages (local produce stores, real estate agents, the banking sector and schools) and by providing information specific to small lifestyle farmers through a variety of nontraditional mediums.
• National, state and local governments need to define their position with respect to the small lifestyle farm sector, and further integrate their services to improve delivery of extension and sound planning procedures.
• Small lifestyle farmers have an impact on the economic and social dimension of regional communities, although to what extent is not fully understood. With their diverse non-farming backgrounds, coupled with their economic and structural diversity, small lifestyle farmers can stimulate new cultural and economic opportunities.

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Last updated: July 2007
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