Terry Parminter (1) and Tim Nelson (2)

Preferred presentation format: Refereed Paper

Affiliation(s): (1) AgResearch

(2) WestVic Dairy

Title: Mr Terry Parminter Position: Extension Researcher Organisation: AgResearch, Hamilton, New Zealand Contact email: terry.parminter@agresearch.co.nz Contact phone: +64 (0)7 838 5271

Keywords: biodiversity, bush, riparian, shelter-belts, soils, marketing, policy

A market research approach was taken in early 2003 examining biodiversity issues for dairy farmers in South West Victoria. The approach recognised that policies for voluntary change must have clearly measurable biodiversity outcomes and be targeted towards specific segments of farmers and the behaviour change required by them. Any policies that were developed should meet the needs of individual farmers as part of a process of value exchange, and minimise the costs and difficulties of the change process itself. Five biodiversity practices were the focus for the study, being preserving and enlarging fragments of indigenous bush, implementing riparian management, establishing shelter belts, restoring eroded soils, and restoring saline soils. To study these, 65 farmer interviews were carried out across the catchment and the results qualitatively and quantitatively analysed. The farmers in the catchment used a range of indicators to measure resource condition as part of their general farming decision making. These varied in their effectiveness, and difficulties in interpretation. Farmers generally considered the natural resources on their properties to be in good condition and even improving. They were most interested in using biodiversity practices when there was a material production advantage to be gained and minimal conflict with their existing farming systems. For these reasons, establishing shelter belts was widely supported amongst farmers, but the other practices were felt to be too costly in time, finances, and loss of productive potential. From the study, four farmer segments were identified: (1) Production farmers, (2) Cosmopolitan farmers, (3) Future builders, (4) Conservationist farmers. The different segments each had different expectations regarding the benefits to them of the biodiversity practices, and would respond to different extension approaches.

Key learning points:

• A social marketing approach can be useful to extension for developing and delivering persuasion strategies
• Issues limiting voluntary adoption of biodiversity practices tend to result from a lack of specificity in adapting policy and extension to meet the felt needs of different farmer segments