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Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation
Research and Development for the Queensland Cutflower Industry (W02/002 RIRDC QFG-1A)by Geraldine Meiburg
February 2002 RIRDC Publication No W02/002 RIRDC Project No QFG-1A
RD&E forum
An RD&E Forum was conducted by QFGA and RIRDC on May 25th, 2001 at Redlands Community Cultural Centre at Cleveland. It included an educational component (including guest speakers) and a facilitated workshop. The results from this RD&E workshop will be used to create a Queensland Cutflower Industry RD&E Plan.
The forum involved 53 participants representing the major crop sectors and Queensland growing regions. They included members from throughout the supply chain and RD&E service providers.
Workshop methodology:
Workshop participants were provided with an introduction to the activity and a questionnaire prior to the Forum. This provided them with a strategic analysis of the industry conducted during an industry planning exercise in 1999 including the results from a SWOT analysis. This enabled participants to begin thinking in industry strategic terms as well as addressing their individual business concerns. Questionnaire feedback was collected and collated to create a starting point for discussions.
Information from participants was collected via individual input, structured and unstructured group discussions, as well as scoring and prioritising exercises. Information to identify research priorities was initially sorted by major growing sector: (1) traditional (or exotic) cutflower production, and (2) wildflower production, which includes Australian natives, proteaceous species and foliage.
Workshop Results:
A list of 23 research topics was identified as the most important to the whole industry. This information is based on collective analysis of priorities given by workshop participants on issues they would most like to see conducted to benefit their businesses (Table 1). The same 4 topics were given highest priority by members of both the wildflower and traditional flower growing sectors, with differences in order. Nine issues were common to both sectors in their top 20 topics (shaded). Eleven topics, however, differed in the top 20 topics for each sector due to the differing production systems used, markets, location of farms (eg semi-urban vs rural), and the length of time the different sectors have been established.
The RD&E committee further categorised the 23 topics into three lists (Table 2), identifying those issues best addressed initially by (1) coordinated structured research such as that undertaken by RD&E service providers, (2) on-farm experimentation and/or commercial development, and/or (3) industry training respectively. It should be noted that any RD&E opportunities that arise should be considered even if not identified on this priority list.
Responses from the questionnaire on the use of communication methods and their relative effectiveness was presented and discussed during the workshop.
Workshop participants agreed to the draft process, proposed by the RD&E sub-committee, for dealing with research proposals put forward seeking industry support.
Workshop participants preferred the options of collecting contributions for specific projects or group RD&E projects as a means for generating funding from within the industry for RD&E. The industry gave approval for the QFGA to instigate a voluntary levy to generate funding for RD&E in conjunction with membership subscriptions to the Association.
Table
1 (right):
The top 23 issues to be addressed to facilitate industry and business development
as identified by all workshop participants.
Font types/Colours indicate the research categories: Business Management Issues, Cropping
Issues, Market Issues, New products, and Postharvest Issues. Shaded topics indicate issues shared by wildflower and traditional flower sector participants. Issues 1-20 were determined by ranking numbers of 1 and 2 responses, while 21-23 were included in top 20 issues when ranking mean responses.
Table 2 (below): The industry-identified 23 highest priority issues as categorised into one or more of three lists according to whether (1) research, (2) on-farm/commercial development and/or (3) education and training should initially be used to address the issue.
Allocation was based on a selection process conducted by the RD&E sub-committee. A higher general position in the list does not necessarily represent a higher priority issue; only that the RD&E committee was more collectively decisive on the initial method to use to address an issue.
Font types/Colours indicate
the research categories: Business Management Issues,
Table 2:
Cropping
Issues, Market Issues,
New
products, and Postharvest Issues. Shading indicates topics rated
highly by both wildflower and traditional flower sector participants.
Recommendations
Research
RECOMMENDATION 1: That the list of research priorities be communicated to potential research service providers but to emphasise that the list is not exclusive.
RECOM. 2: QFGA to investigate and implement methods of strengthening research-industry linkages with research providers and institutions including the proposed UQ Gatton Floriculture Research Centre.
