What was it all about?

This project identified the key barriers and opportunities for adopting Area-Wide Integrated Crop Management (AW-ICM) across vegetable, onion and potato growing regions in Tasmania and South Australia.

AW-ICM recognises that many pest, disease and biosecurity challenges extend beyond individual farms and require coordinated action across growers, advisors, researchers, industry organisations and government. Findings showed the biggest barriers to adoption are not technical. Instead, they relate to coordination, collaboration, extension, incentives and shared responsibility across the broader industry system.

Researchers reviewed existing information, conducted 39 stakeholder interviews, delivered two cross-industry workshops and hosted a national webinar involving more than 27 stakeholders. This work identified 58 constraints affecting AW-ICM adoption and helped prioritise actions to support future uptake. Reports, workshop findings and practical extension resources were also developed for industry.

The project addressed the need for more coordinated approaches to managing pests, diseases and biosecurity risks that cross farm and industry boundaries. Stakeholders highlighted fragmented coordination, limited long-term investment in extension, weak incentives for collective action and inconsistent knowledge-sharing as key barriers to progress.

Eight recommendations were developed to strengthen extension systems, improve collaboration across industries, explore incentive mechanisms and create the conditions needed to support wider adoption of AW-ICM.