ISHS Acta Horticulturae 792: V International Symposium on Irrigation of Horticultural Crops
IDENTIFYING TRAINING NEEDS FOR IRRIGATION COURSES FOR VICTORIAN MALLEE IRRIGATORS |
| Authors: | R. Hannah, J. Treeby |
| Keywords: | market research |
| Abstract:
To help irrigators get the most from their water, the Victorian and Federal governments invest through the Mallee Catchment Management Authority in training programs to provide irrigators with smarter ways of capitalising on their water allocation. In an effort to maximise the effectiveness of irrigation training, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) conducted market research to determine the aspects of irrigation that irrigators needed additional training to increase their knowledge and skills to meet their needs. Additionally, the study investigated the training delivery methods and scheduling of meetings irrigators preferred. Irrigators from the Victorian Mallee, in interviews, indicated future courses that were relevant to them included crop nutrition, irrigation scheduling, irrigation management strategies and drip irrigation. Irrigators also suggested the training should be conducted on-farm with face-to-face interactive groups rather than self-directed training such as an internet course, CD, video or document based approaches. Ideal group sizes were proposed to be between 6 and 15. Growers indicated they were ready to take on more in-depth, specialised information at an intermediate or advanced level. DPI plans to incorporate these findings into future courses to further meet irrigator needs. The findings suggest that there is an opportunity to align these courses with the Australian Qualifications Framework, which may provide additional incentive for irrigator attendance. | |
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