Completed project
Developing a capability-based horticulture leadership strategy (HA24003)
Publication date: April 9, 2025
Delivery Partner: RuralScope
This project delivered The Australian Horticulture Capability Based Leadership Framework to help growers, industry organisations and investors better understand what leadership skills are needed now and into the future.
The Framework provides an evidence‑based roadmap to guide leadership development across all horticulture industries, helping move leadership investment away from ad hoc training and towards coordinated, capability‑based development.
The project team reviewed major trends shaping horticulture, analysed past leadership investments, and consulted widely with industry. This included one‑on‑one interviews, case studies, an online co‑design group and reviews of leadership frameworks used in Australia and overseas. These activities resulted in several tangible outputs, including the Australian Horticulture Leadership Capability Matrix, supporting leadership capability cards, a public guide to using the framework, and a set of strategic recommendations to support long‑term leadership development.
The project addressed a growing challenge for horticulture: while growers face rapid change from technology, markets, climate and regulation, leadership development has been fragmented and uneven across industries. Many industries lack clear pathways to identify, grow and support future leaders, risking poor succession, burnout and missed opportunities for innovation and advocacy.
Industry adoption of this framework is expected to support stronger, more confident leadership at all levels of the industry. Over time, this work will help growers and industry organisations make better decisions about leadership investment, support emerging and experienced leaders more effectively, and build a deeper pipeline of leaders to improve resilience, collaboration and long‑term profitability across horticulture.
Download the Framework here.
This whole-of-horticulture project was funded by Hort Innovation
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