The multiple perspectives in a dialogical continued education course on animal welfare: Accounts of a team of extension agents and a manager and a cowboy from a rural Brazilian territory

Abstract

The objective of this article is to describe and analyze practices of a training course in animal welfare with a strong dialogical component, as offered by state rural extension agents to a manager and cowboy of a rural Brazilian cattle ranch. This case study is part of a bigger research project financed by Brazil's National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) on dialogical communication, or dialogism, as an alternative approach to the predominant diffusion of innovations theory employed in teaching-learning processes in rural extension worldwide. This case study seeks to demonstrate that the dialogical course of rational management practices and animal welfare contributes significantly in the joint development of a more sustainable livestock production that is both less violent towards animals and addresses social constraints between the subjects involved in livestock production. Thus, dialogism significantly improves existing communication barriers inherent in society and the overall quality of life of the cowboys in their workplace.

Impact of good practices of handling training on beef cattle welfare and stockpeople attitudes and behaviors

“…Thus, it is important to understand how to improve human-animal relationships during routine handling on beef cattle farms. Several stockpeople training programs have been developed in Brazil (Zuin et al, 2014), but no previous studies have investigated the impact of these programs on the quality of cattle handling and animal welfare. To our knowledge, this is the first study conducted in any country aiming to investigate the potential impact of different levels of access to information about good practices of beef cattle handling on stockpeople attitudes and quality of handling.…”

“…There is also a growing demand for training among Brazilian farmers themselves, who are adopting productive precepts aiming to meet sustainable, social and environmental dimensions in cattle production. Thus, offering stockpeople continued education in good handling practices and welfare may help them reach this goal (Zuin et al, 2014). Although training programs for beef cattle handling already exist (Zuin et al, 2014), no studies to date (in Brazil or elsewhere) have investigated the effects of these programs on stockperson attitudes and behaviors.…”

“…Thus, offering stockpeople continued education in good handling practices and welfare may help them reach this goal (Zuin et al, 2014). Although training programs for beef cattle handling already exist (Zuin et al, 2014), no studies to date (in Brazil or elsewhere) have investigated the effects of these programs on stockperson attitudes and behaviors. Investigating the efficacy of training in beef production is interesting because, in contrast to dairy cattle management, there is no daily handling of cattle for milking, and there are therefore fewer possibilities for the trainees to practice after their training sessions.…”

Discipline-Based Education Research for Animal Welfare Science

“…They highlighted that educators worried about discussions of the learning materials rapidly becoming "polarised". Zuin et al (56) performed a qualitative evaluation of a "dialogical" course in animal management in Brazil, and the participants of this study highlighted that students drawing their own opinions from the material presented was important. Although this study also highlighted some differences in practice between the animal handlers and the trainers.…”

“…This would cover elements of task, physical context (being in the animal's environment), as well as aspects of form and criteria (grading a product that they will likely have to understand or reproduce in practice). There is already some discussion in the literature regarding authenticity of assessment, particularly social context, such as in Zuin et al (56).…”