Carole Hollier, Julie Francis, Michael Reid

Preferred presentation format Refereed Paper

Affiliation(s): Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Rutherglen

Title: Ms Carole Hollier Position: Senior Research Scientist: Environmental Services Organisation: Department of Primary Industries, Victoria Contact email: carole.hollier@dpi.vic.gov.au Contact phone: (02) 60304582

Keywords: small, lifestyle landowners, extension research, training

Almost 16.6 million hectares of Australian rural landscape is managed by small, lifestyle landowners that derive the majority of their income from non-farming activities. These landowners make a substantial contribution to rural communities and manage a significant quantity of relatively high value, potentially highly productive land. Many of these small, lifestyle farms are located in the high rainfall zone, near-urban locations. In Victoria, over a quarter of our agricultural land is managed by this sector. Concerns have been expressed as to whether these landowners are making the most appropriate use of the land and being adequately engaged by extension practitioners. As a key stakeholder group in future landscape management, small and lifestyle farmers may be viewed as potential threats or as possible allies for natural resource management success. Historically, the needs of the small, lifestyle farming sector have not been specifically recognised or targeted in extension programs. In addition, part-time or hobby farms who do not have farming backgrounds maybe subject to critical appraisal by full-time farmers. As such this sector does not always have easy access to land management advice. The Victorian government has recognised the importance of these landowners as managers of our natural resources and the need for them to be informed on best practice land management. To explore attitudes and opinions of the small, lifestyle farm sector to extension delivery a series of in-depth on-farm interviews, focus groups and off-farm discussion groups were conducted in north-east Victoria. In addition a regional workshop for extension practitioners was convened to investigate improved extension opportunities. Our research suggests that small, lifestyle landowners access a variety of sources of information and advice, and there are conflicting opinions on the value of each source. Landowners identified particular information needs and preferred delivery mechanisms. It is recognised that an important issue in extension delivery is the tailoring of programs for the audience. Traditional farmers, managing larger areas of land, were perceived as having different goals and stronger opinions on appropriate farm management, which do not necessarily match the needs and views of small, lifestyle landowners. To engage the small, lifestyle farm sector a new extension approach needs to be developed aimed at bringing about positive exchange that relies on the use of processes to facilitate learning and change within the rural community

Key learning points:

• Recognition of small, lifestyle landowners as a distinct group, so programs can be appropriately targeted and networks developed.
• Training needs identified fall into three broad areas: getting started, business management and conservation and environment.
• Small, lifestyle landowners are generally concerned with lifestyle, not economics, as a driving force of why they own land and how they manage it.