Regional development, skill-building and education, and a focus on sustainability are key recommendations for the Tasmanian agricultural sector, according to a new report from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA).
Over two years, hundreds of Tasmanian farmers and food and beverage producers had their say in the TasAgFuture project; defining their motivations, their expectations and what they need to keep the State’s key industries thriving. TIA Senior Research Fellow Dr Peat Leith said the input from these stakeholders was crucial.
“There’s no single solution to improving so many diverse sectors, which is why we needed to ask Tasmanians what they need to be successful.”
The report – available now at utas.edu.au/tia/tasagfuture – was generated by Dr Leith and a team of researchers who conducted 100 in-depth face-to-face interviews and an online survey with more than 600 respondents from all sectors of Tasmanian agriculture.
TIA Director Holger Meinke said that the TasAgFuture project presented an opportunity for the organisation to gain a deeper understanding of the needs of the agricultural community.
“This project is all about the people in the industry defining what they need,” Prof Meinke said.
“The findings in this report will help the continued joint efforts of research, government, industry and community to propel Tasmanian agriculture toward a sustainable future.”
Now that the report has been released, the next step will be to bring key stakeholders together to devise some practical solutions.
“We’re looking forward to getting diverse groups in the same room. If we’re going to keep growing our agricultural industry, we’re going to need to work together to get there,” said Dr Leith.
A user-friendly summary and the full TasAgFuture report are available at utas.edu.au/tia/tasagfuture
Pictured: Professor Holger Meinke and Dr Peat Leith.
TIA is a joint venture between the Tasmanian Government and the University of Tasmania.
