Introduction
The global population has been increasing significantly due to increased life expectancy and other factors. Consequently, there is a concern about how food security and proper land use can be achieved. Horticultural organic farming has a higher potential of ensuring that humans are continually supplied with healthy products that have been grown in an environmentally friendly manner. Many people in this industry have over the years garnered significant experience, thus possessing valuable knowledge to pass to aspiring agriculturalists. The objective of this paper is to provide a summary of the information exchanged during the weekly interactive sessions with the guest speakers.
Week One
Nathan Free, the Managing Director at Wattle Organic Farms (WOF)
His discussion gave insightful content on non-chemical horticultural farming and acceptance by supermarket stores (appendix 1). The decision for WOF to engage in natural cultivation was influenced by the need to have an eco-friendly venture. The principles applied include soil management, the use of mild fungicide, and compositing. For instance, wastes from the farm produce are decomposed and then mixed with the soil to boost fertility. Production of high-quality fruits and vegetables, which are availed to consumers at an affordable price, is their primary mission.
Tammy Partridge
This guest speaker mainly addressed how farmers can benefit from the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA). The organization offers many services, including marketing and industry development, education, advocacy, and related policy. Any person who is interested in establishing a modern solution to fiber, meals, and cosmetics that enhance the wellbeing of individuals is free to join. There are four primary principles for this kind of farming: ecology, fairness, health, and care. Another important element that was introduced in the discussion is the relevance of having a supply chain with stakeholders who have similar missions to receive standard certification.
John Hodgkinson
The expert was a representative from Biodynamic Agriculture Australia, a non-profit organization committed to using biodynamics methods of fostering, safeguarding, and restoring the natural environment. Specifically, the corporation enforces regenerative practices by renewing and replenishing the microorganisms in the soil. The vision is to be able to create a resilient and healthy ecosystem that ensures the end products are nutritious. Notably, organic products often retain their original taste and sweetness, unlike those that contain chemicals. Every person is urged to join in fulfilling the mission of a sustainable, healthy, and good food web by supporting the venture.
Week Two
Anthony Kachenko
Real-world data is needed for the analysis of trends and changes in a specific industry to make the necessary adjustments and enhance competitiveness. Dr. Kancheko offers different services, in particular, amplifying results of levy investments, offering data and knowledge that provides insightful information to enhance businesses. To remain sustainable and competitive among rivals, the services offered by this company are of the highest level. Additionally, quality auditing and benchmarks help farmers identify areas of weakness and strengths and the external environment to influence strategic decision-making.
Michele and Gary Akers
The desire to go back to natural methods of cultivation has also led people to reconsider traditional food. Michele and Gary are award-winning specialists who manage Agaricus mushrooms. Research studies have shown that the toadstool has many nutritional benefits to the body (Appendix 2). The farming process is also easy since readily available materials are used in preparing the soil of this plant. Additionally, since it is a fungus, it has a short growth cycle. The farmer can harvest the mushrooms about three times a year. Interaction with this guest speaker was an eye-opener on how small-scale agribusiness can be dedicated to quality products.
Fiona Hall
Hall’s family has a large farm that is specialized in growing apples and Chery. Fruits are one of the most essential food as they provide nutrients and help the body to fight some diseases. However, like any other enterprise, they face intense competition from conventional and other organic farmers. Hall has mastered the need to build a strong brand for its products to retain and attract new customers. Some of the practices to consider is proper packaging, customer care, and efficient transportation to the market to ensure that the produce is fresh so that the clients can trust the company.
Week 3
Jennifer Doyle
As for Doyle, her passion for rural residence and expertise in viticulture made her venture into the wine industry. Specifically, she garnered knowledge during her undergraduate studies and eight years of experience while working for Western Australia. Doyle found a home in the Orange wine region, where she grows different kinds of grapes and citrus that are subsequently brewed for premium wine. Being in the vineyard and seeing the full cycle of wine processing is one of the reasons she is fulfilled with her career. Recently, Doyle received an award for being a female leader in the sector.
