Landleader Monitoring & Evaluation manager

Summary

Through the federally fundedPathways to Industry program, industry bodies Australian Wool Innovation and Meat and Livestock Australia have developed a self-assessment tool for wool producers to assess their level of environmental stewardship'. Producers answer a structured questionnaire and their responses are benchmarked against industry standards for aspects of natural resource management, animal welfare and chemical usage.​
The tool was piloted amongst graziers in selected regions from the 11th June to the 31st July 2007. Four methods of delivery were trialled:
 
1. Paper-based through a facilitated workshop with groups of graziers.
2. Paper-based completed by graziers unaided.
3. Telephone interviews with graziers.
4. Graziers access the necessary forms via the website and complete them on line.
 
This report is an evaluation and comparative assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of the delivery methods trialled.
While this evaluation focuses on the delivery process, we appreciate that the content of the assessment tool can impact on this process. Where feedback arose from graziers on the content of the tool such as length and clarity this has also been noted and discussed.
A summary of the results of the trial with recommendations for the ongoing use of the methods is presented below.
 
Development of Database for the Grazing Industry Environmental Stewardship Project
This project was initiated at the request of the funding partners, Meat and Livestock Australia and Australian Wool Innovation, who wish to assist farmers in gathering and reporting on information about environmental stewardship, especially in grazing-based livestock industries.
The object was to develop a secure web interface, called Landleader, and link it to an electronic database which would allow farmers to trial a system of entering data and receiving reports on their environmental stewardship. It also aimed to enable reports of aggregated data to be supplied to industry specialists. Details of the survey content and report structures were provided by other parties.
The trial database and web interface which was developed was thoroughly specified and then successfully implemented through the trial survey process. The solution created demonstrated the functionality of the approach taken and hence will provide confidence that any further development is likely to be successful, provided that those carrying out the work are skilled in the design and administration of databases and web forms.
If and when a fully operational product is developed, robustly tested and released, the beneficiaries will be both livestock producers and the broader Australian community who will be provided with evidence of the level and trend of environmental stewardship in the livestock industries.