This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
This paper reports findings from on-going research that is capturing and describing how experienc... more This paper reports findings from on-going research that is capturing and describing how experienced farm management consultants work with farmer clients to assist decisionmaking and enhance on-farm change. It will illustrate the value of empirical research by describing how an experienced New Zealand sheep and beef farm management consultant assesses the farm and farmer in the initial stages of a consultation. Based on qualitative case study research, data was gathered through in-depth interviews of the consultant. Transcribed interviews were analysed using qualitative data analysis techniques and the results verified with the consultant. The research illustrates how the consultant uses informal analysis grounded in his context-specific expertise to assess the farming enterprise. Informal triangulation, comparative analysis, benchmarking and pattern matching are used during the farm visit to assess and develop 'a rich picture' of the farm family, farm resources, production s...
Copyright in this publication (including text, graphics, logos and icons) is owned by or licensed... more Copyright in this publication (including text, graphics, logos and icons) is owned by or licensed to DairyNZ Incorporated. No person may in any form or by any means use, adapt, reproduce, store, distribute, print, display, perform, publish or create derivative works from any part of this publication or commercialise any information, products or services obtained from any part of this publication without the written consent of DairyNZ Incorporated. Disclaimer This report was prepared solely for DairyNZ Incorporated with funding from New Zealand dairy farmers through DairyNZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries under the Primary Growth Partnership. The information contained within this report should not be taken to represent the views of DairyNZ or the Ministry for Primary Industries. While all reasonable endeavours have been made to ensure the accuracy of the investigations and the information contained in the report, OneFarm, Centre of Excellence in Farm Business Management expressly disclaims any and all liabilities contingent or otherwise to any party other than DairyNZ Incorporated or DairyNZ Limited that may arise from the use of the information.
Silvopastoral systems can be innovative solutions to agricultural environmental degradation, espe... more Silvopastoral systems can be innovative solutions to agricultural environmental degradation, especially in hilly and mountainous regions. A framework that expresses the holistic nature of silvopastoral systems is required so research directions can be unbiased and informed. This paper presents a novel framework that relates the full range of known silvopastoral outcomes to bio-physical tree attributes, and uses it to generate research priorities for a New Zealand hill country case study. Current research is reviewed and compared for poplar (Populus spp.), the most commonly planted silvopastoral tree in New Zealand hill country, and kānuka (Kunzea spp.), a novel and potentially promising native alternative. The framework highlights the many potential benefits of kānuka, many of which are underappreciated hill country silvopastoral outcomes, and draws attention to the specific outcome research gaps for poplar, despite their widespread use. The framework provides a formalised tool for ...
The nature of interactions between farmers and advisors is the focus of a growing body of researc... more The nature of interactions between farmers and advisors is the focus of a growing body of research. While many studies explore the potential role of advisors in facilitating farmers' practice change in practices related to agricultural production such as soil, water, pest and animal health management, studies that specifically investigate how advisors support farmers with financial management (FM) are limited. The contribution this paper makes is to identify who farmers' FM advisors are and to shed light on how farmer-advisor interactions about FM are shaped. Semi-structured interviews with both farmers and a range of advisors (bankers, accountants, farm management consultants, specialist financial advisors and industry funded advisors) were conducted. The main findings are that farm financial information and FM are considered to be sensitive topics and being good at FM is not central to farmers' identity (relative to e.g. production management). Due to the sensitivity and taboo around the topic and the low level of interest in FM, most farmers do not actively seek to acquire financial advice. Farmers most openly discuss FM with their banker and accountant and some seek advice from farm management consultants. Advice seeking from other advisors was limited. Theoretical implications are that FM as a topic of advice introduces unique dynamics to interactions between farmer and advisor, which highlights the importance of better consideration of taboo and sensitive topics in advisory interactions. Furthermore, the findings on how the bankers' authority impacts on the advisory relationship with farmers indicated that issues of power in view of such authoritative advisory relationships need to be better considered. To enhance effective provisioning on FM advice, policy could focus on improving the match between demand and supply, and help create awareness about the importance of discussing FM to reduce the sensitivity of the topic.
