The provision of pest and disease information using Information Communication Tools (ICT); an Australian example

The Australian grains industry relies on growers and agronomists to report endemic pest and disease issues in their crops to their local agriculture department and to also report anything that appears unusual. Previous work conducted by Wright et al., (2016), demonstrated that 70% of growers and 80% of agronomists could identify endemic diseases in crops. However, skills in identifying high priority pests and diseases that can cause major threats were very low. To improve the surveillance and reporting skills of growers and agronomists the use of information communication tools (ICT) was explored. These tools included; webinars, YouTube videos, podcasts and a mobile app.