Government agricultural departments: a new future or bastions of the past?

In the past their role was narrow and straight-forward focussing almost exclusively on primary production. Their role was to protect the States from pests and diseases, improve productivity and expand the production of primary industries. At that time, core services included providing one-on-one advice to primary producers while visiting their properties. Some work might have been performed outside the production sector, for example butcher shop and slaughterhouse inspections. But there were very few, if any, responsibilities in terms of rural communities' sustainability.

Today, rural communities are still dependent on primary industries production, but not as dependent as they were in the past. Consequently the role of most Agricultural Departments is broader and more strongly focuses on growing value chains in the food-and-fibre sector. This enhanced role also includes a direct focus on developing rural communities through, for example, enhancing those communities' capacity to achieve developmental goals that may further reduce their dependence on primary industries.

Another trend is that non-government agricultural consultants have taken on most of the one-on-one interaction activities with primary producers previously performed by the government. Most Agricultural Departments have retained an interest in this area, but mainly via a commercial third-party group of local business entrepreneurs.

Today, Agricultural Departments also must respond to broader community concerns about the environment by focusing on technologies, processes and legislation that enhance ecological sustainability and animal welfare.

Another increasing role is that of the "honest broker". As consumers are now challenging and demanding changes to traditional agricultural practices, Agricultural Departments have a critical role in linking producers with the broader community. This includes providing independent and impartial information and advice in contentious issues and debates such as genetic manipulation of commercial plants and animals, organic farming and irradiation of foods.

With regard to the future, complex new technologies, threats and ambitions could result in any of many different futures for the world and for Australia. In fact, if history is a guide, our ability to predict the future is relatively poor. The future will be comprised of many unplanned outcomes, along with some outcomes that are expected. Consequently, the future will contain a significant element of surprise. Despite this, individuals, communities, organizations and governments still need to prepare for the future.

A plausible future scenario is one where rural communities are even less dependent on primary industries production and more involved in food and fibre processing and value adding; where the number of private agricultural consultants grows and where small rural towns continue to decline and larger ones continue to grow or are cannibalised by the urban sprawl.

Within this scenario the success of Agricultural Departments may be judged quite differently from the past or even today. Rather than having the primary role of ensuring food supplies for a nation, Agricultural Departments of the future may be judged in terms of their ability to sustain food security; to restore, maintain, grow or facilitate change in communities, including helping them to decouple from their reliance on agriculture; to innovate with an eye to the future; to offer hope and confidence for young people and farming families to stay on the land; to resolve complex conflicts arising from environmental, economic, food safety and rural decline issues; or to assist some communities to disappear from their current location and to re-emerge as part of a build-up of strategically located larger rural centres.

Alternatively, we might ask - is there a future role for "Departments of Agriculture"?