Defra Funded Project FF0204 – access project details here
Aim: To develop a novel farmer-focused approach to delivery of flexible, integrated advice that balances farm business objectives with Defra policy objectives and integrates measures to achieve multiple wins.
This aim was met through the delivery of five specific objectives;
• Objective 1 - Sector specific integrated advice: to build on previous research and decision support tools to define sector specific integrated advisory packages that balance Defra policies with economic and environmental factors to deliver improved overall benefits to farm businesses and to society more generally
• Objective 2 - Flexible advisory protocols: to involve farmers and advisers in assessing and refining the integrated advice packages (developed under objective1), and in trialling the design and delivery of advisory protocols to ensure flexible combinations of integrated advice packages that deliver locally optimised balanced outcomes with improved level of uptake by farmers through taking account of farmer behavioural types
• Objective 3 - Design, develop and deliver flexible training courses for advisers: to train advisers in the approach to integration and its delivery to target farms using the protocols developed in objective 2 in the three selected study zones
• Objective 4 - Monitoring and evaluation: to monitor and evaluate the proposed processes and outcomes to ensure improved environmental performance, including reduced emissions
• Objective 5 - Legacy: to sustain and broaden the value of the Pilot study and provide for a ‘legacy’ of more integrated policy advice that contributes towards Defra’s strategic priorities, beyond the life of the pilot
Methods
In order for integration of advice to bring the desired results it needs to be understood by the individual farm business or holding. For this reason the Integrated Advice Pilot Study has worked with farmers and advisers as well as other stakeholders to develop an integrated advice approach. There are three physical outcomes that have been developed as part of this project;
• Integrated Advice Packages – developed with farmers and advisers to enable the prioritisation of on-farm actions that balance economic and environmental factors to deliver improved overall benefits to farm businesses. These packages were sector and catchment specific.
o Download the Integrated Advice Packages here
Arable (Yorkshire East Riding)
Beef & Sheep (Teme, Shropshire)
Dairy (Somerset and Bridgwater bay)
• Farmscoper – a detailed decision support tool that is able to show the environmental and cost implications of selecting certain measures for implementation on a farm, targeted at farm advisers.
o Access Farmscoper here
• Integrated advice training course – targeted at advisers to enable them to gain a greater understanding of the wider policy goals that are driving a range of advice streams. This training also helps advisers understand how to motivate farmers to make changes that will help to meet these goals, and maintain profitability. In addition there are modules that introduce the Integrated Advice Packages and Farmscoper.
o For more information please contact iap@adas.co.uk
The project ran from January 2011 to February 2012. The project team included ADAS, AHDB, Innogen Centre (University of Edinburgh) and RAND Europe. We gratefully acknowledge the willing and helpful co-operation of many advisers, farmers and organisations in the completion of this project.