|
PROJECT NO. |
176 |
Project Title
|
Participative
evaluation of learning and impacts from “farmer-driven RDE” |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Project Leader
|
Dr
Peter Carberry |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Organisation |
CSIRO
Sustainable Ecosystems |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Funding
Body |
RIRDC |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Administration
Contact |
Allan Kearns CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems GPO Box 284 Canberra ACT 2601 Ph:
02 6242 1783 Fax:
02 6242 1742 Email:
allen.kearns@csiro.au |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Commencement
Date |
1
July 2002 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Completion
Date |
30 November 2006 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Research
Proposal Summary |
This project is proposed in collaboration with members of
proactive farmer groups in several industries. These
farmer groups will co-invest in project activities targeted at improving
their methods and outcomes. Criteria
for successful “farmer-driven RDE” will be developed via wide consultation
with relevant stakeholders. The target is not to help farmers become 'good'
scientists by traditional scientific standards but rather clever learners of
how to 'do farming better' through cost-effective local experimentation on
relevant issues. In this context, 'good' research then is the avoidance of
(a) mistakes that render the experiment invalid and or unbelievable
(insufficient rigour) and (b) unnecessary expenditure of resources on rigour
which maybe is needed for science publication but not for confident change in
practices – this is the art of on-farm research. Past,
current and planned RDE activities of collaborating farmer groups will be
reviewed against the formulated criteria and recommendations for improve
processes, learnings and impacts will be jointly developed. Several case studies will be
undertaken whereby RDE issues are addressed in a manner consistent with the
formulated recommendations – these case studies may be undertaken in
collaboration with a number of farming systems projects being undertaken
around Australia (sponsored by GRDC, SRDC and GWRDC). The project will make good use of real-time
conferencing on the internet (using Microsoft NetMeeting™) to
facilitate interactions between project participants. The
project will also be undertaken within an action research (AR) framework of iterative cycles of plan,
act, observe and reflect. An AR
framework provides evaluation outcomes to foster continuous improvement of
process as well as measures of impact. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Aims |
The
project plans to establish collaborative investigation into
farmer-participatory research in the sugar and viticulture industries. In the
sugar industry, the proposed catchment area is the Mosman District, where
several industry-funded and grower-involved RD&E activities are currently
underway – this sugar region is appropriate given current CSE collaboration
with growers and agribusiness (eg. Allan Rudd, Mosman Ag Services) in their
local RD&E activities. In viticulture, it is hoped the project can be
aligned with the current participatory on-farm trial program sponsored by
GWRDC. While such involvement has been discussed with both SRDC (Robert
Troedson) and GWRDC
(DeAnn Glenn), formal identification of farmer groups from these two
industries and their agreed participation in this project has not been
undertaken – this requirement will represent the first milestone of the
project. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Potential
Outcomes |
Together
with influential, proactive farmer groups, this project will enhance the
design, implementation and evaluation of “farmer-driven RDE” in Australia
through: formation
of recommended actions to improve processes, learnings and impacts through
review of past, current and planned RDE activities of collaborating farmer
groups; and active
involvement of researchers alongside farmer and adviser members of collaborating
groups in designing,
implementing and evaluating RDE case studies which have adopted
recommendations from 1 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Milestones |
Year 1 – Completed Operational Plan,
literature review, benchmark surveys and review of past RD&E activities
of collaborating farmer groups; recommendations developed; 1st
year of designed RD&E activities initiated Year 2 – 1st year of RD&E
activities completed; 2nd
year of RD&E designed and initiated. Year 3 – 2nd year of RD&E
activities completed; 3rdyear
of RD&E designed and initiated. Year 4 – 3rdyear of RD&E completed; final
project report completed and recommendations developed. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Budget |
Source of funds 1998/99 1999/2000 2000/2001 2001/2002 2002/2003 TOTAL 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 TOTAL
Salaries * 32,274 32,274 32,274 96,822 9,595 9,595 9,595 28,785 10,000 10,000 10,000 30,000 Capital * 0 0 0 0 1.
RIRDC TOTAL +* 51,869 51,869 51,869 155,607 2. Research Organisation(s)** 97,842 97,842 97,842 2,439 295,965 3. Industry** TOTAL Funding (excluding GST) ie
Totals 1, 2 & 3 above 149,711 149,711 149,711 2,439 451,572 + The RIRDC Total is GST exclusive. Contracts for successful applications
will incorporate recognition of RIRDC’s 10% GST liability over and above
the RIRDC Total. * Same as Table 2 ** Totals only from Table 1 # Projects need not start and end on
the first and last dates of a Financial Year and should not, if
possible, end in June of any
year. The finishing date (ie date
final report is due) should be in the same financial year as the last
year of funding. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Staff % /
year Peter Carberry 15 Neal Dalgliesh 10 Harm van Rees 5 Maree Carlshausen 5 Cameron Weeks 5 Project Officer TBA 33 &
Contributions |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Prior Provision of IP & Rights of
Ownership
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Ownership, equity in and use of IP to be
developed |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Rights of Publication |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Strategic Plan KRA Area |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Relevance to Strategic Plan |
|