Agricultural communications in Australia: Identifying stakeholders’ needs for higher education curriculum

Agriculture is a staple part of the Australian economy. However, with great productivity comes tribulations as the Australian agriculture industry faces many challenges. With an industry poised for growth, and a growing disconnect between consumers and agriculture, communication efforts are needed, within Australian agricultural commodity groups, in order to help bridge the widening gap of information. The purpose of this study was to complete a curriculum visioning process to inform agricultural communications curriculum development in Australia. To gain insightful information about the phenomenon, the researcher determined characteristics each organization’s participants needed in order to gain insightful information about the phenomenon: (1) an individual working within an agricultural organization, (2) an individual within a communications, public relations, or marketing position, and (3) an individual who can discuss the challenges and opportunities of their organization. The researcher excluded any organizations that were not present on social media or did not have an active website. This study used a descriptive, qualitative research design consisting of face-to-face interviews with 14 individuals from organizations and two universities. The results indicated that there is a need for more direct communication efforts to lead to positive advancements and collaboration within the industry. The results of this study provide an understanding of the current communication skills needed in order to drive curriculum development of agricultural communications within Australian higher education.