Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T12:35:54.421Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Whole farm case studies and focus groups: Participatory strategies for agricultural research and education programs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

Helene Murray  and
Lorna Michael Butler
Helene Murray
Affiliation:
Coordinator, Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108-1013 (formerly at Oregon State University)
Lorna Michael Butler
Affiliation:
Extension Anthropologist, Washington State University, 7612 Pioneer Way East, Puyallup, WA 98371-4998.
Get access

Abstract

Research and extension personnel are beginning to look for new strategies to involve more farmers and the non-farm public in their programs. Two approaches we have used are wholefarm case studies (WFCS) and focus groups. WFCS in Oregon and Washington led to several research and educational programming ideas that are currently being pursued in both states. A focus group to study water quality, nitrate leaching and farming practices in Skagit County, Washington is one outcome of the WFCS process. It is made up of 16 people, including farmers, university personnel, members of environmental groups, and government representatives.

We review these two complementary participatory strategies for systems-oriented sustainable agriculture research and education programs. Both have been very useful for building problem-solving partnerships between the land-grant universities and agricultural and environmental constituents in our area. Noteworthy outcomes include: complementary applied on-farm and experiment station research; farming systems analysis; public education; new linkages with environmental and agricultural interest groups; additional grant funds to address identified priority issues; and interdisciplinary teams that cut across the biological and social sciences and include diverse citizen representation.

Keywords

whole farm case studyfocus groupsparticipatory researchsystems researchqualitative research
Type
Selected Papers from the Conference on Science and Sustainability, Seattle, Washington, October 24–26, 1993
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 9 , Issue 1-2 , June 1994 , pp. 38 - 44
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Beebe, J. 1985. Rapid rural appraisal: The critical first step in a farming systems approach to research. Farming System Support Project (FSSP) Networking Paper No. 5. Univ. of Florida, Gainesville.Google Scholar
2.Brophy, L.S., Murray, H., Lev, L.S., Dick, R.P., and Butler, L.M.. 1991. In the face of change: A rapid reconnaissance survey of Northwest horticultural crop producers. Amer. J. Alternative Agric. 6:23–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Butler, L.M., Liggett, N., and Havens, D.. 1993. Applying a focus group strategy to cropping systems and water quality research and education. Proceedings of the Rural Sociological Society Annual Meetings. Aug. 7–10, Orlando, FL.Google Scholar
4.DePhelps, C. 1992. Participatory onfarm research and community involvement in agriculture and environmental issues: An annotated bibliography. Unpublished paper, Washington State Univ., Puyallup.Google Scholar
5.DePhelps, C., and Butler, L.M.. 1992. Facilitator's guide to involving the public in applied agricultural research: Planning and coalition building. Unpublished paper, Washington State Univ., Puyallup.Google Scholar
6.Hildebrand, P.E. 1981. Combining disciplines in rapid appraisal: The sondeo approach. Agric. Administration, 8:423–432.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Lev, L.S., McGrath, D., Murray, H., and William, R.D.. 1993. Organizing and conducting farmer/scientist focus sessions. J. Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education 22(2): 121–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Marshall, C., and Rossman, G.B.. 1989. Designing Qualitative Research. Sage Publications, Inc., Newbury Park, California.Google Scholar
9.Murray, H., Green-McGrath, D., Lev, L.S., and Morrow, A.M.. 1994a. Whole Farm Case Studies: A How-to Guide. Pub. No. EM 8558. Extension Service, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis.Google Scholar
10.Murray, H., Dick, R., Green-McGrath, D., Butler, L.M., Lev, L.S., and Carkner, R.. 1994b. Whole farm case studies of horticultural crop producers in the Pacific Northwest. Pub. No. 58678. Agricultural Experiment Station, Oregon State Univ., Corvalis, OR.Google Scholar
11.Patton, M.Q. 1990. Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods. 2nd ed.Sage Publications, Inc., Newbury Park, California.Google Scholar
12.Rossman, G.B., and Wilson, B.L.. 1985. Numbers and words: combining quantitative and qualitative methods in a single large-scale evaluation study. Evaluation Review 9(5):627–643.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13.Webb, E.J. 1966. Unobtrusive Measures: Non-Reactive Research in the Social Sciences. Rand McNally, Chicago, Illinois.Google Scholar