Extensionnet December 2006 Vol

EXTENSIONNET December 2006 Vol. 14 No. 2 Newsletter of the Australasia-Pacific Extension Network (Inc) A0029919P ISSN 1445-2111 Contact: 02 6024 5349 Australia Post approved PP347637000014 Our Australian Idol - Joan Tully Roy Murray-Prior (Curtin University), Jess Jennings (UWS) and Christine King (UQ) How many of you know the name Joan IN THIS ISSUE Tully? As the motto at the bottom of some of our Our Australian Idol emails proudly proclaims APEN is about - Joan Tully ‘People successfully managing change’. In Roy Murray-Prior, Jess managing change we are always looking Jennings and Christine King for new ways of working and understanding so we are keen to get information from the latest conference or the latest guru or from Ed Sez... 3 a web site. The last 20 years has seen a paradigm shift from the Technology Transfer Annual Report or Diffusion paradigm to Farmer First or 2005/06 3 Participatory paradigms. But what many of you may not realise is that much of the initial President’s Report 4 impetus for this change started over 40 officers, shared the responsibility of years earlier, with the teaching and writings improving farm sector performance. In of ‘Our Australian Idol’, Joan Tully. one reference group experience Tully Treasurer’s Report 5 reported that extension students were also Sadly Joan Tully died 33 years ago, but beneficiaries who “have changed their her legacy lives on and as we come to SELN: 6 attitudes toward helping farmers with their the 100th anniversary of her birth in 1907 The State Extension Leaders problems just as radically as the farmers we would like to pay homage to her. Joan Network have changed their attitudes toward the use was an amazing woman who has directly of improved pastures” (Tully 1966). and indirectly influenced generations of Enhancing Women’s extension practitioners. Prior to Tully’s She was not afraid to attack her audience Participation in the contribution to extension, a farmer’s life to make her point. As early as 1953 Tully experience and understanding (now referred presented a report to government that boldly Sugar Industry 8 to as indigenous knowledge or farmer challenged her officious, high-ranking and By Dr. Emma Jakku, Jenny knowledge) were commonly overlooked (presumably) male-dominated and non- Bellamy and Dr. Iris Bohnet as valuable to changing farming practice, farmer audience: with expertise and expert knowledge You as directors of agriculture probably Students’ Segment taking precedence. It appears reasonable visit the more progressive farms in your 9 to suggest that the early beginnings of an States … [and] you will probably agree This Edition - Kamal Gaire Australian-based, constructivist approach that, on these progressive farms, living (The University of Melbourne) to extension methodology, based on conditions are fairly good and the people, the importance of farmer’s personally including the wife and family, are keenly constructed reality, was present in Tully’s interested in improving their farming and Extension Gems 10 conception of extension. productivity. On the way to these farms By Austin McLennan Importantly, Tully recognised that farmers you will all have passed many that are were not the sole barrier to technology not so progressive and will have seen New Members 11 adoption and hence agricultural productivity, the typical 2 or 4 roomed house with a but that all stakeholders, including extension verandah front and back and a single tank Continued page 2 ... APEN ExtensionNet Volume 4 Number 2 of the Technology Transfer coin because Our Australian Idol - Joan Tully she recognised the difficult conditions under which individual farmers made Continued from page 1 adoption decisions. The key to Joan’s influence on those for a water supply, no paint, no trees, Extension. This paper was unlike most who followed her was the underlying no garden, naked under the blazing at the conference because it focused philosophy of her approach which can be sun[,] … a battered utility in the shade on the position of the farmer within on- boiled down to people’s views are valid, of the house, an untidy woodpile, … a farm decision-making, and attempted they have to participate in any change, little house about a chain away, a few to identify the complexity of barriers to and they are most likely to participate dejected fowls scratching round and adoption by defining farms as systems when their friends and neighbours are a few grubby children. … [These are in their own right. Tully (1967) provided involved also. This is a simple message our] rural slums. Could you be an alert the following: which is at the core of all good extension and progressive farmer under these Our technical research men are process. living conditions? Would your wife be specialists, who from their