Australia
November 15, 2013
‘InfoVeg’, a new mobile and tablet friendly research database for vegetable growers, was officially launched today by AUSVEG.
“The web-based app is a powerful new tool that will put a wealth of vegetable-related R&D in the palm of growers’ hands and has been designed to bridge the gap between research and growers,” said Andrew White, AUSVEG Manager of Industry Development and Communications.
“We recognised a need within the industry to centralise vegetable R&D so that growers could easily access technical information. Given that growers are not desk bound, we wanted to provide them with the ability to access that information out in the field,” said Mr White.
AUSVEG is Australia’s leading horticulture body representing 9,000 vegetable and potato growers.
“There is a lot of good research being done by the vegetable industry, but it’s of no use if growers can’t access it when they need it. InfoVeg bridges the gap between the research and the growers, providing them with access to a comprehensive resource that allows them to instantly bring up a report or fact sheet relating to a specific on-farm issue,” said Mr White.
InfoVeg has been established to meet the changing information needs of Australian vegetable and potato growers, with the development of the web-app approved by growers via the Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee and Horticulture Australia Ltd.
“Millions of dollars every year is invested in vegetable R&D projects, and InfoVeg will allow quicker and easier access to that information that will help growers stay informed and help put that research into practice,” Mr White said.
“InfoVeg is available on Apple, Windows or Android smartphones and tablets and has been designed to be portable so that growers can access the database when they’re out in the field,” said Mr White.
“It is a great starting point for growers who are looking for information on a specific issue. This new web-app empowers growers to undertake their own research immediately after identifying an issue,” said Mr White.
“InfoVeg provides a wealth of information on topics ranging from pest control to business management and allows growers to quickly access over 10 years of research from their mobile device,” said Mr White.
To ensure that growers are aware of this new tool, a novel communication strategy involving a comic strip superhero who utilises the InfoVeg app to thwart an on-farm villain has been created and will be circulated to growers in the near future.
The research project has been funded through HAL using the National Vegetable Levy and matched funds from the Australian Government.
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