The Farmer-First Research (FFR) programme was established at Massey University in 1991. The progr... more The Farmer-First Research (FFR) programme was established at Massey University in 1991. The programme was strongly grounded in the work and thinking of people such as Norman Simmonds, Robert Chambers, Janice Jiggins and Niels Röling. At the time of its establishment, the programme was argued to represent the beginning of a fundamental shift in how agricultural research priorities were set and how agricultural research was implemented. The specific needs and circumstances of farmers were to be central to defining what research would be done and the active involvement of farmers in research was considered a priority. The FFR programme ended after approximately five years in 1996. In 2012, the New Zealand Government made a significant investment into an innovation systems approach to technology development in the New Zealand primary sector. This new initiative, the Primary Innovation project, has many aims parallel with the FFR programme. The authors of this paper were researchers in t...
Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association, 1993
Formal knowledge of the goals, circumstances and constraints of a random sample of hill country s... more Formal knowledge of the goals, circumstances and constraints of a random sample of hill country sheep and beef farmers has been established. This knowledge was gathered, in collaboration with farmers from the Taihape/Bunterville and coastal Hawkes Bay regions, during phase one of the Farmer First Research programme based at Massey University. The data show that 75% of the farmers, in the study were willing to make changes to increase the profitability of their current farming system. However, although willing to change, 53% were unable to do so because of constraints they faced. Two of these major constraints identified by farmers were high debt and a low incomegenerating under-developed farm. Both of these constraints contributed to an inadequacy of cash for the farmer. The other major constraints identified were labour, an ownership structure which limited the farmers' decision-making role in the property and the relatively low production potential of their farms. Phase one da...
Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association, 1993
Formal knowledge of the goals, circumstances and constraints of a random sample of hill country s... more Formal knowledge of the goals, circumstances and constraints of a random sample of hill country sheep and beef farmers has been established. This knowledge was gathered, in collaboration with farmers from the Taihape/Bunterville and coastal Hawkes Bay regions, during phase one of the Farmer First Research programme based at Massey University. The data show that 75% of the farmers, in the study were willing to make changes to increase the profitability of their current farming system. However, although willing to change, 53% were unable to do so because of constraints they faced. Two of these major constraints identified by farmers were high debt and a low incomegenerating under-developed farm. Both of these constraints contributed to an inadequacy of cash for the farmer. The other major constraints identified were labour, an ownership structure which limited the farmers' decision-making role in the property and the relatively low production potential of their farms. Phase one da...
The dwindling government funding of agricultural extension in developing countries and the call o... more The dwindling government funding of agricultural extension in developing countries and the call on extension organizations to support farm households' livelihood security initiatives, has made the practice of pluralistic extension a realistic option for ensuring efficient and effective use of available resources for extension and sustainable development. The aim of the study was to understand the key factors that can contribute to successful pluralistic agricultural extension system in a decentralized policy environment in developing countries for sustainable agricultural development. The research used a qualitative case study based on a successful district level public agricultural extension organization in Ghana. Semi-structure interviews, supported with documents and observations, were used for the data collection. The case study shows that an important factor that can contribute to the success of a local level extension organization is its ability to coordinate its activiti...
The research was based on a single-case study of a district agricultural extension organization t... more The research was based on a single-case study of a district agricultural extension organization that operates under a decentralization system that was judged by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana as successful. The results of the study emphasized the importance of the effects of both, external and organizational, factors on the performance of the case organization. The external factors included: (1) the political will to decentralize, (2) the level of decentralization of other government departments, (3) the provision of a clear legal framework for decentralization, and (4) the existence of established institutions that are willing to support the decentralization process. New external factors that were identified in this study were: (1) the drivers of decentralization, (2) stakeholders' willingness and commitment to support the decentralization process, and (3) the community characteristics, in terms of land tenure arrangements and gender roles. The results confirmed ...
Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 2009
Agricultural extension provision in many developing countries is affected by the quality of the e... more Agricultural extension provision in many developing countries is affected by the quality of the extension staff. To understand the factors that can improve the capacity of extension staff in a decentralized extension context, a single-case study of a successful district level public extension organization in Ghana was studied. To improve the capacity of extension staff, the case study emphasized the importance of combining formal needs-based training and an organizational learning culture. The study suggests that traditional training in technical areas and extension methods is not sufficient in this context. With the shift from a top-down to bottomup management approach, managerial staff need a new training in participatory management and administration. With a cross-sector pluralistic system, they also need training about the mechanisms that will facilitate coordination, collaboration and lobbying within the extension system. Also, with a broader focus and roles of district extension, the field staff would need a broader knowledge base of technical expertise that takes into consideration indigenous knowledge of farmers, and attitudes of searching for knowledge that they do not have, or for seeking out others to provide the necessary knowledge. The study highlighted the importance of fostering an open environment where extension staff feel comfortable to meet, interact, share information and ideas, and motivated to work.
Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 2011
... Peter D. Kemp Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, New Zealand p.kemp@massey. a... more ... Peter D. Kemp Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, New Zealand p.kemp@massey. ac.nz ... were resource-poor and the amount they could deposit was quite low, the ASIRP authorities had provided to each FLE group a lump-sum grant called “start-up loan” for the ...
In New Zealand environmental management is essentially the responsibility of land managers. Manag... more In New Zealand environmental management is essentially the responsibility of land managers. Management decisions affect both production/productivity and the environment. However, responsibility for ensuring positive environmental outcomes falls on both local (Regional) and Central Government, and both they and international agencies such as the OECD would wish to monitor and report on changes. In terms of policy, strong links have been established via Central and Regional Government to land managers. Consumers in the market place are also, increasingly, requiring responsibility for positive environmental outcomes of those who purchase and process primary products. Strong links for responsibility have been established between our international markets and processing businesses and there is a noticeable strengthening of the links from the processors to the land manager/producer.
The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 2011
The limited effectiveness and fiscal unsustainability of professional-led public sector extension... more The limited effectiveness and fiscal unsustainability of professional-led public sector extension systems in developing countries have aroused considerable interest in Farmer-led Extension (FLE) approaches in the recent decades. A key challenge facing these initiatives is a lack of sustainability of the farmer groups developed through project or programme assistance. This not only makes FLE initiatives costly, but also creates dependency
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
This paper reports findings from on-going research that is capturing and describing how experienc... more This paper reports findings from on-going research that is capturing and describing how experienced farm management consultants work with farmer clients to assist decisionmaking and enhance on-farm change. It will illustrate the value of empirical research by describing how an experienced New Zealand sheep and beef farm management consultant assesses the farm and farmer in the initial stages of a consultation. Based on qualitative case study research, data was gathered through in-depth interviews of the consultant. Transcribed interviews were analysed using qualitative data analysis techniques and the results verified with the consultant. The research illustrates how the consultant uses informal analysis grounded in his context-specific expertise to assess the farming enterprise. Informal triangulation, comparative analysis, benchmarking and pattern matching are used during the farm visit to assess and develop 'a rich picture' of the farm family, farm resources, production s...
Copyright in this publication (including text, graphics, logos and icons) is owned by or licensed... more Copyright in this publication (including text, graphics, logos and icons) is owned by or licensed to DairyNZ Incorporated. No person may in any form or by any means use, adapt, reproduce, store, distribute, print, display, perform, publish or create derivative works from any part of this publication or commercialise any information, products or services obtained from any part of this publication without the written consent of DairyNZ Incorporated. Disclaimer This report was prepared solely for DairyNZ Incorporated with funding from New Zealand dairy farmers through DairyNZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries under the Primary Growth Partnership. The information contained within this report should not be taken to represent the views of DairyNZ or the Ministry for Primary Industries. While all reasonable endeavours have been made to ensure the accuracy of the investigations and the information contained in the report, OneFarm, Centre of Excellence in Farm Business Management expressly disclaims any and all liabilities contingent or otherwise to any party other than DairyNZ Incorporated or DairyNZ Limited that may arise from the use of the information.