research, a happy, energetic and enthusiastic produce discrete pieces of information partner in such a farming enterprise? about parts of the ecological system. Tully J (1953) Report to the agricultural (Tully 1953). Extension then disseminates these council on the need for a rural home Tully powerfully linked farmer’s discrete pieces of information to farmers. advisory service, Canberra, Australia. social and economic context to the The farmer is given the very difficult Tully J (1966) Changing Practices: determinants of diffusion and hence job of fitting these discrete pieces A Case Study, Journal of Co-operative agricultural productivity. Through of information into the very complex Extension, Fall, 1966, pp143-152. personal application and research, ecological system that is a farm …. Tully J (1967) The Farm as a Complex Tully used group-based techniques If this problem of introducing change System: the Implications for Extension, to improve extension communication into a very complex ecological system in Australian Agricultural Extension systems in Australia, with such concepts has proved too difficult for research Conference Working Papers, conference as the Membership Reference Group, scientists, it is little wonder that farmers held in Hobart, Tasmania May, 1967, the Socialisation Process, and Group and extension men find it difficult. proceedings published in Melbourne Control. One of the earliest papers (Tully Any farming system consists of at 1967. 1966) we have access to outlines her least six different, complex, and Tully J (1967a) The Principles of thoughts on these topics and how they dynamic sub-systems all interacting Relevance: Implications for Extension, relate to creating a learning situation. with each other and all interdependent. in Australian Agricultural Extension Interestingly it documents more than an Some of these subsystems are more Conference Working Papers, conference approach to working with farmers, but under man’s control than others. The held in Hobart, Tasmania May, 1967, also a problem centred and participatory manageable factors are climate, soils, proceedings published in Melbourne, approach to teaching, where “the learning plants, animals, economics, and man Australia. situations have been carefully structured himself with his managerial skills, value but the discussions have been very free”, systems, beliefs, and attitudes. Walters, D.V. (1973) Joan Tully 1907- causing a change in motivation and 73. Journal of the Australian Institute of Any change, either voluntary or change in attitudes. Agricultural Science. Vol. 39 (3), p174. involuntary, in such a complex system Although not wholly or explicitly of interrelated variables sets off a chain- rejecting Rogers’ technology transfer reaction throughout the system. Some Joan Tully held a number of theory of diffusion, Tully questioned may be desirable and others most posts at the Council for Scientific some of its traits and strongly promoted undesirable. Some will be immediate, Research (CSIR) and later the farmer-centric approaches for conducting others long-term and cumulative, such Commonwealth Scientific and effective extension. For Tully, the as that produced by a crop-fallow Industrial Research Organisation socio-economic context within which rotation in low rainfall areas. extension occurred was crucial, with (CSIRO) in the 1930s, 1940s the farmer, his/her immediate family and Tully’s second paper at the 1967 and 1950s. In 1952, she was his/her social group being the central conference, titled The Principle of awarded the Fulbright Schol- focus, rather than the attributes of the Relevance: Implications for Extension, arship and studied at Cornell drew out the importance of extensionists’ technology being disseminated by one- University in Ithaca, New York, understanding of farmers and their way communication (down to farmers). USA. From 1957-1972, she different frames of reference (Tully held research positions at the She was also an early systems thinker, 1967a). Again Tully approached the but took it beyond the approach of adoption decision from the farmer’s University of Melbourne, fol- many by incorporating people as part perspective, emphasising several ways in lowed by academic posts at the of the system. In 1967 Tully presented which a farmer must perceive technology University of New England, New a paper to the Australian Agricultural as relevant on a range of measures South Wales, and the University Extension Conference titled The Farm as before utilising it. Tully’s approach could of Queensland. a Complex System: The Implications for perhaps be considered the farmer’s side APEN ExtensionNet 2 Volume 4 Number 2 Ed sez ... - Christine King This Christmas edition of APEN is packed comes from Kamal

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