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AGRICULTURE & FOOD PRODUCTION
Bridging gaps between scientists and people Lean on a saleyard fence or in a market anywhere in the world and you will hear farmers, graziers and fishers discussing the values of the latest ideas, methods and technology in their industry. But you rarely see scientists in these informal meeting places which are so important for information exchange among these groups.
Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers in the Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS) are investigating how to bridge the gap between scientists and some of the world’s poorest, and richest, landholders in Australia and South East Asia.
 Gathering cattle feed in the Laos uplands.
Photo courtesy Joanne Millar
According to ILWS director Professor Allan Curtis, Institute researchers are addressing existing problems in real situations.
“They are building long-term partnerships with agencies and local people that will lead to improved living standards for rural communities in Laos, Indonesia and Australia,” Professor Allan Curtis said.
Getting the people involved
Since the so-called “Green Revolution” began in the 1960s, farmers in developing countries worldwide have struggled to adapt to the new farming systems developed by scientists that could improve their farm’s production and profitability.
CSU social researcher Dr Joanne Millar is investigating how best to work with smallholder subsistence farmers in the uplands of Laos to increase food security and income from livestock production.
“We found that research results need to be tested on farms with farmers and their local farm advisers. In this way, problems can be solved immediately and farmers and scientists learn from each other,” Dr Millar said.
“The role of advisers is paramount to successfully bridging the gap between scientists and farmers. Our research focussed on how to improve the knowledge and skills of these people.”
 Dr Digby Race (left) is working with poor rural communities on the Indonesian islands of Suluwesi and Sumbawa, to help them use modern plantation forestry techniques used in south western Victoria. “If research is going to influence the way we forest, we need to know how local villagers and farmers think – their perspectives, values and aspirations,” he said.
“Unfortunately, research projects can be based on assumptions that researchers make rather than going to local people during the planning stage.”
These research projects, funded through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), were used as case studies for three workshops in Indonesia and Laos during 2006. The workshops aimed to encourage local researchers to work more closely with farmers, fishers and foresters who are directly affected by their research.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries scientists discussed and critiqued their own projects, also funded by ACIAR, in the light of project planning and communication methods used by Millar and Race.
The researchers in the workshops noted the importance of empathy and understanding of the broader social and economic issues faced by farming and fishing families in their countries. They wanted to increase the role of farmers, landholders and related groups in the planning and dissemination of progress reports and research results.
“The researchers were able to reflect on their own projects and consider how to improve their management and communication while including farmers more as research partners,” Dr Race said.
Singing from the same song sheet
In Australia, CSU researchers have also sought ways of developing common views on the environment and agricultural production by developing common measuring standards that both farmers and scientists can agree upon.
Dr Andrea Wilson is part of a research team looking at how scientists and farmers view vegetation found along river banks. They aim to improve water quality in the rivers and wildlife diversity along the banks while encouraging a common understanding among both groups.
In the study, Dr Wilson compared farmers’ and scientists’ appraisals of vegetation along banks of the Goulburn and Broken Rivers and their tributary streams in northern Victoria. She found that both scientists and farmers assessed these banks as generally being in poor condition. However, they differed on their perceptions of the health and importance of various components of the riverbank environment.
“For example, farmers and scientists had different assessments of native grasses: farmers often see them as useless for stock feed but scientists view the introduced and valuable grazing grass Phalaris as a weed along river banks,” Dr Wilson said.
This study was undertaken as part of a larger research program to improve management by private landholders along river frontages and the restoration of these environments.
“Some landholders still believe that improving management along rivers is unnecessary. They see no need or are economically unable to fence off riverbanks from grazing animals and the damage they can cause,” she said.
“Poor riverbank management could be addressed more widely through community education programs, using simple assessment tools to establish a common understanding between scientists and private land managers. The Landcare community network with its aims to enhance the long-term productivity of natural resources in Australia could play a role in promoting these assessments and bringing these groups together.
“Given that many of Australia’s rivers flow through private property, landholders could hold the key to prioritising and implementing our efforts to restore rivers. We need to develop a common view for scientists and farmers on the use of rivers and riverbanks if we are to achieve sustainable management of these environments.”
ends Author: Wes Ward
Editor's Note: Drs Joanne Millar, Digby Race and Andrea Wilson are researchers in Charles Sturt University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society. These social researchers have personally experienced the apparent communication gap between farmers and scientists. Dr Race is a former research scientist from Victoria; Dr Millar is a former agricultural and Bushcare extension officer; and Dr Wilson was raised on a rice farm in the NSW Riverina region. See published papers on their research projects here. You can see more on Dr Race’s Indonesian projects here, via video.
Media Note: Interviews and print quality pictures of CSU researchers Drs Race, Millar and Wilson are available from CSU Media. A broadcast quality version of Dr Race's work in Indonesia is also available from CSU Media. See lower resolution web quality versions of the DVD here. Related Images:  |
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