Using educational theory and research to refine agricultural extension: affordances and barriers for farmers’ learning and practice change

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To examine the factors that support and hinder farmers’ learning and to investigate the impact of an innovative learning program on farmers’ practice change.

Design/methodology/approach: Individual interviews and focus group discussions were held with 24 farmers over 20 months. Observations were made of these farmers as they participated with eight agricultural and social scientists in a range of innovative experiences to learn about chicory and plantain establishment and management. These learning experiences were designed around evidence-informed educational pedagogies. Data sets were analyzed using NVivo to determine common themes of affordances and barriers to learning and actual practice changes.

Findings: The affordances for learning and practice change include belonging to a learning community, enhancing self-efficacy, engaging with scientists, seeing relative advantage, reinforcing and validating learning, supporting system’s integration and developing an identity as learners. Barriers to learning and practice change include issues of: trialability, complexity, compatibility and risk.

Practical implications: The importance of basing new models of extension around evidence-informed pedagogies known through educational research to promote learning and practice change.

Theoretical implications: Sociocultural theory and self-efficacy theories of learning are critical to the success of effective agricultural extension programs.

Originality: To date, little empirical research about the affordances and barriers for pastoral farmers’ learning has been based on contemporary educational research.

KEYWORDS:

• Agricultural extension
• curriculum development
• farmer learning
• practice change
• self-efficacy
• scientist–farmer partnerships
• agricultural reform

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the 24 farmers for their willingness to talk about their learning and practice changes. We would also like to acknowledge the technicians who managed the farms and the academic staff who willingly shared their expertise.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

H. T. Blair http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4415-4282

P. D. Kemp http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2239-2012

Additional information

Funding

We acknowledge the funding provided by Massey University and Gravida (National Research Centre for Growth and Development).