Inland Burnett: SMART Audit and Strategic Gap Analysis

The $481.6 million Building Better Regions Fund supports the Australian Government’s commitment to create jobs, drive economic growth and build stronger regional communities into the future.

The Community Investments Stream funded the following community activities: new or expanded local events, strategic regional plans, and leadership and capability strengthening activities. These projects will deliver economic and social benefits to regional and remote communities.

 

The Opportunity

Agriculture is fast becoming more knowledge intensive and having access to timely, accurate information, that is specifically tailored to the Inland Burnett conditions, is critical for farmers to be able to make the most of their resources in often changing circumstances.

This is the founding concept behind the “Inland Burnett: Resource Audit and Strategic Gap Analysis” project recently funding by the federal governments Building Better Regions Fund.

However, with the increase of online access and content, the inevitable ‘information overload’ and lack of internet connectivity in regional and remote areas means reliable resources needed to continually improve farming businesses, if they are available, may be difficult to search and obtain.

For this reason, the findings obtained via the comprehensive regional resource audit and strategic gap analysis of Inland Burnett farming resources will be presented via ‘SMART-Hub’ (Sustainable Management & Agricultural Resources & Tools) – an online hub designed to enhance landholder accessibility & connection to regionally relevant, smart farming resources.

Fundamentally, over the following year, this project aims to determine the gaps in resource availability and effectiveness, along with identifying the impediments landholders face in accessing and engaging these resources, and to then assist landholder accessibility to available resources by the development a centralised resource tool.

 

 

The Results

The Resource Audit & Strategic Gap Analysis is now completed; results from the landholder and stakeholder/service provider surveys have been interpreted and compiled into the Resource Audit & Strategic Gap Analysis report, available on our websites.  This report identifies gaps in resource availability, effectiveness and accessibility of reliable relevant information for the Inland Burnett.

The Resource Audit & Strategic Gap Analysis report determined gaps in resources availability & effectiveness, along with identifying the impediments farmers face in accessing and engaging these resource.

The key gaps identified were:

  1. Disparity in the need and expectation of resources to be delivered online by producers and the current preferred delivery method of extension providers
  2. A gap in the amount of relevant information available online and the type of information available for the Inland Burnett Region
  3. Universal support of a regionally specific SMART-Hub for producer access, though there is continued reluctance to engage in its use by extension providers.

The ‘SMART’ – Hub (Sustainable Management & Agricultural Resources & Tools) website was designed to enhance Inland Burnett landholders accessibility and connection to regionally relevant, smart farming resources.  The website will be continuously updated as more farming relevant information is available in the future.  The ability is there for Inland Burnett landholders to recommend links and resources which will enhance the longevity of this project.

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Program Sponsors

This project was supported by the following partners and investors.

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