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Improving returns on RD&E (innovation) investment

Background:

The Rural Innovation Research Group (RIRG) is focused on developing new knowledge of innovation processes to improve productivity and sustainability. RIRG helps project teams, researchers and advisers achieve high performance innovation by providing R&D services focused on the human and social change. The approach is twofold:

  • Helping project managers design and deliver better project outcomes
  • Advancing the discipline of rural action-science by contributing new methodologies and theoretical perspectives to the research community


Project objective:

To provide ‘in-house’ social research capability for understanding the change management process and assisting in the design, delivery and evaluation of key investments.

Project scope:

The key areas of R&D for RIRG include:

  • Improving transitions in farming systems: farm decision making, workforce development, business management and risk.
  • Improving knowledge utilisation and practice: knowledge and learning systems, social implications of technological developments, communities of practice, collaboration and collective action, multidisciplinary approaches.
  • Improving extension and change management: advisory capacity and public-private sector roles, extension design and delivery, capacity building, sustainable change.
  • Improving processes in resource management: resilience, adaptation, community development.


Outcomes/benefits:

Improving returns on innovation investment leads to improved farm productivity and sustainability. To achieve this, RIRG has the following target outcomes:

  • Factors in successful workforce planning and action are identified to improve attraction, retention and development of people in farming.
  • The contribution of people management to farm performance is better understood to influence advisory and farm practice.
  • The relationship between workforce development and resilient dairy communities is explored to inform rural workforce development policy.
  • Emergent technologies are appropriately supported to increase farm productivity.
  • The feedbase RD&E network is better understood to improve the effectiveness of the feedbase investment.
  • Resilience thinking enhances dairy regional development.

 

More information:

For more information, please contact Helen Quinn, Dairy Australia Analysis/Support Manager.