In this episode, we’re exploring some practical resources that are helping us, as extension practitioners. We all know that enabling change isn’t just about sharing information—it’s about connecting, facilitating, and supporting decisions. We’re exploring the RiskWi$e project, the eXtensionAUS platform, and the AgriFutures extension practice website that has earned a spot in our bookmarks. Let’s take a look at what these resources offer and how you can use them in your work.
Let’s start with RiskWi$e as Denise has just recently become involved in evaluating this project. And Rick Llewellyn and Dave Pannell who brought us the ADOPT tool are part of it—so naturally we’re interested! And we’ve talked about risk and uncertainty based on a blog post from Dave—which is part of the work he’s doing with RiskWi$e. It’s a GRDC-funded initiative and a five-year project led by CSIRO that’s all about helping grain growers make more confident risk–reward decisions. The RiskWi$e website is where a lot of this thinking comes together. It’s packed with tools and resources that we can use in our extension activities. One is the “Decision Support Tool Bingo” sheet—a practical way to compare the many tools out there and find the right one for a particular decision context.
There’s also a great emphasis on slow thinking—taking the time to step back and look at the bigger picture. An example of this is the Fast graphs for slow thinking. They’re designed to visualise risk and reward in a way that encourages discussion and reflection. The unofficial tagline for RiskWi$e is “more right, more of the time” because better decisions lead to better outcomes, and if we want to support change on-farm, we need to understand how growers (and we) think about and respond to risk. There are podcasts and webinars that dive into different types of risk decisions—everything from agronomy to finance.
Next, eXtensionAUS is a national platform built around Communities of Practice (CoPs)—collaborative groups of practitioners, researchers and specialists who share knowledge, resources and events. It’s all about making it easier for us to connect and collaborate across regions, industries and disciplines. There’s a range of different CoPs on the platform. We thought we’d highlight the newly launched The Change Network.
The Change Network is more about how we, as extension practitioners, create the conditions for change. It digs into mindset, engagement and the “how” of influencing behaviour effectively. There’s resources exploring an adoption mindset, which encourages us to think less about pushing solutions and more about asking the right questions—making the shift to problem-pull. There’s also a guide to analysing enablers and constraints to adoption.
Finally, there’s the AgriFutures Extension Practice website. This site is a collection of resources and tools designed for agricultural extension professionals. It brings together insights from across industries and disciplines, covering everything from systems thinking and co-design, to evaluation, digital engagement and leadership.
We’ve shared our thoughts, now it’s your turn! Drop a comment below the blog post with any resources you’re finding useful at the moment! We’d love this to be a conversation—your insights are invaluable to the community. Thanks for joining us for this Enablers of Change episode! Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to catch future episodes, and share this post with friends who might enjoy the discussion. W