Silvopastoral systems can be innovative solutions to agricultural environmental degradation, espe... more Silvopastoral systems can be innovative solutions to agricultural environmental degradation, especially in hilly and mountainous regions. A framework that expresses the holistic nature of silvopastoral systems is required so research directions can be unbiased and informed. This paper presents a novel framework that relates the full range of known silvopastoral outcomes to bio-physical tree attributes, and uses it to generate research priorities for a New Zealand hill country case study. Current research is reviewed and compared for poplar (Populus spp.), the most commonly planted silvopastoral tree in New Zealand hill country, and kānuka (Kunzea spp.), a novel and potentially promising native alternative. The framework highlights the many potential benefits of kānuka, many of which are underappreciated hill country silvopastoral outcomes, and draws attention to the specific outcome research gaps for poplar, despite their widespread use. The framework provides a formalised tool for ...
The nature of interactions between farmers and advisors is the focus of a growing body of researc... more The nature of interactions between farmers and advisors is the focus of a growing body of research. While many studies explore the potential role of advisors in facilitating farmers' practice change in practices related to agricultural production such as soil, water, pest and animal health management, studies that specifically investigate how advisors support farmers with financial management (FM) are limited. The contribution this paper makes is to identify who farmers' FM advisors are and to shed light on how farmer-advisor interactions about FM are shaped. Semi-structured interviews with both farmers and a range of advisors (bankers, accountants, farm management consultants, specialist financial advisors and industry funded advisors) were conducted. The main findings are that farm financial information and FM are considered to be sensitive topics and being good at FM is not central to farmers' identity (relative to e.g. production management). Due to the sensitivity and taboo around the topic and the low level of interest in FM, most farmers do not actively seek to acquire financial advice. Farmers most openly discuss FM with their banker and accountant and some seek advice from farm management consultants. Advice seeking from other advisors was limited. Theoretical implications are that FM as a topic of advice introduces unique dynamics to interactions between farmer and advisor, which highlights the importance of better consideration of taboo and sensitive topics in advisory interactions. Furthermore, the findings on how the bankers' authority impacts on the advisory relationship with farmers indicated that issues of power in view of such authoritative advisory relationships need to be better considered. To enhance effective provisioning on FM advice, policy could focus on improving the match between demand and supply, and help create awareness about the importance of discussing FM to reduce the sensitivity of the topic.
The Farmer-First Research (FFR) programme was established at Massey University in 1991. The progr... more The Farmer-First Research (FFR) programme was established at Massey University in 1991. The programme was strongly grounded in the work and thinking of people such as Norman Simmonds, Robert Chambers, Janice Jiggins and Niels Röling. At the time of its establishment, the programme was argued to represent the beginning of a fundamental shift in how agricultural research priorities were set and how agricultural research was implemented. The specific needs and circumstances of farmers were to be central to defining what research would be done and the active involvement of farmers in research was considered a priority. The FFR programme ended after approximately five years in 1996. In 2012, the New Zealand Government made a significant investment into an innovation systems approach to technology development in the New Zealand primary sector. This new initiative, the Primary Innovation project, has many aims parallel with the FFR programme. The authors of this paper were researchers in t...
Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association, 1993
Formal knowledge of the goals, circumstances and constraints of a random sample of hill country s... more Formal knowledge of the goals, circumstances and constraints of a random sample of hill country sheep and beef farmers has been established. This knowledge was gathered, in collaboration with farmers from the Taihape/Bunterville and coastal Hawkes Bay regions, during phase one of the Farmer First Research programme based at Massey University. The data show that 75% of the farmers, in the study were willing to make changes to increase the profitability of their current farming system. However, although willing to change, 53% were unable to do so because of constraints they faced. Two of these major constraints identified by farmers were high debt and a low incomegenerating under-developed farm. Both of these constraints contributed to an inadequacy of cash for the farmer. The other major constraints identified were labour, an ownership structure which limited the farmers' decision-making role in the property and the relatively low production potential of their farms. Phase one da...
Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association, 1993
Formal knowledge of the goals, circumstances and constraints of a random sample of hill country s... more Formal knowledge of the goals, circumstances and constraints of a random sample of hill country sheep and beef farmers has been established. This knowledge was gathered, in collaboration with farmers from the Taihape/Bunterville and coastal Hawkes Bay regions, during phase one of the Farmer First Research programme based at Massey University. The data show that 75% of the farmers, in the study were willing to make changes to increase the profitability of their current farming system. However, although willing to change, 53% were unable to do so because of constraints they faced. Two of these major constraints identified by farmers were high debt and a low incomegenerating under-developed farm. Both of these constraints contributed to an inadequacy of cash for the farmer. The other major constraints identified were labour, an ownership structure which limited the farmers' decision-making role in the property and the relatively low production potential of their farms. Phase one da...
