REALIZING PRODUCTIVITY GAINS IN THE AUSTRALIAN PYRETHRUM INDUSTRY THROUGH AN ENCAPSULATED AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND EXTENSION MODEL

Abstract

Pyrethrum production in Australia owes much of its maturity to high quality investment in research and development, which was supported by Botanical Resources Australia Pty. Ltd. (BRA), the research and development levy paid by growers and BRA, and federal and state government funding agencies. Of equal importance to a history of well prioritized research and development is that the program has been underpinned by effective rural sociological principles and extension activities. The Agricultural Research, Development and Extension program of the industry currently involves the collaborative efforts of multiple research institutions with complementary expertise. The primary objective of the program is to increase productivity and persistence of crops with consequences of reduced variable costs and higher returns for growers. The program has an exceptional record of conducting and implementing outcomes from various applied research studies, ranging from rapid adoption of disease and weed management strategies to the development of superior varieties. This is, in part, due to the adoption of diffusion of innovations theory as the basis for the extension framework, utilizing a participatory educational approach. In this study we illustrate this approach with the adoption of management strategies for the fungal disease, ray blight. However, these methods are equally applicable to many other innovations that are being developed from this program, such as plant growth regulators.