Production of Asian vegetables is still considered a developing industry sector, in part due to the fact that the main producers are growers who speak a Language Other Than English (LOTE). Literacy, language and cultural barriers have limited this grower group’s ability to apply best production practices because they find it difficult to access good technical information, may misread information such as chemical labels and therefore use chemicals inappropriately. Growers have had communication difficulties with various government agencies.
Production of Asian vegetables continues to grow and many of the LOTE growers involved are expanding their production and broadening the range of crops they produce. Issues have arisen in relation to supply chain management, quality, safety, chemical use and hygiene of produce. These issues reduce the grower’s ability to access markets and improve production practices.
This project report details the work with a Vietnamese LOTE grower group in Lara, Victoria. The project has addressed a range of issues including production practices, chemical and residue management, quality assurance, climate variability, work safe, networking and communication difficulties. The report also details the development of this group towards becoming an incorporated association.