The SGS Regional Producer Network: a successful application of interactive participation

Simpson, I. H.; Kay, Geoffrey M.; Mason, WK

doi:10.1071/ea02190

Cited by 10 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 21 publications

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“…The SGS Project reported that producer participation before, during and after the project was recognised as vital to achieving practice change and the project reinforced an increasing interest in producer involvement in research and adoption relating to grazing enterprises (Simpson et al 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creating the Cicerone Project: seeking closer engagement between livestock producers, research and extension

Sutherland¹,

Scott

Gray

et al. 2013

Anim. Prod. Sci.

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Abstract.A unique project led by livestock producers, called the Cicerone Project, was undertaken on the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia, following acknowledgement by those producers of a widening gap between them and research and extension information. The overall aim of the project was to co-learn, through a partnership between livestock producers, research, extension and other specialists, how to improve the profitability and sustainability of grazing enterprises in that region. It was hypothesised that closer engagement would help to guide relevant research efforts and also enhance the adoption of research findings. With the support of industry funding and the collaboration of key research, education and extension partners, the inaugural steering committee of the Cicerone Project commissioned a survey of over 300 land managers in the region to explore their research and adoption needs. The survey identified the most important issues and found a high level of commitment to the formation of this producer-led project. Negotiations between all collaborators led to the creation of a Business Plan prepared as the basis for an initial funding period of 5 years. Subsequent reviews of the project allowed for extensions with associated activities over an additional 4 years. In order to study the key farm management alternatives identified from the producer survey, the Cicerone Project Board decided to adopt an agricultural ecosystem approach which conducted studies using three whole-farmlet systems. The farmlet experiment compared three contiguous farmlets by measuring as many aspects of the farm systems as possible using an approach summarised in the motto adopted by the Cicerone Project of 'compare-measure-learn-adopt'. A wide range of field days and seminars were held over the duration of the project to deliver the results to the producer members. This paper provides an introduction to a Special Issue containing 24 papers which report on the entirety of the project from planning, to execution, results, and reflections on the value obtained from the many research and extension activities, with particular emphasis on the farming systems trial conducted between 2000 and 2006.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creating the Cicerone Project: seeking closer engagement between livestock producers, research and extension

Sutherland¹,

Scott

Gray

et al. 2013

Anim. Prod. Sci.

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show abstract

Balancing animal, pasture and environmental outcomes in grazing management experiments

2017

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About 60% of the gross value of Australia’s agriculture (AU$49 billion) is produced from the 85 million ha of temperate grasslands of southern Australia. A large part of this production comes from grazing livestock in the high-rainfall zone (HRZ) where 40% of the area has been retained as native and naturalised pastures, located in variable landscapes. These native pastures have seen a decline in productivity and increasing environmental problems, such as erosion, due to a loss of productive perennial species over recent decades. Grazing management systems have been advocated to not only balance the quality and quantity of forage with the nutritional demands of grazing animals, but also to manage the degradation caused by grazing. There has been an evolution of grazing management research through national projects from Temperate Pasture Sustainability Key Program to Sustainable Grazing Systems and then EverGraze, which has shifted from a focus on small plots and fixed stocking rates, to large-plot and farmlet experiments that include landscape variability and flexible grazing systems that more closely resemble commercial practice. These experiments generate reliable plant and animal response data that can be used to validate system models needed to assess the spatial and temporal challenges of grassland management. The present paper introduces the research conducted at the Orange proof site as part of the national EverGraze program. The research investigated the interactions between landscape variability and grazing method (1-, 4- and 20-paddock grazing management treatments) with flexible stocking rates. The following three key questions were addressed: (1) does increasing the number of paddocks and implementing rotational grazing result in a higher stocking rate, higher per hectare production and better economic outcomes; (2) which is the most appropriate combination of grazing method and stocking rate to achieve a higher and more stable perennial component to improve production and environmental benefits in different parts of the landscape; and (3) can landscape variability be identified, mapped and effectively managed on HRZ native grassland properties? This special edition of Animal Production Science answers these questions and provides recommendations for managing HRZ native pastures.

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Key features of the regional producer network for enabling social learning

Andrew¹

2003

Aust. J. Exp. Agric.

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This paper outlines a form of research and extension that involves producers, researchers, program administrators, facilitators and others with an interest in on-farm, natural resource management and production improvement. Drawing predominantly from a review of the Sustainable Grazing Systems (SGS) regional producer network involving 88 interviews with producers, managers and scientists and in-depth studies of 4 SGS regional producer committees, findings advocate the establishment of arrangements where producers are in control of research and development to maximise learning and on-ground change. The justification for this need is based on the principle that major change will not occur unless the theories of those people whose practices are most affected by research and development outcomes are dominant in the research and development approach itself. In this way, research and development responds to the context in which change is to take place. Additionally, the SGS regional producer network provided a broad framework that enabled producers and other people to come together and actively learn from each other in a non-threatening environment. This approach provided a learning environment that was essentially directed by and for producers.

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The SGS Regional Producer Network: a successful application of interactive participation

Cited by 10 publications

References 21 publications

Creating the Cicerone Project: seeking closer engagement between livestock producers, research and extension

Creating the Cicerone Project: seeking closer engagement between livestock producers, research and extension

Balancing animal, pasture and environmental outcomes in grazing management experiments

Key features of the regional producer network for enabling social learning

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