What enables and prevents sugarcane growing practice change? A review of publicly available sources for practice change projects

Abstract

The Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan 2017–2022 identified that changes to evaluation practices were an urgent need if ambitious water quality targets were to be realised. To understand if progress had been made, this study synthesised publicly available evidence for ten projects aiming to engage sugarcane growers in practice change. The aims of this study were to identify factors facilitating or preventing practice change in sugarcane growing, drawing on monitoring and evaluation evidence that was publicly available for the ten projects. Twenty-one peer-reviewed articles and government and industry reports were collated and analysed. Thematic analysis identified seven enablers of engagement with practice changes resulting from project participation: government and industry partnerships, effective communication, training and education, grower or community leadership, financial support, return on investment and social factors. This review showed that a lack of enabling factors is a barrier to program adoption and practice change. Additional barriers were lack of availability of alternatives, lack of clear and transparent monitoring and evaluation for projects, lack of trust between stakeholders and competing stakeholder interests.