The dwindling government funding of agricultural extension in developing countries and the call o... more The dwindling government funding of agricultural extension in developing countries and the call on extension organizations to support farm households' livelihood security initiatives, has made the practice of pluralistic extension a realistic option for ensuring efficient and effective use of available resources for extension and sustainable development. The aim of the study was to understand the key factors that can contribute to successful pluralistic agricultural extension system in a decentralized policy environment in developing countries for sustainable agricultural development. The research used a qualitative case study based on a successful district level public agricultural extension organization in Ghana. Semi-structure interviews, supported with documents and observations, were used for the data collection. The case study shows that an important factor that can contribute to the success of a local level extension organization is its ability to coordinate its activiti...
The research was based on a single-case study of a district agricultural extension organization t... more The research was based on a single-case study of a district agricultural extension organization that operates under a decentralization system that was judged by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana as successful. The results of the study emphasized the importance of the effects of both, external and organizational, factors on the performance of the case organization. The external factors included: (1) the political will to decentralize, (2) the level of decentralization of other government departments, (3) the provision of a clear legal framework for decentralization, and (4) the existence of established institutions that are willing to support the decentralization process. New external factors that were identified in this study were: (1) the drivers of decentralization, (2) stakeholders' willingness and commitment to support the decentralization process, and (3) the community characteristics, in terms of land tenure arrangements and gender roles. The results confirmed ...
Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 2009
Agricultural extension provision in many developing countries is affected by the quality of the e... more Agricultural extension provision in many developing countries is affected by the quality of the extension staff. To understand the factors that can improve the capacity of extension staff in a decentralized extension context, a single-case study of a successful district level public extension organization in Ghana was studied. To improve the capacity of extension staff, the case study emphasized the importance of combining formal needs-based training and an organizational learning culture. The study suggests that traditional training in technical areas and extension methods is not sufficient in this context. With the shift from a top-down to bottomup management approach, managerial staff need a new training in participatory management and administration. With a cross-sector pluralistic system, they also need training about the mechanisms that will facilitate coordination, collaboration and lobbying within the extension system. Also, with a broader focus and roles of district extension, the field staff would need a broader knowledge base of technical expertise that takes into consideration indigenous knowledge of farmers, and attitudes of searching for knowledge that they do not have, or for seeking out others to provide the necessary knowledge. The study highlighted the importance of fostering an open environment where extension staff feel comfortable to meet, interact, share information and ideas, and motivated to work.
Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 2011
... Peter D. Kemp Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, New Zealand p.kemp@massey. a... more ... Peter D. Kemp Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, New Zealand p.kemp@massey. ac.nz ... were resource-poor and the amount they could deposit was quite low, the ASIRP authorities had provided to each FLE group a lump-sum grant called “start-up loan” for the ...
In New Zealand environmental management is essentially the responsibility of land managers. Manag... more In New Zealand environmental management is essentially the responsibility of land managers. Management decisions affect both production/productivity and the environment. However, responsibility for ensuring positive environmental outcomes falls on both local (Regional) and Central Government, and both they and international agencies such as the OECD would wish to monitor and report on changes. In terms of policy, strong links have been established via Central and Regional Government to land managers. Consumers in the market place are also, increasingly, requiring responsibility for positive environmental outcomes of those who purchase and process primary products. Strong links for responsibility have been established between our international markets and processing businesses and there is a noticeable strengthening of the links from the processors to the land manager/producer.
The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 2011
The limited effectiveness and fiscal unsustainability of professional-led public sector extension... more The limited effectiveness and fiscal unsustainability of professional-led public sector extension systems in developing countries have aroused considerable interest in Farmer-led Extension (FLE) approaches in the recent decades. A key challenge facing these initiatives is a lack of sustainability of the farmer groups developed through project or programme assistance. This not only makes FLE initiatives costly, but also creates dependency
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Papers by Janet Reid