Innovation and Change Management

Projects

The Innovation and Change Management group works directly with farmers, and other land managers to improve adult learning processes, the development, adaptation and evaluation of technologies, and how different professional groups pursue sustainability. This action research takes place within current agricultural and land management programs. A significant focus of these projects has been to understand the current role, and future possibilities, of the learning relationship between scientific researchers, extension agents, and farmers.

Continuous Improvement in the Dairy Industry

Continuous Improvement in the Dairy Industry (UM 10837) is a research and learning program funded by Dairy Australia. The aim of the project is to assess the value and current uses of business improvement programs operating in the dairy industry, and to produce of set of formalised Continuous Business Improvement guidelines for future investments, program establishment and evaluation. Ultimately, the aim of projects that have a continuous business improvement focus is to build the capacity of the individuals involved, so that they contribute to prosperous and vibrant communities, and profitable and sustainable industries. Successful business improvement requires the adoption of continual learning, in response to the question "how can I do this better?" The Guidelines for the Design and Evaluation of Continuous Business Improvement Projects were published in 2004. These are designed to help governments, policy makers and extension agents improve their approaches to business improvement.

National Dairy Farming Systems

National Dairy Farming Systems (UM10898) is a Dairy Australia funded national research, development and extension project designed to maximise the returns and opportunities from Dairy Australia's current investment in farming systems projects. Lead by Anne Crawford (Farming Systems Extension Leader), the NDFS project aims to improve farm productivity and environmental outcomes using advances in the design and evaluation of research and learning processes that operate in farming systems projects. The NDFS project enables greater communication, networking, integration and shared learning between existing state-based farming systems projects. The NDFS project also provides development support to new farming systems projects, such as the Innovative Farming Systems project at Camden.

A key output of the NDFS project has been the Guidelines for Farming Systems Research and Learning (Barlow et. al., 2002). These guidelines were developed in collaboration with researchers, investors, farmers and extension practitioners from Australia and New Zealand. The guidelines cover the vision, goals and outcomes of farming system research and learning, the management of stakeholder relationships, research design and methodology, the resources required for successful implementation and evaluation, and farmer participation.

• Contact: Anne Crawford. E: acra@unimelb.edu.au, Ph: 03 5622 6029.

Innovation in Employment

Innovation in Employment is a project operating in Gippsland (Victoria), funded through Industrial Relations Victoria and GippsDairy. Innovation in Employment aims to support cultural change in dairy industry employment by supporting farmers and their employees to develop their own guidelines for effective working relationships. The focus is very much on the employment partnership, not the individual perspectives of the employer or employees. A steering committee for the project involves dairy industry representatives, employment consultants, dairy farmers, educational organisations and a representative from the Australian Workers Union. The project involves "partnership groups" of farm employers and their employees taking action to enhance their employment relationship processes. It is envisaged that this social research will provide a foundation for the development of industry-wide best-practice employment relationship guidelines.

• Contact: Ruth Nettle. E: ranettle@unimelb.edu.au, Ph: 03 8344 4581.

Decision making in future farming systems

Dr Ruth Nettle has contributed to the Victorian Department of Primary Industry's Future Farming Systems project based at the Institute of Sustainable Irrigated Agriculture, Tatura. This social research seeks to understand farmer decision making to do with water use as part of a whole farm system. Preliminary social research has tested a methodology used to understand farmers' responses to existing water use extension programs, and potential changes in water price and availability. Issues critical to the management of change associated with the development role of extension have also been investigated. Feedback to the Future Farming Systems team has been given on the relationship between different models of future scenarios, farmer learning and the implications for change management.

• Contact: Dr Ruth Nettle. E: ranettle@unimelb.edu.au, Ph: 03 83444581

Insights from Countdown Downunder

Countdown Downunder is a Dairy Australia milk quality and udder health program. The national program aims to reduce the number of cells per/ml of milk, a measure of both a herds' heath and milk quality. Insights from Countdown Downunder is the evaluation project used to assess how Countdown Downunder has changed on-farm practices, and how the ongoing project delivery can be improved to suit the different learning needs of farmers. Lead by Dr Ruth Nettle, the Insights from Countdown Downunder project uses case studies to explore the processes of change within this mastitis control program.

• Contact: Dr Ruth Nettle. E: ranettle@unimelb.edu.au, Ph: 03 83444581

Mapping of Rural Industries Service Providers

In 2003 the Cooperative Venture for Capacity Building and Innovation in Rural Industries identified a lack of research into the background, qualifications, location and professional development needs of service providers in Australia. Previously there was no comprehensive data on the existing level of skills and competencies and no information on what the providers themselves considered would help build their capacity. This study was commissioned to redress this deficiency. The results of this project were published in 2004.