diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/1871-infoblox-inventory.yml b/changelogs/fragments/1871-infoblox-inventory.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d49d176f1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/1871-infoblox-inventory.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+- "infoblox inventory script - make sure that the script also works with Ansible 2.9, and returns a more helpful error when community.general is not installed as part of Ansible 2.10/3 (https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.general/pull/1871)."
diff --git a/scripts/inventory/infoblox.py b/scripts/inventory/infoblox.py
index 9e985a9eb9..209509025e 100644
--- a/scripts/inventory/infoblox.py
+++ b/scripts/inventory/infoblox.py
@@ -13,10 +13,22 @@ import json
 import argparse
 
 from ansible.parsing.dataloader import DataLoader
-from ansible.module_utils.six import iteritems
+from ansible.module_utils.six import iteritems, raise_from
 from ansible.module_utils._text import to_text
-from ansible_collections.community.general.plugins.module_utils.net_tools.nios.api import WapiInventory
-from ansible_collections.community.general.plugins.module_utils.net_tools.nios.api import normalize_extattrs, flatten_extattrs
+try:
+    from ansible_collections.community.general.plugins.module_utils.net_tools.nios.api import WapiInventory
+    from ansible_collections.community.general.plugins.module_utils.net_tools.nios.api import normalize_extattrs, flatten_extattrs
+except ImportError as exc:
+    try:
+        # Fallback for Ansible 2.9
+        from ansible.module_utils.net_tools.nios.api import WapiInventory
+        from ansible.module_utils.net_tools.nios.api import normalize_extattrs, flatten_extattrs
+    except ImportError:
+        raise_from(
+            Exception(
+                'This inventory plugin only works with Ansible 2.9, 2.10, or 3, or when community.general is installed correctly in PYTHONPATH.'
+                ' Try using the inventory plugin from infoblox.nios_modules instead.'),
+            exc)
 
 
 CONFIG_FILES = [