Application of targeted extension processes to improve grower uptake of multispecies break crops within the Central Queensland sugarcane-growing region

Adoption of new farming practices can be seen as a pathway to achieving improved yield and environmental outcomes. The propensity for growers to change practice within the Australian sugar industry is often low with identified barriers including preconceived impacts to productivity and access to trained extension staff. Between 2020 and 2023, Farmacist Mackay undertook a multispecies break-cropping project with the goal of increasing the area under multispecies during the sugarcane summer fallow. Adoption strategies were based upon the “Diffusion of Innovation Theory” and “Farmer Participatory Research principles”. Applied extension activities included free access to planting equipment, provision of 2 ha of seed, workshops, field walks and on-farm agronomic support. Project outcomes led to a substantial increase in adoption of multispecies break cropping with the area increasing from 64 ha in 2020 to 695 ha in 2023. Results demonstrating that addressing adoption barriers through established extension theories can accelerate the uptake of new agricultural practices.