Local connections key to results on the NSW South Coast

Background

Chloe is a Southern NSW Innovation Hub Knowledge Broker, embedded with the Regional Circularity Cooperative in Bega. Her role connects farmers, landholders, and community members to co-design practical projects, foster collaboration, and bridge the gap between research and on-the-ground action.

Local knowledge in action

Chloe is proud to work in and for her home region. Her strong local ties are at the heart of her success.

“Networking with producers the whole way through has been great to build relationships, keep them engaged, and keep them informed.”

She brings people together to identify what matters to them, facilitates workshops around those priorities, and helps turn ideas into action.

“From the feedback I’ve had, locals really value being listened to and involved in designing the initiatives. They feel their needs are being met.”

Regional diversity as a strength

The South Coast is home to a wide variety of agricultural industries, which adds both challenge and opportunity to Chloe’s work.

“I’m connecting with producers of the south coast across all agriculture industries so beef, dairy, horticulture, we’ve got aquaculture and small scale viticulture as well.”

“There are broader issues which are consistent across regions, but when it comes to the specifics, it does change. I am in a unique position to be able to shape projects that will deliver something that is meaningful to local farmers, which they are interested in. That gives a greater impact.”

In 2024, Chloe delivered a series of workshops for local dairy and beef cattle producers focused on building soil fertility, organic matter and soil carbon — direct responses to priorities identified by the producers themselves.

She’s also adapting delivery models to ensure broader participation.

“It’s been great having this soils-focused activity codesigned with locals, and the aim would be to do another one soon. But I would also like to work with a different group of people. I'd love to get more dairy farmers involved for example, but I’m aware that it’s hard to get them off farm as they’re facing an industry-wide labour shortage.”

Building capacity from the ground up

Southern NSW Innovation Hub Director Cindy Cassidy said the Knowledge Broker network helps connect research organisations directly with farmers and communities.

“Then capturing priorities and opportunities from our farmers and communities and delivering that back into our research organisations — that’s when we really start to activate that codesign or participatory research.”

Cindy also emphasised the role of Knowledge Brokers in building capability within the system.

“We recognise that there are some key skills and abilities that practitioners need to be able to effectively provide to support farmers, or to effectively support farm communities,” Cindy said.

For Chloe, the personal and professional rewards are clear.

“I think the most valuable and impactful thing about the role for me has been being able to engage with producers on a really deep level. We’ve been able to get to the bottom of the root cause of a lot of priorities and design actions that actually fit local regions and local people and be able to deliver them,” Chloe said.