Redefining excellence in agribusiness advisory: the role of the rural advisor in the modern world

This paper, based on the research as part of completing a Nuffield scholarship, examines how the role of the rural advisor who supports farmers is evolving. The desired outcomes from this research were to redefine what excellence looks like in agribusiness advisory, and as a result, increasing productivity in the primary sector, whilst at the same time reducing the environmental footprint of both the advisor and the farmer. The research highlights that technology is rapidly influencing not only farming practices but also advisory services. For those advisors whose role is purely focused on providing only technical advice, the impact of technology may be rapid and profound, to the point that their role may not exist in the future. However, this automation of data analysis increases the importance of the interpersonal skills that have traditionally separated a great advisor from a good advisor. This has implications on how future advisors are selected and trained. The paper provides a series of recommendations for those in the rural advisory sector to consider.