Topics for rural social research

This report delineates a range of topics that could be included in MAF social research using mainly the suggestions available in the current sociology literature. Suggestions from five MAF personnel were used to supplement the literature. Both sources lead to a list of topics including the farm and the rural community, international linkages and consumers. In addition, there is a need for research on public opinion. The report suggests that an appropriate research strategy should include the development of a rural data base which is supplemented with farm and community studies using the full array of social science research methods. Agro commodity chains should be examined and rural public opinion regularly surveyed

Community perception of forest sector development on the New Zealand East Coast : likely and acceptable employment activities, infrastructure and landscape change

Opinion leaders in the Gisborne East Coast community have contrasting views on the likely character and benefits of employment, infrastructure and landscape change arising from forest sector development. The views expressed in the survey suggest that there is a need to address such issues as scale of land conversion, felling practices, and log transportation. There is a need for public education on the extent of downstream processing already being undertaken, and of the extent and benefits of indirect employment created by the sector

Success factors in new land-based industries

Part of the changing structure of New Zealand agriculture and horticulture includes a move from traditional land uses to new land uses. Not all new land uses, however, become established industries. The research objective of this study was to focus on a wide range of new land-based industries and address the question of why some new industries succeed and why others do not. The research also introduces a relatively new method, the Qualitative Comparative Analysis method, which identifies critical factors in industry success in a way that combines the richness of case studies with the rigour of comparative analysis. Results will be of interest to primary producers seeking to learn from recent experience of new industries, and to policy-makers interested in promoting new land-based industries.Funding for this research was provided by the Foundation for Research, Science, and Technology, via Crop and Food Research under Contract No. C02810 and entitled New Crops

New Zealand farm structure change and intensification

This report presents information about the numbers of farms in New Zealand. The different sources providing such data report very different figures and trends over time, but they all seem to indicate an overall trend of decrease in total farm numbers over the last decades, which appears to be due mainly to a decrease in the numbers of grazing and fattening farms and in the number of arable farms. The distribution of farms by size range over time shows an increase in the proportion of both the smallest and the largest ones, at the expense of the midsized categories. However, different trends can be observed depending on the farm type. The report then explores the change in livestock numbers over time. Thus, during the last 20 years, the main trends consist in an overall decrease in sheep and beef numbers, while dairy and deer numbers increased. To conclude, the report deals with the question of intensification in New Zealand farming systems. It underlines the increase in numbers of cows per hectare and production per cow in the dairy sector, and the increase in lambing rates and carcase weights in the sheep and beef sector. These changes can be linked to the increasing expenditure in agricultural research and development as well as the increasing use of services such as herd testing. Also reported is the growing use of fertilisers in New Zealand agriculture

Characteristics of smallholdings in New Zealand : results from a nationwide survey

This research investigated land use and the social and environmental effects of smallholding. The research was designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of smallholders and smallholdings by means of a nationwide survey. To conduct the survey a sample of 3,934 cases was randomly selected from the smallholding population of 0.04 to 40 hectares in size. The survey derived 947 usable responses with a revised response rate of 28 per cent. Analysis of the survey data was undertaken using three categories of smallholder. This analysis showed some differences between the lifestyler, hobby/smallfarmer and farmer/horticulturalist. There were noticeable differences, for example, in size, number of years of residence and amount of farm experience. However, there were no differences in terms of engagement in productive activities such as livestock and plant production. In further analysis it was found that almost all smallholders intend to plant trees for landscaping or commercial purposes. However, the analysis also showed that smallholders do not voluntarily engage in environmental monitoring and environmentally friendly practices to the same extent as other farmers and growers. In addition, the use of, and intentions to use, organic methods were not as prevalent as that for other farmers and growers. Nevertheless, it was also found that smallholders valued the merits of country life including peace and quiet and clean air. In discussion of the results emphasis is given to production and it is shown that while there appears to be high levels of production on some of the smallholdings the result is skewed by a small number of smallholders with high production income, while a sizable proportion did not report any income. Lack of difference between self declared lifestylers and other smallholders is discussed in terms of the common assumption that lifestylers engage less in farming activities. A discussion of environmental impacts predicts a 'greening' of the landscape due to smallholders' intending to plant various tree varieties

Assessment of New Zealand's forest codes of practice for erosion and sediment control

