Enhancing the Uptake of R&D on Farm Mandi McLeod Silvanus Consulting Ltd.
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Transcript of Enhancing the Uptake of R&D on Farm Mandi McLeod Silvanus Consulting Ltd.
Enhancing the Uptake of R&D on Farm
Mandi McLeodSilvanus Consulting Ltd
The Million Dollar Question
• WHY are farmers not implementing current Research and Development?
Acid Test• Whether people use it – – for reference– for influence– for change
• research should be– available– accessible, – useable
through a range of means in order to increase the impact of research
DFID's Research Strategy on Research Uptake
Research
• Public or Private• Need or Nice• Accessibility• Extendibility
Private
• Deliver to specific needs• Business and financially orientated• Do or die• Play in the ‘real’ world?• Fee for service
Public
• Perceive farmer needs?• Farmer levy • Govt. responsibilities• One size fits all• Quantitative science is Sexy• Qualititative science, soft• Free = no value
Asking the RIGHT questions
• Is the RESEARCH wrong or the Extension delivery at fault?
• Do we REALLY know what farmers actually want?
• Do farmers REALLY know what they want?
• Can they articulate this to us?• What did it deliver? Evaluation
Challenges
• Needs Assessments “horribly outdated” Al Scholz
• Disconnect between knowledge perception and reality
• Deconstruct before Reconstruct• NZ dairy farmers ‘know more about
mastitis than any professional’ • Research NIMBY
Challenges Continued
• Regional differences (extension skills, communication/education)
• Perceived quality and consistency of information and advice
• ‘Information need’ tiers: Farm owners; managers/operators; staff; professionals
Target Market
• WHO is our target market?• The Average Farmer– “One Breast; One Testicle and wears a skirt
some of the time”
• Value for money vs. politically correct• 20/80 rule – school analogy– 20% Proactive for information– 80% not motivated
• 40% survivors; reactively learn• 40% drop-outs
Segmentation
• Farmers less homogenous than 15 years ago
• Segmented– Age– Scale– Specialization– Ownership structure– Ethnicity
Different Strokes for Different Folks
• Perishable skills vs. Non-perishable• Emphasis on operational skills not
strategic management• Business Continuation?• Learning Styles• English as a first language
Push vs. Pull
• We know what you need• Expert Adviser vs. Process Consultant– Expert Adviso solves problems based on
expert knowledge– “process consultant” managing the
process and accesses the family’s collective wisdom through facilitation to deal with the transition. Gregg McCann
Some Solutions• Identify Farmer Needs First!– Determine WHO before the WHAT and HOW– Determine demonstrated knowledge vs.
actual best practice– Gently de-bunk myths before overlay new
information– Process before expert
• Extension and evaluation strategy concurrent with research planning
• Evaluate demonstrated change not just bums and reactions
Some Solutions
• Lets not be PC! Put the money where the biggest bang will be!
• Credibility of information source and delivery
• Language of learner• Reading age 12• CHARGE for it• Listen to farmers – not just with our
ears, but with our eyes