This presentation reports on research that explored how to strengthen support to local industries pursuing fruit fly area-wide management (AWM).

1. biosecurity built on science
Creating an enabling environment for fruit
fly area-wide management
Heleen Kruger
PhD Candidate
Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre

2. biosecurity built on science
Background - area-wide management (AWM)
 Promoted to local industries
 ‘Local industries need help to help themselves’
– AWM more than implementation of technologies
 Local industries need to be able to readily meet their needs
 Agricultural innovation systems thinking
– Innovation requires co-evolving technological, social,
organisational, and institutional change

3. biosecurity built on science
Evolution of agriculture innovation (Schut et al. 2012)
Transfer of
technology
• 1950s – 1980s
• Transfer,
adoption and
adoption of
technologies
• Top-down
• Grower is
adopter
• Researcher is
expert
Farming systems
• 1980s – 1990s
• Contextualise
research and
technology
• Top-down
• Grower is
adopter and
info source
• Researcher is
expert
Agricultural
knowledge and
information systems
• 1990s-2000s
• Build local capacity &
empower farmers
• Bottom-up
• Grower is
experimenter and
expert
• Researcher is
capacity builder and
facilitator of learning
Agricultural innovation
systems
• 2000s onwards
• Includes political and
institutional dimensions
• Multi-directional
• Grower is partner,
entrepreneur
• Researchers are actors
that enhance innovation
capacity
• Both innovation
partners

4. biosecurity built on science
Theoretical approach – Functional analysis
Functions
F1. Entrepreneurial activities
F2. Knowledge development
F3. Knowledge diffusion
F4. Guidance of search
F5. Market formation
F6. Mobilisation of resources
F7. Creation of legitimacy
From Hekkert, 2007

5. biosecurity built on science
Methods
Interviews
Grower
survey
Allocated
findings
against
functions
Identified
systemic
problems
Clustered
into
blocking
mechanisms
Identified
policy
inter-
ventions

6. biosecurity built on science
Blocking mechanisms
Lack of local capacity
 Difficult task
– Achieving a local shared vision is challenging
– Reliance on voluntary approaches
– Systems approaches require extensive procedures
 Local barriers
– Various barriers hinder local government involvement
– Many growers are risk averse

7. biosecurity built on science
Blocking mechanisms
F1. Entrepreneurial activities
F2. Knowledge development
F3. Knowledge diffusion
F4. Guidance of search
F5. Market formation
F6. Mobilisation of resources
F7. Creation of legitimacy
Lack of local capacity
F1. Entrepreneurial activities
F2. Knowledge development
F3. Knowledge diffusion
F4. Guidance of search

8. biosecurity built on science
Blocking mechanisms
Weak link between
local industries and
broader system
 Knowledge diffusion to growers is weak
– Generic information insufficient
– Inadequate extension
– Crop consultant employment varies
– Trade information is not readily accessible
 Lack of multi-directional information flow
– Lack of short feedback loops
– Growers may underappreciate higher level efforts
– Possible overoptimism at higher levels
– “Grower voice” weak in higher level forums
– Limited learning between AWM programs
– No one understands the entire system, different “languages”

9. biosecurity built on science
Blocking mechanisms
Weak link between
local industries and
broader system
Lack of local capacity
Weak link between
local industries and
broader system
Lack of local capacity
F1. Entrepreneurial activities
F2. Knowledge development
F3. Knowledge diffusion
F5. Market formation
F6. Mobilisation of resources
F7. Creation of legitimacy
F4. Guidance of search

10. biosecurity built on science
Policy intervention recommendations
Offer local training
Different modules
Invest in local knowledge-brokers
Boundary functions:
– Demand articulation
– Knowledge translation
– Network building

11. biosecurity built on science
Policy intervention recommendations
Multi-level innovation platforms
 Collaborations involving different knowledge systems
 Existing innovation platforms:
- Local management groups
- Higher level groups
 Need to introduce linkages throughout system to ensure co-evolution
 Next research step:
How to strengthen linkages throughout QFly management innovation
system, especially including the local level?

12. biosecurity built on science
Questions and acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
Prof. Darren Halpin, Australian National University
Prof. Rolf Gerritsen, Charles Darwin University
Dr. Susie Collins, DAWR
Dr. Michael Cole, previously Australian Department of Agriculture
Any questions?
Heleen Kruger
heleen.kruger@anu.edu.au