Agronomist–farmer knowledge encounters: an analysis of knowledge exchange in the context of best management practices in England

Ingram, Julie

doi:10.1007/s10460-008-9134-0

Cited by 224 publications

(185 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(52 reference statements)

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“…When the issue is limited to the design of farming systems, the use of biophysical models in the form of a game in participatory workshops allows actors to explore a wide range of material resource use modes (Martin et al 2011). An important challenge for science is that these models need to consider the complexity and uncertainty associated with implementing biodiversity-based agriculture (Ingram 2008).…”

Section: Development Of Useful Scientific Artefactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first, in continuity with production-oriented agriculture, is based on increasing resource use efficiency (e.g. fertiliser, pesticides and water), recycling waste or byproducts of one subsystem in another (Kuisma et al 2013) and applying sound agricultural practices (Ingram 2008) or precision-agriculture technologies (Rains et al 2011). It is also based on replacing chemical inputs with organic inputs (Singh et al 2011) or genetically modified organisms (Godfray et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Designing agroecological transitions; A review

Duru

Thérond

Fares

2015

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

358

230

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Concerns about the negative impacts of productivist agriculture have led to the emergence of two forms of ecological modernisation of agriculture. The first, efficiency-substitution agriculture, aims to improve input use efficiency and to minimise environmental impacts of modern farming systems. It is currently the dominant modernisation pathway. The second, biodiversity-based agriculture, aims to develop ecosystem services provided by biological diversity. It currently exists only as a niche. Here we review challenges of implementing biodiversity-based agriculture: managing, at the local level, a consistent transition within and among farming systems, supply chains and natural resource management. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of existing conceptual frameworks developed to analyse farming, socialecological and socio-technical systems. Then we present an integrative framework tailored for structuring analysis of agriculture from the perspective of developing a territorial biodiversity-based agriculture. In addition, we propose a participatory methodology to design this agroecological transition at the local level. This design methodology was developed to support a multi-stakeholder arena in analysing the current situation, identifying future exogenous changes and designing (1) targeted territorial biodiversity-based agriculture, (2) the pathway of the transition and (3) the required adaptive governance structures and management strategies. We conclude by analysing key challenges of designing such a complex transition, developing multi-actor and multidomain approaches based on a combination of scientific and experiential knowledge and on building suitable boundary objects (computer-based and conceptual models, indicators, etc.) to assess innovative systems designed by stakeholders.

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Section: Development Of Useful Scientific Artefactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing agroecological transitions; A review

Duru

Thérond

Fares

2015

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

358

230

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“…Farmers consistently rate face-to-face interactions as their preferred means of acquiring knowledge (Ingram, 2008), and prefer activities involving practical and hands-on means of teaching (Dodunski, 2014). In a study of advisor-farmer interactions, Ingram (2008) characterised different types of knowledge exchange events and concluded that facilitative encounters, where the advisor and farmer worked together to address the situation, sharing their knowledge and experience, were the most effective in providing farmer education and development. This suggests that advisors or veterinarians are an important source of knowledge for farmers to improve lamb or kid survival, but the nature of this exchange can have an impact on the uptake and use of the information.…”

Section: Knowledge Transfer: Challenges and Successesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invited review: Improving neonatal survival in small ruminants: science into practice

Dwyer

Conington

Corbière

et al. 2016

Animal

163

104

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Neonatal mortality in small ruminant livestock has remained stubbornly unchanging over the past 40 years, and represents a significant loss of farm income, contributes to wastage and affects animal welfare. Scientific knowledge about the biology of neonatal adaptation after birth has been accumulating but does not appear to have had an impact in improving survival. In this paper, we ask what might be the reasons for the lack of impact of the scientific studies of lamb and kid mortality, and suggest strategies to move forward. Biologically, it is clear that achieving a good intake of colostrum, as soon as possible after birth, is crucial for neonatal survival. This provides fuel for thermoregulation, passive immunological protection and is involved in the development of attachment between the ewe and lamb. The behaviour of the lamb in finding the udder and sucking rapidly after birth is a key component in ensuring sufficient colostrum is ingested. In experimental studies, the main risk factors for lamb mortality are low birthweight, particularly owing to poor maternal nutrition during gestation, birth difficulty, litter size and genetics, which can all be partly attributed to their effect on the speed with which the lamb reaches the udder and sucks. Similarly, on commercial farms, low birthweight and issues with sucking were identified as important contributors to mortality. In epidemiological studies, management factors such as providing assistance with difficult births, were found to be more important than risk factors associated with housing. Social science studies suggest that farmers generally have a positive attitude to improving neonatal mortality but may differ in beliefs about how this can be achieved, with some farmers believing they had no control over early lamb mortality. Facilitative approaches, where farmers and advisors work together to develop neonatal survival strategies, have been shown to be effective in achieving management goals, such as optimising ewe nutrition, that lead to reductions in lamb mortality. We conclude that scientific research is providing useful information on the biology underpinning neonatal survival, such as optimal birthweights, lamb vigour and understanding the importance of sufficient colostrum intake, but the transfer of that knowledge would benefit from an improved understanding of the psychology of management change on farm. Developing tailored solutions, on the basis of adequate farm records, that make use of the now substantial body of scientific literature on neonatal mortality will help to achieve lower neonatal mortality.Keywords: neonatal mortality, sheep, goat, knowledge transfer ImplicationsResearch into neonatal mortality of small ruminants has addressed relevant biological issues and provided practical solutions to some of the issues (such as improving ewe nutrition and ensuring adequate colostrum intakes). There is, however, more that could be done in transferring this information into practice, and application of social science methods to address barriers...

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“…This form of agriculture is implemented via best management practices (Ingram 2008), use of precision-agriculture technologies (Buman 2013) or improved plant cultivars (Vanloqueren and Baret 2009), or substitution (S) of chemical inputs by biological and environmentally less harmful ones (Singh et al 2011). Hereafter, we call it efficiency/substitutionbased agriculture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to implement biodiversity-based agriculture to enhance ecosystem services: a review

Duru

Thérond

Martin

et al. 2015

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

449

283

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Intensive agriculture has led to several drawbacks such as biodiversity loss, climate change, erosion, and pollution of air and water. A potential solution is to implement management practices that increase the level of provision of ecosystem services such as soil fertility and biological regulation. There is a lot of literature on the principles of agroecology. However, there is a gap of knowledge between agroecological principles and practical applications. Therefore, we review here agroecological and management sciences to identify two facts that explain the lack of practical applications: (1) the occurrence of high uncertainties about relations between agricultural practices, ecological processes, and ecosystem services, and (2) the site-specific character of agroecological practices required to deliver expected ecosystem services. We also show that an adaptive-management approach, focusing on planning and monitoring, can serve as a framework for developing and implementing learning tools tailored for biodiversity-based agriculture. Among the current learning tools developed by researchers, we identify two main types of emergent support tools likely to help design diversified farming systems and landscapes: (1) knowledge bases containing scientific supports and experiential knowledge and (2) model-based games. These tools have to be coupled with well-tailored field or management indicators that allow monitoring effects of practices on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Finally, we propose a research agenda that requires bringing together contributions from agricultural, ecological, management, and knowledge management sciences, and asserts that researchers have to take the position of "integration and implementation sciences."

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Agronomist–farmer knowledge encounters: an analysis of knowledge exchange in the context of best management practices in England

Cited by 224 publications

References 40 publications

Designing agroecological transitions; A review

Designing agroecological transitions; A review

Invited review: Improving neonatal survival in small ruminants: science into practice

How to implement biodiversity-based agriculture to enhance ecosystem services: a review

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