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Empowering farmers for increased resilience in uncertain times
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-18, 12:20 authored by Nettle, R, Ayre, M, Beilin, R, Waller, S, Lydia TurnerLydia Turner, Hall, A, Lesley IrvineLesley Irvine, Taylor, GAs farmers continue to face increasingly uncertain and often rapidly changing conditions related to markets, climate or the policy environment, people involved in agricultural research, development and extension (RD&E) are also challenged to consider how their work can contribute to supporting farmer resilience. Research from the social sciences conducted in the past decade has focussed on adaptability or adaptive capacity as a key attribute for individuals and groups to possess for managing resilience. It is, therefore, timely to ask the following: do current ways of doing and organising RD&E in the dairy sector in New Zealand and Australia contribute to supporting farm adaptability? This paper reports on results from an examination of case studies of challenges to resilience in the dairy sector in Australia and New Zealand (i.e. dairy farm conversion, climate-change adaptation, consent to farm) and the contribution of dairy RD&E in enhancing resilience of farmers, their farms and the broader industry. Drawing on concepts from resilience studies and considering an empowerment perspective, the analysis of these cases suggest that, currently, agricultural RD&E supports adaptability in general, but varies in the strength of its presence and level of activity in the areas known to enhance adaptability. This analysis is used to generate principles for dairy scientists and others in the RD&E system to consider in (1) research designs, (2) engaging different farmers in research and (3) presenting research results differently. This represents a significant shift for the science and advisory communities to move to methods that acknowledge uncertainty and facilitate learning.
History
Publication title
Animal Production ScienceVolume
55Issue
7Pagination
843-855ISSN
1836-0939Department/School
Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA)Publisher
CSIRO PublishingPlace of publication
AustraliaRights statement
?© CSIRO 2015Repository Status
- Restricted