Banana growers can now explore their industry’s investment priorities, current projects and future opportunities through a new digital tool launched by Hort Innovation.
Hort Innovation has launched new Horticulture Investment Roadmaps and a digital Dashboard, designed to provide growers with a clearer view of the priorities identified for their industry and how levy-funded investments align with those priorities.
The initiative follows consultation with more than 1,000 growers and industry stakeholders across Australia’s 37 horticulture industries.
For banana growers, the Dashboard aims to provide a single place to explore the priorities identified for the banana industry, see current research, development and marketing investments, and look at how projects align with those priorities.
It also provides visibility of future investment opportunities and allows growers to explore areas where different horticulture industries have shared challenges or opportunities.
What can banana growers see?
The Dashboard allows growers to:
- View the priorities identified for the banana industry
- See where banana levy funds are currently being invested across research, development and marketing
- See how projects align with industry priorities
- Search for individual projects and view further information
- Explore future investment opportunities
- Compare priorities across different horticulture industries
The Dashboard also includes information on Frontiers projects and investment recommendations.
Hort Innovation said the Roadmaps are intended to provide a more consistent and transparent approach to investment planning, with priorities reviewed annually to ensure they continue to reflect changing industry conditions, emerging opportunities and grower needs.
Importantly, the Dashboard does not change the existing processes for deciding how levy funds are invested. Instead, it provides greater visibility of industry priorities, current projects, endorsed investment opportunities and how investments align.
How to use the Dashboard
Hort Innovation has produced a series of short how-to videos to help growers get started.
The videos cover:
- using the Initiatives Matrix
- comparing industry priorities
- exploring current and future investments
- finding projects and investment recommendations
- looking up individual projects
- exploring Frontiers projects.