Chapman, D. F.

Crawford, A.

Jacobs, J. J.

O\u27Brien, G.

O\u27Kane, M.

Paine, Mark S.

English

University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky UKnowledge International Grassland Congress Proceedings XXI International Grassland Congress / VIII International Rangeland Congress Integrating Knowledge from Research and Farmer Practice in the Development of More Productive Forage Systems for Dairy Farms in South‐Eastern Australia M. O'Kane University of Melbourne, Australia G. O'Brien University of Melbourne, Australia A. Crawford University of Melbourne, Australia Mark S. Paine University of Melbourne, Australia D. F. Chapman University of Melbourne, Australia See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc  Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/21/23-1/24 The XXI International Grassland Congress / VIII International Rangeland Congress took place in Hohhot, China from June 29 through July 5, 2008. Proceedings edited by Organizing Committee of 2008 IGC/IRC Conference Published by Guangdong People's Publishing House This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant and Soil Sciences at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Grassland Congress Proceedings by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact UKnowledge@lsv.uky.edu. Presenter Information M. O'Kane, G. O'Brien, A. Crawford, Mark S. Paine, D. F. Chapman, and J. J. Jacobs This event is available at UKnowledge: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/21/23-1/24 瞯 ]1108　 瞯 　 Multifunctional Grasslands in a Changing World 　 Volume Ⅱ 　Grasslands/Rangelands People and Policies——— Innovation Systems in Grasslands/Rangelands through Education and PracticeIntegrating knowledge from research and farmer practice in the development of more productiveforage systems for dairy farms in south‐eastern AustraliaM . O摧K ane , G . O＇Brien , A . Craw f ord , M .S . Paine , D .F . Chapman , J .L . Jacobs‐FL FR , University o f Melbourne ,Parkv ille 3052 , A ustralia , okanem＠ unimelb .edu .auKey words : knowledge , integration , communities , practice , forageIntroduction The integration of knowledge from research and farmer practice in the development of innovation is crucial ifagricultural industries are to present innovation to farmers in an accessible form . The ３０３０ Project in the South‐East ofAustralia is currently exploring this problem through a multi‐disciplinary approach aimed at building greater reflexivity intotraditional research structures . The project seeks to achieve a ３０％ return on assets from a ３０％ increase in home grown foragefor rainfed dairy farms . This paper outlines the approach taken by the ３０３０ Project in its exploration of this issue .Methods The project is dependent upon a partner farm methodology in which selected farms are considered as partners in theoverall research program , contributing as a central part of the innovation research team . These partner farmers haveimplemented forage practices , and participated in monitoring , adapting and assessing their efficacy on a whole‐of‐farm systemsbasis . The partner farmer is assisted by a farm consultant , a local extension advisor and a regional development groupconsisting of a number of local farmers and service providers . These groups are thought of as constituting �Communities ofPractice�( CoPs) , in which the participants are engaged in the joint pursuit of a shared enterprise through learning as a socialactivity (Wenger １９９８ ) . They form a central hub of the research on which scientific information from the ３０３０ research meetswith agronomic perspectives , experiential bias and all of the complexities involved in operating a high functioning farm system .Results & discussion As the research evolves , the data gathered concerning the operation of the partner farms and the decisionsmade by their �CoPs�throughout the last year is beginning to identify ( a) key decision making triggers , ( b) pivotal decisionsand ( c) key actions . The principles underlying these decisions , when seen alongside the operational performance of the on‐farmforage plans and data from the project摧s traditional field trials and farmlet study , are beginning to emerge . It is with theseprinciples that the research and extension team hope to provide the Australian dairy industry with the benefits of complementaryforage practice innovations .Conclusions The production and dissemination of knowledge concerning the implementation of innovative forage planning insouth‐eastern Australia is dependent upon a strong partnership between research and development , social research andextension . The strength of this whole of team approach lies in its ability to understand the complexities on on‐farm adoption andadaptation of innovation while continuing to create high impact technological outcomes .ReferenceWenger , E . (１９９８) Communities o f Practice : Learning , Meaning and Identity . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press .

Integrating Knowledge from Research and Farmer Practice in the Development of More Productive Forage Systems for Dairy Farms in South‐Eastern Australia

https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3926&context=igc

Integrating Knowledge from Research and Farmer Practice in the Development of More Productive Forage Systems for Dairy Farms in South‐Eastern Australia

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