Facilitating second-order learning: …….speaking with farmers in Scotland

Abstract

Australian Government extension programs aiming to improve the planning skills of farmers and their ability to deal with change, continue to promote the use of the strategic-planning process. Farmers have not well accepted this process. This article covers a recent intensive study conducted with four Scottish farmers into the realities of their planning in practice. To begin with, attention is focused on the growing understanding of planning in agriculture as an ongoing process of learning. An account is then given of the path toward finding appropriate theoretical concepts that facilitate critical farmer reflection on planning and learning. Comment is provided on effective concepts that were used in an extended ethnographic process to investigate planning and learning approaches, and encourage critical reflection. To end, the impact of this study on participant farmers is placed in the context of agricultural development and the refinement of an Australian farm planning-extension program.