The horticulture industry in Australia comprises flowers, nuts, vegetables, nursery products, turf, and fruit. It operates in an overly competitive international and domestic market, and is usually seasonal and labor-exhaustive.
How People in Regional and Rural Australia Benefit
Horticulture plays a significant role in the success of people dwelling in regional and rural Australia. Studies show that between 2019 and 2020, the industry’s overall production value exceeded $15 billion, while more than 60,000 people were employed.
Importance of Expertise in Modern-Day Trade
With global horticultural practices evolving, there is a growing need for proficiency in vegetable and fresh fruit production to drive growth and transformation in the future. The open innovation concept and conforming to approaches from different industries have been happening for some time now.
However, according to Paul Levins from Beanstalk, fresh produce firms need to rethink their plans beyond growing crops and increasing harvest. The concept is more than adopting advanced technology like artificial intelligence, digitalization, and machinery enhancing efficiency and speed. It involves problem-solving according to a discovery made by Bolthouse Farms, a carrot company based in America.
Why Open Innovation is Critical
Open innovation, according to Paul, forces industry players to focus on the sector and not the processes you are attempting to innovate. Bolthouse Farms, he continues, is the biggest carrot producing company in the US with a massive export presence.
The company’s CEO, originally from Coca-Cola, focused on the manufacturing business fully. Instead of viewing it as a collection of carrots, he perceived it as a collection of industries and learned from other sectors like the fast food, snacking, and packaging industries. He sought to understand how to handle carrots as fast food, the components of fast food that make it sell fast, and the best way to make it more accessible and affordable.
Innovation Triggers Demand
With these innovations, the Bolthouse Farms CEO increased demand for baby carrots. He later introduced juicing and protein extraction from carrots to produce protein drinks. The CEO has developed different streams and penetrated various industries like the health and wellness industry. Currently, people are flocking to his facility to learn new processes such as protein extraction.
A Multiple Disciplinary Approach
Paul says that open innovation is a multi-disciplinary problem-solving technique. While players in Australia’s horticulture sector focus on their sector, they can learn valuable lessons by partnering with professionals from other industries. Collaborating with players from other industries will enable people in the horticulture industry to learn new techniques. They can then apply them to transform their operations.
Networking is Critical
Working with people from other industries is crucial for networking as well. You get an opportunity to interact with experts who understand existing problems, helping you scale your business. Open innovation allows industry players to partner with people who assess your problems against your solutions to get the appropriate results.
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