Farmer To Farmer Knowledge Exchange:

Relevance And Challenges During Change

Change is constant, but at this moment the pace and breadth in agriculture is unprecedented. With the biggest change in domestic policy in the UK since the Second World War combined with extreme weather events, trade agreements and global pandemics farming can seem very daunting. As individuals we have to take control and drive our own destiny without waiting to be told.

Encouraging curiosity to seek knowledge is vital whilst being open minded and aware of one’s own biases and filters.

Having the confidence to identify strengths and weaknesses under pressure is not easy. Building capacity, capability and social capital to enable resilience needs to happen; farmer to farmer knowledge exchange plays an important part in this.

Information and data provide the building blocks for knowledge. The knowledge created through personal experience; tacit knowledge, is often undervalued by people who possess it but, unless it is shared it will be lost. Knowledge exchange is a two-way process and we can choose whether to use our knowledge for our own benefit or share it for the wider benefit of the industry.

There are a variety of ways in which farmers share knowledge which have evolved with the introduction of social media. Social bonds formed through small groups can be the most effective in creating trusting relationships to drive change and enable what could be deemed sensitive subjects to be discussed. Larger groups and online sharing also provide opportunities if there is trust. Trusted relationships not just between farmers but throughout the wider network are crucial; farmers are part of the knowledge exchange landscape.

Knowledge exchange goes wider than technical topics; it creates interactions vital for mental health, particularly during the uncertainty of change. Getting people off farms to a local group or simply connecting with another farmer to share ‘what’s keeping you up at night’ is essential to prevent isolation and build mental resilience. You need to be ‘optimistic to learn something new’.

Farmers automatically have a connection with other farmers, ‘it’s the messenger not the message’ which facilities the exchange of knowledge. The memorable examples I saw always had people at the heart who were generous in their sharing, had seized an opportunity and made it happen.

Creating the right environment so that people feel comfortable is often on farm providing the opportunity to ‘kick the dirt’ and ‘seeing is believing’. Facilitators are important to manage group dynamics and draw out knowledge; the answer is often in the room. A balance needs to be struck between comfort and disruption; bringing different sectors together can assist this. The challenges of today are cross sectoral; the industry needs to move away from a sectoral focus to address these. People are complex and trying to apply logic or model how people will react to a particular situation is fraught with difficulties, as has been experienced with Covid-19. We must recognise we hold the future in our hands and seek the knowledge we need to realise our ambitions.

‘Everything is about people, no matter what the subject matter’
The people aspect must be considered when developing policy, strategy or new technical solutions. Without strong social capital throughout the industry we will not change to meet the challenges of now and the future.

The benefits of the fragmented knowledge exchange landscape in the UK in providing a wide range of options to the industry is to be welcomed, but the weakness of this model in creating comfortable echo chambers needs to be recognised. This is a challenge for effective knowledge exchange and collaboration is required; the sum has to be greater than the parts. This means the structure of industry organisations needs to be considered to enable cross sectoral knowledge exchange to address the cross-cutting challenges. This will also create the cohesion that is needed at local level to address the environmental challenges that need landscape scale solutions.

Collaboration must happen between all those involved in the industry - farmers, organisations, the supply chain and government - to create a joint sense of ownership and a culture of trust recognising we all have a role to play, albeit different, in meeting the challenges we face.

Communication through trusted relationships is the only way to join the pieces of the puzzle together and this has to happen to give us the strength to face the inevitable changes that are required. Reaching out to those who do not engage has to be done through trusted relationships and we all have a role in looking out for each other.

The high relevance of farmer to farmer knowledge exchange during change goes without question. The biggest challenge in the UK is not the provision of opportunities for knowledge exchange; it is mind-set. Our own mind-set impacts on who we share knowledge with, what knowledge we share and how receptive we are to accepting knowledge from others, particularly if our personal values are challenged. We all need to reflect on our own mind-set and consider if we are open- minded enough. For those who provide information there is a need to understand that until it has been understood and experienced, it does not become knowledge and for knowledge exchange to be effective everyone’s knowledge is valuable.

Given the impact on all businesses of the expected post- Brexit policy and trade changes, everyone needs to consider their own mind-set and how it impacts on their long-term ambitions. What does success look like? What is the journey required to achieve this success? All possibilities, including looking outside the industry for innovation or welcoming new entrants with different skill sets, who are not constrained by their forebears’ actions and who can approach issues from different angles, need consideration. We hold the solution and need to recognise this, take control and lead,

standing out from the crowd when required. It is within our gift to share our knowledge for the benefit of others, to drive the changes that are necessary and to have a thriving rather than surviving industry.

Recommendations

To Farmers
There is need to challenge our industry, taking ownership to solve our own problems. We hold the solution; our destiny is in our hands, Recognise the value of our knowledge; be confident in sharing it and be open minded in receiving it.

Recognise the importance of good mental health to create resilience during change.

To Industry
Organisations Organisational ‘politics’ needs to be set aside for the benefit of the farming industry. Sectoral approaches exacerbate siloes of knowledge. Collaboration is needed between organisations and across sectors.

We need to drive change through the whole supply chain encouraging people from outside our industry to bring a fresh perspective.

A variety of methods of knowledge exchange is required. People are complex with different values, biases and learning criteria. Taking time to build trust is vital for this.

To Government
Recognise the importance of social capital with and in the farming industry and the wider rural community. Without social capital, delivery of natural capital will not be realised.

Co-creation: End users must be incorporated into policy development and research, building on existing knowledge and creating space for innovation.

Rural connectivity: To enable all opportunities for knowledge exchange to be realised rural connectivity is essential.