Location
National
Key Partner
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
Collaborators
- 28,500 Farmers, fishers and foresters across Australia
- Farming systems groups, industry groups and rural community support organisations
- 200 independent expert advisors
Key Points
The Farming Together Pilot Program:
- operated between 2016 – 2018,
- reached 28,500 primary producers,
- worked with 23 industries,
- supported 730 groups,
- funded 51 funded projects, and
- on average the program exceeded all targets by more than 300 per cent.
- Won two large national awards
About Summary
Between 2016 and 2018, Southern Cross University designed and implemented the Farming Together Pilot Program (FTP), a new knowledge mobilisation model to support the growth of small-scale primary producers through authentic farer driven partnerships with other primary producers, universities, peak bodies, expert agri-consultants, lead support agencies, and the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.
FTP’s impact on the agricultural co-operative landscape is unprecedented and continues to frame co-operation and collaboration among primary producer groups nationwide.
Testament to its impact, Southern Cross University (SCU) won two national engagement awards for the game-changing program: The 2019 BHERT (Business Higher Education Round Table) Awards for Outstanding Collaboration in Community Engagement category and the 2019 Australian Financial Review (AFR) Higher Education Award for Industry Engagement. Initially tasked by the Commonwealth to reach 2000 primary producers, support 100 farming groups and grant-fund 15 groups, by 2018 Farming Together had reached:
- 28,500 primary producers
- 23 industries
- 730 groups
- and funded 51 funded projects.
On average the program exceeded all targets by more than 300 per cent.