Simon Whittock
Mr.Whittock, a representative of Hops From Australia (HAP), discussed the activities of their venture. According to this guest speaker, the success of their enterprise can be attributed to the commitment they have to research and development. Some areas that need more studies include environmental conditions favorable for each variety. Breeding different species to improve quality, enhance resistance to diseases, and develop new flavors is important for sustainability (Appendix 3). Apart from bringing traditional hop farming to Australia organization also specializes in brewing. The interaction with this guest showed that scientific procedures are valuable in agricultural business ventures.
Week 4
Sam Malfroy
The discussions with Malfroy, who worked for two years at Plant Health Australia and came from a beekeeping company, were impressive. Honey is a significant supplement suitable for use in multiple ways, including sweetening, medicinal properties, preservation, and nutrition. Keeping bees is also important for farmers as it is one of the natural pollinators. Different kinds of hives and a variety of flowers are significant considerations for bee farmers. Notably, agricultural engineering such as genetically modified organisms is a potential threat to bee farming as it interferes with the genetic makeup of plans.
Dan Papacek
Pests and diseases are some of the most significant challenges that farmers must manage to avoid huge losses. Mr. Papacek is an entomologist and the director of Bugs for Bug, one of the major biological control agents’ suppliers in Australia (Appendix 4). The aim is to help growers to attain good integrated pest management. They also offer crop monitoring to tackle the blight at the right stage. For over thirty years, the firm has been providing solutions to farmers by providing the good bugs to control the bad ones. The pack is an expert in fruit fly management. Besides, the firm offers contract research for the discipline of integrated pest control.
Greg Fraser
This former chief executive officer and executive director of Plant Health Australia is passionate about agriculture, has spent his entire career life in the field. The speaker grew up on the family farm, went to an agricultural high school, and then worked as a pest and management specialist. Listening to him talk about agriculture made it clear that there are many opportunities in the industry. An individual can choose horticulture or other forms of crop farming, mechanization, beekeeping, to mention a few. The job is also fulfilling as it involves providing solutions to the challenges that humans face.
Week 6
Anni Brownjohn from Ozganics
This speaker is working hard to ensure that there is a value addition for organics. Brownjohns works for the Ozganics, which was founded in 1999 and has since remained committed to providing healthy meals. Some of their products include basil and tomato pasta, Indian butter chicken curry source, vegan Vietnamese lettuce soup, among others. Brownjohn has also enhanced the market by promoting natural meals as an alternative to artificial products.
Abby McKibben
For McKibben, her Nuffield scholar became an inspiration to venture into her business. Her passion is to enhance the shelf-life of agricultural produce. Importantly, the expiry and seasonality of most of the food products available in the market contribute to food insecurity. McKibben is currently and Tasmanian pepper berry farmer. The firm is driven by a philosophy that encourages following nature’s lead, which creates an environment similar to the wild origins to ensure that it thrives for a prolonged period of time.
Week 7
Rob Salmon, Dion Potter, and Scott Morahan
The guests for this week all talked about the importance of seed selection for every farmer. Mr. Salmon, who works with Bejo seeds, provided insightful information on seed production. The hybrid seeds have better individual characteristics compared with either strain. Mr.Potter addressed some of the challenges in the packaging and transportation of the seed until they reach the farmers. Mr. Morahan described the supply chain for plant materials for horticulture. Some seedlings, such as the tubers or seedlings, are even more vulnerable than the grains, hence creating a sustainable and efficient supply chain.
Week 8
Tania Chapman
This guest is the manager of the operation at Nutrano Sunraysia and also a key player and advocate of the citrus industry in Australia. There are four primary interests that Chapman has. First, she wishes to identify innovative ways to ensure the sustainability of the industry. Next, he is interested in international comparison for productive benchmark relations (Appendix 5). Thirdly, the speaker has focused on knowing the competitive advantage that the country has in its export markets. Last but not least, she wants to acquire knowledge on the existing gaps to capitalize on the opportunities.
