Prawn farming is one of Australia's fastest growing food markets and the third biggest aquaculture industry in the country.
Prawn farming in Queensland represents more than 67 per cent of aquaculture in the state and Australian prawn farmers are the most productive in the world - producing an average yield of more than 9,000 kg per hectare.
To keep the industry booming; industry, government and CQUniversity researchers have come together to build a prawn digital training hub strengthen farmers digital capability.
The hub will host a series of capacity-building learning modules, to help Queensland prawn farmers confidently adopt the technology within their business.
The project will run until June 2022 and has received $200,000 from the state government to facilitate the adoption of digital systems on Queensland prawn farms.
Australian Prawn Farmers Association Executive Officer Kim Hooper said the that the industry is expected to keep up its rapid growth,
"The value of prawn farming in Queensland is expected to increase to $500 million over the next five years and create over 4,200 new direct and indirect jobs in regional areas," Ms Hooper said.
"This significant expansion is introducing an increased reliance on digital skills and infrastructure, which is not only challenging the industry but also requires a strategic approach to escalating the adoption of digital technologies across the sector.
"The hub will provide education and training material free to the industry so that farmers can meet the increased demand for their product, increase their profitability and environmental sustainability."
Agricultural and Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said the grant will help farmers access new opportunities.
"The COVID-19 pandemic created serious challenges for the aquaculture sector, but the government has worked closely with industry to find solutions for emerging problems and stand shoulder to shoulder with our producers.
"This is a direct and practical way that the government is supporting the dairy industry as part of Queensland's Economic Recovery Plan."
"There were 22 applications received and the diversity of project proposals demonstrates the opportunities digital technologies create for the sector," he said.
CQUniversity research fellow in agri-tech education Dr Amy Cosby said a full-time Research Masters student scholarship, valued at $30,000 will be available as part of the project.
"The masters student will be involved in the design, delivery, and evaluation of an online and face-to-face training program, which targets specific technologies within the Australian prawn farming sector," she said.
"Data, which will be collected via an industry-wide survey, will focus on the key behavioural, cognitive, and affective components of skills development; the difference between online and face-to-face delivery; and what factors will influence engagement with the digital skills hub."
Dr Cosby said the student will not only contribute to a research project that is of national significance, but one that will produce real-world benefits.
"There is not much solution-driven research available on how to address digital skills gap or about the sector's adult learning and training/workforce requirements, therefore, it is a research project with national significance," she said.
