For growers and nursery businesses, the threat of biosecurity incursions can have a knock-on effect of social and economic instability, impacting business continuity.
The new levy-funded project ‘Ensuring business continuity during biosecurity incursions – social and economic research learnings for the production nursery industry’ (NY18010) project, is working toward establishing management practices that recognise the social and economic impact biosecurity incursions can have on individual nursery owners and businesses.
Led by Nursery & Garden Industry Queensland (NGIQ), the team will be collaborating with researchers from the CSIRO to identify social and economic impacts through activities such as literature reviews and key stakeholder interviews and surveys.
Based on findings, recommendations will be made around the best approach to supporting growers and businesses in managing biosecurity risks and minimising interruption to business activities.
In understanding the social and economic consequences that incursions have on business continuity and the people working within the nursery industry community, the project intends to construct a framework that can be applied during a biosecurity incursion.
The result is efficient approaches to preparedness, response, recovery, resumption and restoration of business activities.
To build upon current research in the areas of biosecurity and disasters, the project will look to work with and draw from existing nursery industry levy-funded projects ‘National Nursery Industry Biosecurity Program’ (NY15004) and the ‘Nursery industry natural disaster risk mitigation and recovery plan’ (NY18008).
In doing so, the project team aim to establish the most practical and effective support tools and methods for businesses and growers to utilise should their production be under strain.
Keep watch for more updates as this program progresses.
For any further information, please contact project lead Kerry Battersby, Recovery and Resilience Manager, NGIQ at recovery@ngiq.asn.au
The ‘Ensuring business continuity during biosecurity incursions – social and economic research learnings for the production nursery industry’ (NY18010) project is funded by Hort Innovation using the nursery industry levy and funds from the Australian Government.
Source: Your Levy at Work