Dr Mark Paine is Principal Research Fellow (Innovation and Change Management) at the Institute of Melbourne School of Land and Environment, University of Melbourne. His research fellowship began in 2000 and was made possible with support from Dairy Australia (formerly the Dairy Research and Development Corporation). Mark's research asks how the innovations and changes farmers make (or need to make) can be assisted, and how extension services can be made more useful and relevant to agricultural researchers and farmers together? To answer these questions, Mark believes greater understanding of farmer decision making and the processes of adult learning are needed. Other areas of research include collective action in supply chain and catchment management; continuous improvement of business management systems; and action research methodologies.

Mark gained his PhD in 1997 at Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands. His thesis 'Doing it Together - technology as practice in the New Zealand Dairy Sector' considers how the social processes of professional practice contribute to the design, use and evaluation of new technologies. Mark moved from New Zealand to Australian in 2000 to take-up his current position at the University of Melbourne. Before then he managed the social systems research group at AgResearch Ruakura, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Dr Mark Paine supervises a number of Masters and PhD students in social science research. These include Jane Weatherley, Lucia Boxelaar, Michelle Rawlings, Maria Rose, Helen Todd and Sonya Love. Mark contributes to the teaching of the final year/honours (207-414) and post-graduate (207-506) research subject Research in Practice: Social Research Methods for Extension and Resource Management Practitioners. Mark also contributes teaching into the social research component of the 4^th year subject Resource Management and Agricultural Systems Analysis coordinated by Prof David Chapman.

Mark is well connected and active in Australian and international extension research networks. Some of his professional interests include: Australasian representative for the Europe-based Learning Groups: Learning in Agriculture Research Network; member of the Strategic Planning Group for the Australian Dairy Industry Change Management and Delivery Portfolio; member of the National Dairy Farming Systems project team; member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension; editor for Extension Net Conference Proceedings Australian Pacific Extension Conference 2002; advisor for the Australian Farming Systems Conference; member of the National Learning Packages Advisory Group; member of the Dairy Moving Forward management team; member of the Institute of Melbourne School of Land and Environment' Human Ethics Advisory Group; and a member of the Farming Reference Group for investment dairy industry research, development and extension.

Mark is a primary contributor to a number of national research projects. Currently he is involved with two Dairy Australian funded projects; Continual Business Improvement in the Dairy Industry (UM 10837), and the National Dairy Farming Systems (UM 10898).

Mark has contributed to the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) funded report Reconceptualising Extension to Deliver Triple Bottom Line Outcomes in collaboration with Dr Ruth Beilin, a landscape sociologist within ILFR's social research platform. This project has delivered a decision support framework that integrates economic, social and environmental outcomes with the processes of extension research, development and evaluation. Mark has also contributed to the Cooperative Venture for Capacity Building and Innovation in Rural Industries Mapping of Rural Industries Service Providers (2004) report in collaboration with Kate Roberts of Roberts Research and Evaluation Pty Ltd.

Contact: Dr Mark Paine. Email: mspaine@unimelb.edu.au; Phone: 61 +3 8344 8096.

Position Research Fellow

Location ILFR, Parkville Campus

Address ILFR, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3052.

Phone (03) 8344 4581

Fax

E-mail ranettle@unimelb.edu.au

Dr. Ruth Nettle began her Research Fellowship at the Institute of Melbourne School of Land and Environment in January 2003 with the support of Dairy Australia. Her social research brings together a concern for the conditions of continued learning within existing farming systems research, improving employer-employee relationships, and the design and evaluation of extension programs. Linking these efforts is an interest in observing, mediating and influencing processes of change. Ruth has worked in the rural sector for fifteen years and completed her PhD Dairy Farm Employment and Support for Change in 2001 at the University of Melbourne.

Ruth provides social research and program delivery expertise for a number of Dairy Australia funded projects. She is a contributor to the Continuous Business Improvement in the Dairy Industry (UM 10837) project. She has assisted the InCalf fertility program to improve its operations and evaluation frameworks, leading to changes in the design of nutrition and veterinarian advisor courses. Her research of adult learning processes have been used to better target the delivery of the national milk quality program, Countdown Downunder, and in the follow-up evaluations of Insights from Countdown Downunder.

As a Research Fellow Dr Ruth Nettle's teaching is limited to her contributions to the intensive final year/honours (207-414) and post-graduate (207-506) research subject Research in Practice: Social Research Methods for Extension and Resource Management Practitioners. Ruth also contributes teaching into the social research component of the 4^th year subject Resource Management and Agricultural Systems Analysis coordinated by Prof David Chapman.

Ruth is a member of the Natural Resource Management steering committee for the Dairying for Tomorrow program (www.dairyingfortomorrow.com), a partnership program between Dairy Australian, the Australian Dairy Farmers Federation and the Federal Government's National Land and Water Resources Audit. Her work there has involved evaluating regional catchment targets used to measuring changes in environmental sustainability.

Ruth is a member of the Natural Resource Management steering committee for the Dairying for Tomorrow program, a partnership program between Dairy Australian, the Australian Dairy Farmers Federation and the Federal Government's National Land and Water Resources Audit. Her work there has involved evaluating regional catchment targets used to measuring changes in environmental sustainability.

Innovation in Employment - Industrial Relations Victoria and GippsDairy.

Decision Making in Future Farming Systems - Victoria Department of Primary Industry's Future Farming Systems project.

Insights from Countdown Downunder - Dairy Australia.

National Dairy Farming Systems - Dairy Australia