PRIMARY Industries and Regional Development Minister David Basham was on Kangaroo Island this week to announce funding for an extension officer, who will help establish and manage the Island's new $1 million AgTech Hub.
Mr Basham said central to the uptake of cutting-edge agricultural technologies and information was ensuring that primary producers understood the solutions, and how to appropriately deploy, connect and integrate these options on-farm.
"Demonstration of technologies in local conditions will make this easier for producers," he said.
"The KI AgTech Hub will also allow us to work directly with entrepreneurs and developers to ensure they understand the key challenges on KI and develop solutions that are grounded in the realities of primary production there."
AgTech demonstration farms will be established on the island, with the first field days and tours expected to be held in 2022.
Mr Basham said the state government had worked closely with the federal government to secure $1m for the KI AgTech Hub from the Regional Recovery Partnership.
"Being able to establish a fourth AgTech Hub (with others already established at Loxton, Struan and Minnipa) is another step in the right direction to harness the economic growth AgTech offers which could lead to an extra $2.6 billion value in agricultural production per year," he said.
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The KI agtech extension officer will be appointed for two years, with that money arising out of a $1m "boost" announced by the state government in August last year, designated to Livestock SA and Agriculture KI for "innovative recovery and resilience projects" on the island.
"Projects considered for this funding will be assessed to ensure that they achieve long-term benefits for the island," Livestock SA CEO Andrew Curtis said at the time.
Other projects that have been announced include nearly $350,000 to AgKI for their own extension and stakeholder officer, weed control, an expanded soil probe network and feral cat trapping incentives; while funding has also been allocated to a variety of other weed and blue gum sapling control projects; water projects; pest control; and a poultry micro abattoir.
This $1m was part of the Local Economic Recovery Program funded by federal and SA government under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
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