Community Trust in Rural Industries

Research overview

Increasingly, the public are influencing benchmarks for best practice across the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector. This collaborative program of research involving seven Rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) explores the relationship between industries and the social context in which they operate to support an industry-level response to addressing community trust.

The community trust program of research is a multi-industry collaboration to understand, track and build community trust. Measuring community sentiment enables rural industries to better understand, and where necessary, take action, to ensure industry practices align with community expectations.

The research commenced in 2019 and has canvassed almost 20,000 Australians over three years, via a representative, national, annual survey. The longitudinal nature of this research has provided a rich set of data, highlighting the dynamic nature of community sentiment.

The program is an Australian first – a partnership involving 11 Rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs), the National Farmers’ Federation and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI). As this collaborative program of work progresses, the sector is gaining access to a deeper, clearer understanding of what leads to community trust in rural industries.

Research findings

Insights into the drivers of community trust and acceptance for the rural industries sector indicate that trust in rural industries is high—Australians believe fishers, farmers and foresters play an important role in society and are a vital part of Australia’s history, however there are areas of community uncertainty that present risks and opportunities for the sector.

Research to date has demonstrated that acting on issues that matter to Australians is not only in line with community expectations for how rural industries should operate but is also the primary pathway to growing community trust in, and acceptance of, these industries. Fostering trust between rural industries and the community will give farmers, fishers and foresters the freedom to innovate and try new methods to grow food and fibre.

Key insights from the three-year research program indicate that trust in rural industries is dependent on three drivers: environmental responsibility, responsiveness to community concerns and the importance of products produced by rural industries.

Timeline