New Zealand's forest industry has several codes of practice available for erosion and sediment control. This article reviews conditions required for a code of practice to succeed in protecting the environment. Internal conditions – those conditions which are written into a code and can be assessed by reading the document alone – were used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of six of New Zealand's forest codes of practice. The study found that overall, the codes scored highly for objectives, communication, planning and comprehensiveness. However they did not score well for regulatory approach, monitoring, foundations and review process. Some preliminary recommendations were made about the development of future codes of practice based on these results

Understanding why farmers change their farming practices : the role of orienting principles in technology transfer

This report presents results from a qualitative study of sheep, beef and dairy farmers in the Temuka, Geraldine area of the South Island, New Zealand. Farmers' accounts of their farming practices, and how they decide to adopt, or not adopt, innovations are analysed to highlight the key orienting principles that guide their decision making. Farmers in each type of production have different orientations to innovation, in large part reflecting the nature of the industry in which they are located. Sheep and beef farmers emphasise profitability and the need to control risk and to farm safely. Dairy farmers emphasise increasing production, increasing efficiency and control by monitoring production. The results are important for alerting researchers and educationalists to the farmers' point of view in the development of effective extension.Funding for this research was received from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. The Lotteries Board supported the research by providing technical equipment. The former New Zealand Institute for Social Research and Development initiated this project and it was continued by the AERU in November, 1994

Intending smallholders’ and existing smallholders’ perceptions of the rural lifestyle around Christchurch, New Zealand

In this qualitative study of smallholders around Christchurch a total of 58 people on 33 smallholdings were interviewed to learn about perceptions of the rural lifestyle. Intending smallholders, those who had just obtained building permits, were a diverse group in terms of ages and type of family. Their primary goals were to obtain income from the land, typically from horticultural land use, and to enjoy a lifestyle which valued privacy, clean air, freedom and quietness, and which was good for raising children. Data from a Q-sort of statements about urban and rural values showed preferences for wilderness values and some farming and agricultural values, and disagreement with statements reflecting negative aspects of rural living. There were no strong anti-urban sentiments. Existing smallholders, those who obtained building permits five years ago, were also a diverse group and their primary goal was country living. They had undertaken horticultural and animal land uses but their economic expectations had not been met, and the land uses not developed to the extent that they had hoped. They enjoyed lifestyle values of openness, quietness, clean air, animals and lowered pressure. Q-sort data were similar to intending smallholders but existing smallholders more highly rated being close to nature and positive aspects of rural living. Data on reasons for selling the smallholding showed that few had left out of dissatisfaction and returned to the city. The discussion focuses on explanation of smallholding in terms of meanings, and includes analysis of constraints to smallholding viability

Report on ARGOS' second qualitative interview

The primary objective of the ARGOS project is the transdisciplinary examination of the condition of sustainable agriculture in New Zealand (including environmental, economic and social aspects). In pursuit of this objective to date, considerable effort has been dedicated to assessing the comparative sustainability or resilience of designated management panels in three branches of the New Zealand agricultural sector (dairy, kiwifruit and sheep/beef). For this purpose, farms of comparable size and similar location were assigned panel membership as determined by an individual farmer’s compliance (or lack thereof) with existing market audit schemes which – to varying degrees – regulate farm management practice. By sector, the panels are comprised of conventional and organic methods of dairy farming, integrated pest management (Hayward, green, and Hort 16a, gold) and organic (Hayward) methods of kiwifruit production, and conventional, integrated and organic methods of sheep and beef farming. Due to the distinct nature of practices associated with each panel, differences in the assessed ecological, economic and social features of the participating farms and farm households offer the potential to distinguish the relative sustainability of systems based on these practices

Evolving community response to tourism and change in Rotorua

The aim of this report is to outline how the Rotorua community experiences tourism and tourism development and how they have adapted to it. The objectives are to: give an historical account of the history of the development of tourism in Rotorua; give an account of broader community issues which influence the community's attitudes to tourism development in their town; record the perceptions that residents have of tourism and show how these have changed over time; describe how the host community copes with the type of tourism development that exists in the area; and suggest what factors might be important in influencing residents' perceptions of tourism and their adaptation to it. This report argues that the community in Rotorua is generally very accepting of tourism, and that tourism in the town is well managed due to the proactive role taken by the local Council in relation to tourism development and promotion. Local people see tourism as a source of stability at a time of great change. For local decision-makers, tourism is a means to address the problems of unemployment and poverty which appear to be increasing in the area