Steve Grist
Grist, a passionate entrepreneur who successfully turned his hobby into a successful Cairns Microgreen venture, discussed specialty green products. The exotic greens are valuable to the body as they have medicinal properties, nutrients, and fibers. Some of the herbs are used in brewing tea, while others are used for soup and spices. With consumer shifting their demand from processed food to naturally prepared meals, Cairns Microgreen has a ready market in restaurants and other retail stores. The fact that he loves the exotic greens gives him an intrinsic motivation to manage the firm.
Week 10
Daniel Young
This was an interesting week, given that all the guests spoke about berry farming. Mr.Young from Driscoll gave insightful content on growing different types of berries. Specifically, Driscoll prides itself as a leader in the cultivation of fresh berries with the most wonderful flavors. Their expertise is driven by research and desire to receive positive compliments from friends and families after a serving of refreshing punnet of the Driscoll’s berries. The marketing and sales of the products are made both in retail stores and through social media channels.
Nicky and Wade Mann
Similarly, Nicky and Wade Mann are proud agriculturalists; the former did Nuffield fellowship in 2014 on berry growth in protected cropping, whereas the latter is the chairman of Protected Cropping Australia. Additionally, the couple owns the Nicky and Wade Family Fresh Farms. Wade formerly grew roses in Zimbabwe before relocating to Australia to continue the same venture of horticultural produce. He is an advocate for organic farming since he believes that the residues of chemicals harm consumers. Additionally, using natural methods makes year-round cultivation possible.
Week 11
Rohan Kile
The guest is the horticultural manager of Costa Berry Farms, the most extensive supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables in Australia. Before his appointment in this position, he worked for 16 years as the head of crop supply at a global pharmaceutical company. He is passionate about Tasmanian horticulture and is determined to enhance the quality of production. When there is mass and quality production, there is a chance that there will be an increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables by Australians.
Andrew Hall
Hall is from Reid fruits, which specializes in growing cherries and Apples. Hall is an expert innovator who uses advanced strategies such as retractable roof orchard cover to enhance production. The method helps in controlling the temperature to the optimal point. The farm also offers mechanization through an automatic retractable roof. Apples and cherries are some of the most treasured fruits globally; hence, their marketability is not a challenge. The Reid fruits is a global premium brand that is well known for its delicious taste.
Week 12
Antony Allen
Antony Allen, the chief executive officer of Evolution enterprises, is innovating new ways to improve avocado production. Allen has worked internationally and in Australia doing research, production, business start-ups, marketing, and business development. Allen also produces other fruits, including oranges and apples, which are professionally packaged and transported to various points ready for consumers. The company also offers the best marketing for fruits. Helping farmers to benefit from their ventures is a core mission of the business.
Ben Haslett
Haslett is a 2015 Nuffield Scholar who has played a key role in enhancing the agricultural industry in Australia. He grew up in a farmyard, where his family specialized in producing many varieties of fruits, including almonds, citrus, stone fruit, and grapes. He has worked in different agricultural sectors, mostly in advisory roles. Mr. Haslett has also had an opportunity to travel around the world in different developed countries and garnered knowledge on rural horticultural farming which he is customizing for Australia.
Conclusion
Organic horticultural production is a perspective industry as it will promote quality of life to consumers, increase food security, enhance the ecosystem, and offer revenues to farmers. All the guest speakers provided knowledge on the scope of growing fruits and vegetables in Australia. The production process starts from proper selection of seedlings, good farm management, and branding to enhance marketability. As the country continues to embrace natural farming procedures, the adverse effects of chemicals which have accumulated over the years will reduce.
Appendices
Appendix 1: Images of Organic Products by WOF
Appedix 2: Benefits of Mushrooms
Appendix 3: Flavors
Appendix 4: Bug for Bug Biological pest control unity
Appendix 5: Comparisons of Citrus Development
