Project Title: Piloting Internet delivery of APSIM support to farmers, advisers, and scientists

Project Supervisor: Dr R McCown

Funding Body: RIRDC

Admin Contact: Mr Marshall Mackay

Commencement Date: 15/4/97 Completion Date: 30/6/99

Aims: To invent and evaluate use of the Internet to increase the cost-effectiveness of interactions among scientists, advisers, and farmers pertaining to the use of computer simulation in planning and decision making in dryland cropping and in research which supports this.

Research Proposal Summary: Having already developed a promising approach to using a simulator and soil monitoring in consulting and farm management, and having in place research in FARMSCAPE to trial the handing over delivery of this capability to intermediaries, this project explores various ways to use the Internet as a medium for supporting both the intermediaries and their clients. The proposed research will involve the Distance Education Centre, USQ,; the Rural Extension Centre; private consultants; and farmers in piloting ways to use both synchronous and asynchronous interactions between APSRU researchers and farmers, consultants/advisers, and other researchers using APSIM. The key resource is a post-graduate student working full time on the project. The approach will feature a learning cycle of (1) design of various types of interactions, (2) trialing of these on the Internet, (3) evaluation of the experience of users, and (4) modification of designs.

Potential Outcomes: Realistic appraisal of the value of this new medium for linking our sort of research to real agriculture. Various types of customised software that can be implemented on our own web site and of those of intermediaries in a post research phase.