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Achieving Change in Farming Practices Building trust between landholders and researchers

Perceived conflicts between different kinds of land management can be resolved using science – as long as everyone trusts the data. Water quality management in Great Barrier Reef catchments has been a classic example. For decades there has been controversy about changes in farming practice to the point where landholders had begun to lose trust in the science.

In a number of ways we have successfully built new trust frameworks and provided viable pathways for practice change for sugar cane farmers, using technology to put the data in their own hands.

In one example, a network of water quality sensors was installed in the Russell-Mulgrave catchment just south of Cairns so that sugar growers to take a citizen-science approach to water quality monitoring. Sugar growers participated in decision-making about the instruments and can now observe nitrogen concentrations in runoff from their own properties in real time via a smartphone app.

Participating farmers are regularly engaging with researchers and their data, and are actively and positively promoting their engagement with the project to convince other farmers of the project’s benefits. Barry Stubbs, one of the largest sugar growers in the Russell-Mulgrave, said the project was spurring famers to take action to improve water quality flowing from their farms.

In another example, the development and adoption of an Internet of Things (IOT) platform has vastly improved the efficiency of automated irrigation systems on a cane farm in the Burdekin catchment. The platform combines information from weather forecasts and the grower’s own watering system to create a suggested model for irrigation for the day, saving the grower huge amounts of time and effort and also minimise wasted water and sediment runoff to the Great Barrier Reef.

As for most NESP TWQ projects, while data and technological innovation were key, success has relied upon nurturing trusting relationships between cane growers and researchers.

Cane grower Barry Stubbs checking water quality sensor data. Photo: Barry Stubbs

“The project allows us to monitor the catchment in real-time… we can now see where the problems are and where they are not. We’ve been working to build sediment traps, a bio-reactor and the construction of wetlands to clean up the water leaving the catchment.”

Barry Stubbs, second-generation cane grower

“What it’s doing is taking the guesswork out of irrigation, which is a big thing for us considering how high electricity prices are. On top of that if you’re not putting more water downstream than you have to, you’ve got less of your nitrogen getting out to the Reef, so there’s both an environmental and an economic benefit in it for growers. Personally I’d like to see [this new system] get up across the whole industry.”

Aaron Linton, third-generation cane grower, Burdekin region

Related Projects

Sub-catchment scale monitoring, modelling and extension design to support reef water quality improvement - Project 1.8

Engaging with farmers and demonstrating water quality outcomes to create confidence in on-farm decision-making (also known as Project 25) - Project 2.1.7

Improved water quality outcomes from on-farm nitrogen management - Project 2.1.8

Improving water quality for the Great Barrier Reef and wetlands by better managing irrigation in the sugarcane farming system - Project 3.1.2

Optimizing the management of riparian zones to improve the health of the Great Barrier Reef - Project 3.1.4

‘Project 25’ – farmers, water quality and on-farm decision-making - Project 4.8

Measuring cost-effectiveness and identifying key barriers and enablers of lasting behavioural change in the cane industry - Project 4.12

Improved water quality outcomes from on-farm nitrogen management - Project 5.11

Reducing nitrogen runoff without reducing industry productivity - Project 6.3

Perceived conflicts between different kinds of land management can be resolved using science – as long as everyone trusts the data. Water quality management in Great Barrier Reef catchments has been a classic example. For decades there has been controversy about changes in farming practice to the point where landholders had begun to lose trust in the science.

In a number of ways we have successfully built new trust frameworks and provided viable pathways for practice change for sugar cane farmers, using technology to put the data in their own hands.

In one example, a network of water quality sensors was installed in the Russell-Mulgrave catchment just south of Cairns so that sugar growers to take a citizen-science approach to water quality monitoring. Sugar growers participated in decision-making about the instruments and can now observe nitrogen concentrations in runoff from their own properties in real time via a smartphone app.

Participating farmers are regularly engaging with researchers and their data, and are actively and positively promoting their engagement with the project to convince other farmers of the project’s benefits. Barry Stubbs, one of the largest sugar growers in the Russell-Mulgrave, said the project was spurring famers to take action to improve water quality flowing from their farms.

In another example, the development and adoption of an Internet of Things (IOT) platform has vastly improved the efficiency of automated irrigation systems on a cane farm in the Burdekin catchment. The platform combines information from weather forecasts and the grower’s own watering system to create a suggested model for irrigation for the day, saving the grower huge amounts of time and effort and also minimise wasted water and sediment runoff to the Great Barrier Reef.

As for most NESP TWQ projects, while data and technological innovation were key, success has relied upon nurturing trusting relationships between cane growers and researchers.

“What it’s doing is taking the guesswork out of irrigation, which is a big thing for us considering how high electricity prices are. On top of that if you’re not putting more water downstream than you have to, you’ve got less of your nitrogen getting out to the Reef, so there’s both an environmental and an economic benefit in it for growers. Personally I’d like to see [this new system] get up across the whole industry.”

Aaron Linton, third-generation cane grower, Burdekin region

Cane grower Barry Stubbs checking water quality sensor data. Photo: Barry Stubbs

“The project allows us to monitor the catchment in real-time… we can now see where the problems are and where they are not. We’ve been working to build sediment traps, a bio-reactor and the construction of wetlands to clean up the water leaving the catchment.”

Barry Stubbs, second-generation cane grower

Related Projects

Sub-catchment scale monitoring, modelling and extension design to support reef water quality improvement - Project 1.8

Engaging with farmers and demonstrating water quality outcomes to create confidence in on-farm decision-making (also known as Project 25) - Project 2.1.7

Improved water quality outcomes from on-farm nitrogen management - Project 2.1.8

Improving water quality for the Great Barrier Reef and wetlands by better managing irrigation in the sugarcane farming system - Project 3.1.2

Optimizing the management of riparian zones to improve the health of the Great Barrier Reef - Project 3.1.4

‘Project 25’ – farmers, water quality and on-farm decision-making - Project 4.8

Measuring cost-effectiveness and identifying key barriers and enablers of lasting behavioural change in the cane industry - Project 4.12

Improved water quality outcomes from on-farm nitrogen management - Project 5.11

Reducing nitrogen runoff without reducing industry productivity - Project 6.3

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