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The TAS Farm Innovation Hub is pleased to announce Pinion Advisory has been contracted to administer a new state-wide program to support Tasmanian farmers overcome water-related challenges.
Director, Sandra Knowles, said the hub was delighted to be working with Pinion Advisory on this important program to support on-farm drought and climate resilience.
“This key hub program is designed to build confidence and capacity in on-farm water use and management, including soil and landscape health, and be focused on adoption of best-practice methods,” she said.
“The hub received strong interest in our Request for Quote for a delivery partner to administer the program and were impressed by the quality of applicants and extent of collaboration amongst Tasmania’s service providers.
“Pinion Advisory was chosen as the preferred delivery partner following a rigorous evaluation process due to their in-depth understanding of the Tasmanian farming and water landscape, proven skills in agricultural extension, and highly qualified delivery team experienced in production productivity, engineering, regulatory and financial aspects of water management.
“This marks an important milestone and is the result of an extensive consultation process with key stakeholders including state water managers and regulators, natural resource managers, and farmer representative bodies, seeking input into the design of this extension program.”
Pinion Advisory Team Leader, Adoption, Jo Jones said Pinion Advisory was delighted to be able to support the TAS Farm Innovation Hub to deliver this important project for Tasmanian farmers.
“Our team understand and embrace the need to approach this project with enough flexibility to enable farmer-led feedback to address grass roots needs and priorities, and to incorporate peer-to-peer learning amongst farmers, involving their suppliers and service providers,” she said.
“The short timeframe of the project means activity will get underway almost immediately, starting with a co-design phase to finalise project priorities.
“During the co-design phase, our team will work with industry representatives to define the parameters for an extension-focused project on farm-scale issues of reliable water access, and efficient and effective water use.
“We need to clarify the priority issues with Tasmanian producers and industry representatives in this early part of the project, to understand the pain points of business, compliance concerns, and sustainability goals related to water security and land management. We can then design the appropriate extension activities and plan the roll-out around the state.”
Pinion Advisory is looking forward to delivering resources, activities and events over the next 14 months to build the skills and confidence of Tasmanian farmers to enable them to make well-informed water management decisions. For more information about the project, contact the project team at EfficientWaterUseTas@pinionadvisory.com
The TAS Farm Innovation Hub is one of eight hubs nationally funded through the Future Drought Fund. The hub is based at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) at the University of Tasmania and delivered through an extensive network of industry and community partners.
Media contact: Melissa Lewarn, melissa.lewarn@utas.edu.au or 0427 354 058.
