Delivering impact

GRDC leads investment in grains research, development and extension (RD&E) in Australia.

Our primary objective is to drive the discovery, development and delivery of world-class innovation to enhance the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Australian grain growers to benefit the industry and the wider community.

We strive to deliver tangible, on-the-ground impact for Australian grain growers through strategic and tactical investments in RD&E. We engage and consult with growers, farm advisers, industry stakeholders and government to understand constraints and opportunities so our investments are well informed and align with industry needs and our RD&E Plan.

Measuring impact is critical to understand where we are driving positive change and delivering on our purpose and strategic objectives.

Impact assessment underpins decisions on when to invest, how, where and with which partners. These analyses ensure we’re investing in RD&E that delivers the greatest impact for growers and maximum return on investment. Find out more.

Case studies

We measure the value of investment outcomes following the adoption of new technologies or practices by growers. Investments are targeted to deliver outcomes that maximise price and yield, whilst minimising input costs.

GRDC uses a both internal and external impact evaluations which comply with the Council of Rural Research and Development Corporation guidelines on impact evaluation. The impact cases were selected to represent the portfolio of research over a five-year period.

The nitrogen rate decision problem

GroundCover

Innovative approaches to the way nitrogen application rates are determined could deliver substantial benefits to grain growers as research work enters the commercialisation phase

Project targets chickpea expansion into acid soils

GroundCover

Since acid sensitivity prevents chickpea cultivation on large swathes of grain growing regions, a project that screened for acid-tolerant germplasm and rhizobia will deliver substantial benefits to growers when chickpea varieties with acid soil tolerance are released

Australian Grains Genebank delivers major earnings

GroundCover

A large investment in the genetic resources that underpin the grains industry has proven that significant benefits are possible to growers from a better-resourced genebank, with the investment producing an internal rate of return of 13 per cent

Improving chickpea pathogen resistance

GroundCover

A push to improve chickpea resistance to a key yield-limiting root disease has delivered both improved genetic resistance into the breeding gene pool and improved breeding technology to pulse breeders

Machine learning heralds a new era of functional soil mapping

GroundCover

The mapping pf soil constraints and plant-available water capacity has benefited significantly from consecutive GRDC investments in the development and deployment of machine-learning models

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