FPJ1803 – Meade, DG (2021), Engagement opportunities for agricultural representative organisations

Many industries across the world’s employment, business and recreational activities have representative and research organisations which seek to promote and progress their activity. Agricultural representation and research are amongst these activities. This article is an abridged version of a Nuffield report which investigated how agricultural representative organisations from varying countries engage with farmer members and non-member farmers to effectively advocate for advancement in policy that represents the majority of industry sentiment. In addition, the report also considered how agricultural research and development organisations determine study topics and extension that is confidently reflective of the sector’s needs and desires. The author’s examination of multiple organisations supports what many in the Australian sector report anecdotally: i.e., that closer connections with young farmer groups are paramount to sustainable organisations, and individual face-to-face engagement is the most effective communication channel for both the farmer and organisation.