Study Shows Need for Effective Farm Facilitators
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
In a recent study written by Tom Scrope and published by the Nuffield International Farming Scholars, Mr Scrope's research shows that the key to improved adoption of soil health management is by developing learning communities of farmers to learn from each other. But, it also requires effective farm facilitators who can help the farmer groups share and learn from each other. In fact, he notes that "The closest thing to a silver-bullet I saw were well-run farmer groups....Facilitator quality and capacity is the biggest determinant of success "
Mr. Scrope spent 18 month visiting 9 countries in Europe, Australia, and South America talking to farmers, agricultural advisors, researchers, and policymakers to determine what was the best way to change farmer behavior and improve the adoption of practices that have been shown to improve farm profitability and viability.
While he initially thought the key to change was to improve the sharing of knowledge on farming practice, he came to understand that the keys were actually motivation and support (both social support from other farmers and funding to help with transition challenges that happen with learning new practices).
While these ideas might not seem that new, we have only to look at the current model of farm education and advise to find that most agricultural advising is just that, one person advising (sharing knowledge) with a farmer. Furthermore, when farmers do come together it is often for a short-time to have a lot of information downloaded (knowledge sharing). Rarely is there funding for continued farmer to farmer learning groups with a skilled facilitator who can help create an environment for lasting support and, ultimately, behavior change.
Mr. Scrope noted that in order to get more farmers to adopt practices they must first be motivated to change and deal with all the learning and disruption that change can bring initially. The six primary reasons to change that he found common among farmers were:
External crisis — drought or price shocks forcing change
Personal crisis — succession or health issues prompting re-evaluation
Charismatic educators — who spark curiosity and mindset shifts
Community — being part of an engaged sub-sector of the industry
Benchmarking — seeing what others are doing better and wanting to catch up
Immersive courses — ongoing courses that help farmers shift paradigms about why they are in business.
Once farmers are motivated, providing meaningful and ongoing peer-to-peer learning is critical to move farmers to actual behavior change both initially and when they face the inevitable challenges of learning new practices as weather, markets, and policies fluctuate.
HMI has experienced similar outcomes in our RAMP (Regenerative Agriculture Mentor Program) groups. While different management principles and practices are introduced in the course, all farmers have an opportunity to apply them together in experiential peer-to-peer learning which includes being out on the land, where farmers learn best. In turn, they have opportunity to share how they have integrated these practices at home when they return for other group work.
While funding to support changing practices is ever influenced by government policies and programs, HMI facilitates group training in how to create "safe to fail" trials that allow for on-farm experimentation without "betting the farm." Likewise, Holistic Financial Planning helps determine which experiments to prioritize based on where the biggest constraints are in production and management. Lastly, working to build profitability rather than production as a key paradigm helps producers find and build relationships with landlords (if leasing) for preferential lease rates and with customers who are interested in supporting good stewardship and want high quality, nutrient-dense food.
Mr. Scrope also notes that farm monitoring should not just be about compliance or carbon credits but should actually provide information to the farmers to continue to motivate them by helping them see the progress they are making and identify high priority areas for improvement.
He ends his executive summary with the comment that "The future of agronomy is providing more holistic advice and support, not just recommending inputs." I would go a step further to clarify that the future of agriculture, which depends on healthy soil, is providing holistic facilitation that helps farmers identify why they are engaged in farming and explore those values and how they can actually achieve them rather than let the farm or the agricultural industry run their decision-making for them.
That is why HMI designed HMI's Educator Training Program for those passionate about working with land stewards, professional educators, and consultants who want to attain the highest level of competency and coach others to reap the benefits of Holistic Management. This training program has been funded by the USDA five times to provide this agricultural leadership training and professional development to agricultural educators around the U.S. HMI is the ONLY organization that provides this rigorous training.
Contact us today to learn more.
