Case Study: Stakeholder workshops and community engagement in agriculture and natural resource management (NRM)

The Situation

Effective engagement of key stakeholders and the wider community is essential for organisations working in agriculture and natural resource management (NRM). Engagement needs to be genuine, productive and strategic, based on agreed expectations and goals.

 An independent facilitator who knows the local ‘lay of the land’ is often a crucial success factor in getting producers, industry, advocacy bodies, Traditional Owners and other stakeholders on board.

Feedback written on a ute during a stakeholder workshop Renée helped to facilitate with graziers in Collinsville

The approach

Renée uses a range of interactive meeting methods tailored to each situation, focused on talking with people not at people, while respecting the existing knowledge and strengths already in the room (or the paddock).

Renée’s understanding of local relationships and current NRM issues helps create a collaborative environment where people feel comfortable to contribute. This approach helps groups of diverse stakeholders achieve shared understanding, clear decisions and actions.

Renée’s facilitation experience in agriculture and NRM includes:

  • Independent Chair for the Paradise Dam Community Reference Group (for the $4.4b rebuild near Bundaberg) and the Burdekin Falls Dam Community Reference Group. 
  • Public consultation and communication forums for major initiatives such as the Queensland Government’s Paddock to Reef program and Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan review.
  • Meetings of technical advisory groups, steering committees and key stakeholders to gather input from primary producers, industry bodies, Traditional Owners, NRM groups, technical experts and others. 
  • Target-setting and decision-making workshops involving multiple stakeholder groups.

The Result

Renée is a well-known and sought-after facilitator in North and Central Queensland’s agricultural and natural resources resource sectors. Her work consistently receives positive feedback for creating practical, engaging conversations that lead to real outcomes:

“Renée facilitated 6 different sessions for over 60 participants from a broad mix of stakeholder groups including project staff, agricultural landholders, technical experts, science and government. All were highly satisfied, stating that they felt included and were able to contribute meaningfully to discussions and activities. As a facilitator Renée is fantastic, everything was supplied and coordinated seamlessly, and agendas ran to time with a range of participant activities to hold everyone’s attention. Renée worked to our timeframes and was adaptive to several changes that arose along the way. Renée’s planning and preparation allowed clear objectives to be set and resulted in highly valuable reports for our team and for our project.”  – Barbara Colls, Landholders Driving Change ($15 million water quality project with graziers), NQ Dry Tropics

“Effective facilitation. Structure of workshop was good.” 
“Everyone’s input was really valuable. Resulted in a significant amount of information to work with.” 
– Feedback from Technical Advisory Group meeting, Lower Burdekin Extension Irrigation Action Plan

“The Regional Integrated Science Forum moderated by Renée was the best-moderated online forum I have ever been to.”  – Michael Kern, Manager and Secretary, AgForce Cane Ltd

Renée is consistently on‑point, reliable and professional. She brings a calm, level presence to complex discussions, and knows when to be firm to keep a group on track. Her facilitation style works well with participants from diverse backgrounds, and she creates a space where everyone feels heard.  – Sam Waldron, Project Director, Sunwater

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