impact assessment report series - Grains Research & Development ...

Capabilities sought included:
• capacity to undertake the commercialisation, including the development of
commercial formulations, of new soil inoculant products,
• expertise in, and capacity to undertake manufacturing,
• inoculant on-farm delivery technology, and
• expertise in the development of new inoculant markets.
Following the launch of the joint venture with the Canadian company Philom Bios in
2006, it was anticipated that the earliest of the new inoculants would be ready for
commercial release in 2006–07 (GRDC 2005). The joint venture also marketed
rhizobia inoculants. However the first commercial release involving outputs from the
cluster being evaluated did not take place until 2009. In retrospect, there may have
been opportunities to shorten the time to market and these will be further
considered in the final section on lessons learned.
For most projects, there will be a substantial lag before adoption attributable to the
projects’ outputs begins. The pathways to adoption for practices and products that
are at a commercial stage will in general be the standard in the grains industry.
There is already a high degree of awareness of the research undertaken by the Soil
Biology Program through media generated by GRDC, for example articles in
GroundCover and presentations at Crop Updates. The Soil Biology Program overall
has had a major extension arm through the LWA program on Healthy Soils (HSSF -
Healthy Soils for Sustainable Farms). Over 17,000 farmers, advisors, extension and
NRM staff were involved in at least one HSSF activity, such as education and training
workshops, practical field demonstrations, soil assessment training, seminars and
field days (LWA 2008).
Of the projects in the cluster, those relating to disease control by changing
traditional practices and projects relating to nutrient balance build on existing farmer
understanding and skills. The GRDC Farmer Survey (GRDC 2008) showed:
• About 60 percent of farmers surveyed used nutrient budgeting, and
• About 80 percent of farmers had improved confidence in managing crop diseases.
In comparison, there are aspects of the inoculant projects that are novel, particularly
for farmers who have not routinely used rhizobia inoculants for legume crops and
pastures. Lack of familiarity could constrain adoption at least initially. However, the
recent sharp increase in fertiliser prices is creating a demand for new approaches.
Recent survey results confirmed that about one-third of broadacre farmers had
adopted an innovative change in fertiliser practice (ABARE 2009). The following table
lists some key criteria relevant to adoption decisions generally and interprets how
they would apply to inoculants.
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