Widespread adoption of a perennial legume species such as lucerne (commonly known as alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in the wheat belt of Western Australia is essential to prevent the spread of dryland salinity. About 1.8 million hectares (9%) of the south west agricultural region is currently affected by salinity and projections show that without significant changes to current land use practices this could rise to 30%. Research undertaken in Western Australia has shown that lucerne compared to annual crops and pastures will dry out the soil profile and help reduce deep drainage below the root zone.

Farmer adoption of this system has been slow due to the perception that lucerne is a difficult plant to establish and remove. The Western Australian Lucerne Growers Inc. (WALG) was formed in 1998 with the main objectives of collaborating with researchers, share results and give knowledge and confidence to new growers to establish lucerne. To help new growers, WALG developed a unique assistance package to train members through one on one on farm support and technical advice.

Over the last 10 years, the area of lucerne in Western Australia has increased substantially from 5000 ha in 1995 to over 171,000 ha in 2001 and it is likely that over 200,000 ha is currently cultivated in the state. This paper reports on how the WALG assistance package and extension activities have trained over 600 farmers in lucerne establishment and management and been responsible for a significant amount of the increased area currently sown to lucerne.

The WALG framework has raised farmer awareness, increased the adoption of lucerne and has led to more targeted research. Further increases in the area of lucerne will require future extension to concentrate on farming systems.

  Key words

Regional champions, perennials, workshops, demonstrations.