RECOM. 3: That QFGA encourage all RD&E service providers and proposed central research institution to provide research opportunities for the whole floriculture industry. The industry, however, recognises that it is unavoidable that some individual projects will service some sectors more than others.
Development
RECOM. 4: That QFGA facilitate growers and businesses access the large amount of research outcomes already available to them that lends itself to further development in on-farm and commercial trails respectively.
RECOM. 5: That QFGA encourage industry to undertake its own research through providing additional information on the DOOR philosophy of conducting research by posting the Experimental Recipes on the website and identifying consultants who can provide training and/or ongoing assistance in DOOR activities.
Extension (education and training activities)
RECOM. 6: QFGA to facilitate grower involvement in existing or custom designed education programs to address those issues identified (and other opportunities arising) in Table 2 as Extension activities. Training courses should be conducted in SEQ, CQ and NQ.
RECOM. 7: QFGA to facilitate, conduct and/or promote business management training (eg promote FarmBis opportunities, NGIQ training courses, FutureProfit when active again, training consultants).
RECOM. 8: QFGA to organise a series of training workshops on production issues identified as high priority to industry (eg soil/growing media management).
RECOM. 9: QFGA to
encourage and promote better industry access and use of existing information
resources. This could include but not be limited to
• in conjunction with GrowSearch Australia, run a series of workshops on how to use the GrowSearch facility and how to interpret research findings,
• recommending to grower groups to identify an "information champion" within their membership to monitor information sources and report back to the group, and
• promoting other sources of information eg listing useful internet sites and reference books.
RECOM. 10: QFGA
to investigate and actively lobby for additional advisory services to be
made available (eg paid services from existing institutions and new initatives
being developed; subcontracting).
RECOM. 11: QFGA to investigate the feasibility of holding a State conference or smaller field days for the cutflower industry. The former proposal is a lower priority recommendation and will depend on financial constraints. Events should target meeting the needs of industry. QFGA could also provide support and/or assist in promotion of events held by external parties.
Industry RD&E Funding Issues
RECOM. 12: QFGA facilitate the collective funding of group/specific RD&E activities. Initially this can be done through active promotion and communication.
RECOM. 13: QFGA provide members with an opportunity to voluntarily contribute funds towards RD&E activities on a newly designed 2002 QFGA membership form. A "rider" should be included noting that funds usage was at the discretion of the QFGA RD&E sub-committee. Members would be provided with an opportunity to comment on what RD&E activities currently of interest to them.
RECOM. 14: That QFGA allied traders members be given the opportunity to provide in-kind contributions or sponsorship to RD&E projects.
RECOM. 15: That any additional RD&E contributions be identified separately from other QFGA funds and built on by other RD&E funds obtained to undertake appropriate identified activities. The RD&E sub-committee would make initial decisions and continue to regularly report to QFGA. That administration costs required to undertake RD&E activities pertaining to additional contributions received be identified.
QFGA RD&E Sub-committee’s RD&E Process
RECOM. 16: The QFGA
RD&E sub-committee to find the most appropriate process to facilitate
research opportunities for the industry. This will also include
• requiring RD&E providers to provide appropriate/regular reporting to the sub-committee, and
• examining Intellectual Property opportunities of all proposed projects for industry contributors.
Qld. Cutflower
Industry RD&E Plan
RECOM. 17: That a draft Plan be prepared by mid-August and sent to all forum participants and EC members for comment. The final Plan should be completed by September 31st, 2001.
RECOM. 18: That a full copy of the Plan be posted on the website and sent to identified stakeholders. That an Executive Summary be sent to all other identified stakeholders, QFGA members, grower groups and forum participants, and to the rest of industry. All will be notified that the full version is available on the website or by mail.
Future Industry direction
RECOM. 19: QFGA to conduct a strategic exercise to identify the future needs of the industry to enable long-term planning eg through a future vision investigation of the industry RD&E program using the existing Strategic Plan and RD&E Plan as a starting point.
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