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expensive. One-to-one contact becomes more important as issues become
more difficult or controversial, and advice becomes more complex.
• One to Group: farm walks, discussion groups, technical seminars and
demonstration farms are examples of ‘one to group’ activities that are being
increasingly used, as they are more cost-effective than one-to-one sessions
• Farmer clubs: the permanent group or ‘Farmer Club’ approach can encourage
belonging, trust, bonding, ‘enjoyment’ and the likelihood of a closer interchange
of farm experiences. A recent ‘Integrated Advice Project’ (Anon, 2004) found
group spirit an important means of getting farmers to attend meetings on topics
that they perceived to be less relevant to their businesses. This demonstrates a
problem commonly seen, that participants have firmly held views on the relevance
of topics to their business and are unwilling to readily explore wider issues,
even though they might be of benefit. In the Integrated Advice Project this was
particularly the case with the Environment module, although those that did attend
these meetings found that discussions went well beyond their expectations.
• Telephone: telephone contact is widely used as a supporting measure. Many
organisations have a telephone help-line that is considered to be cost-effective
as a first point of contact but often requiring use of other more direct methods to
adequately meet the needs of the enquirer.
• Press: the farming press is generally regarded as an important method to raise
awareness of existing issues and new developments, technical, regulatory or
economic. It is low cost, gets to a large audience and allows scope to repeat the
same message in different ways.
• Shows/events: presence at a range of national and/or regional shows and other
events attended by farmers and their advisers is considered useful to raise
awareness and interest, and as a means of encouraging farmers to take the next
step towards implementing change on their own farm.
• Demo farms: ‘one-off’ or ‘semi-permanent’ demonstration farms and farm walks
allow farmers to see for themselves how practices perform at a whole farm scale.
Seeing something work in practice under similar practical conditions can often
give a farmer the confidence and final push to make a change on his own farm.
• Conferences and ‘train the influencers’: small interactive seminars and larger
conferences are regarded as a good, cost-effective training mechanisms by
targeting professional advisers, the trade and some leading farmers. They are not
attended by the vast majority of farmers who will usually only benefit indirectly via
their adviser, press coverage or informal contact with farmers who do attend.
• Web/email: websites are usually regarded as providing static reference material
(e.g. publications lists, publication downloads, contact points), and links to
centralised and standard information, which might support the implementation
of change once a decision in principle, has been taken by the farmer. E-mail is
a quick, cheap and effective means of responding to queries from professional
advisers or for relaying new information. It is also a convenient method for sending
out ‘alerts’ to notify a group of people of some change or development.
• TV/Radio: these media are not commonly used. Where used, it is to raise
awareness and interest in the wider rural community as well as for farmers.
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