An Economic Evaluation of the Ricecheck Extension Program in NSW

Abstract

Ricecheck, an extension program for rice developed by the NSW Department of Primary Industries, is based on eight best management practice recommendations (“key checks”) considered essential for achieving high yields. The program comprises grower meetings, monitoring crops, keeping crop production records and field days. The Ricecheck recommendations provide information on the impact of the best management practices on crop yields and farm profitability. In this paper, the economic benefits from Ricecheck to the rice farmers are measured. An economic evaluation indicates that there has been a high economic return on the funds invested in developing and adopting Ricecheck.