A new scheme to support knowledge transfer groups is due to begin in 2016. This article identifies five key ingredients of discussion group success. In addition, tips to successfully promote the five ingredients are presented

Ingredient 1: Membership & organisation

The group is selective about membership and agreement of all members is necessary when inviting new members in. While members commit to shared goals, they have different interests and skills. Sub-groups of members can work on different topics. Members who have shared skills and strengths – such as breeding or financial management – can be organised into sub-groups. Members emphasise the importance of routine and well-organised meetings, at regular intervals. Keeping a tight requirement on members to attend and make contributions is crucial.

Top tips

  • Meetings taking place on a set date per month avoids confusion and members are less likely to miss them.
  • Carefully select members: new groups should be selected with care and, when inviting new members into groups, make sure all existing members are in agreement.
  • If groups are organised on a ‘parish’ basis, it may be difficult for all members to have common goals. However, it is possible for the group to work together to forge some shared goals and for sub-groups to work on different challenges.
  • Get to know the skills that different group members have so that other members can learn from them: an individual member’s skills might not always be obvious.

    • Ingredient 2: Trust & security

    In order for the group to work effectively on farm development, members need to be open and truthful in relation to conditions on their farms and challenges they face. However, before members can be open and truthful, trust and confidentiality must be developed. Group members must feel they can be open and honest, but they also must feel comfortable challenging each other and being challenged. For that, relationships have to be respectful and non-judgmental.

    Top tips

  • Option to begin each meeting by asking each member to give an update on how things are going generally on their farm.
  • Sometimes members can challenge each other: this can be positive but also can be counterproductive if farmers withdraw from meaningful participation due to feeling undermined unless it’s managed properly.
  • Destructive criticism and open benchmarking between strongest and weakest members should be avoided as it can create an atmosphere of fear and secrecy, which is counterproductive.
  • Use farm codes to make comparisons where necessary and then transition to full disclosure of members’ data when members opt to disclose their identities.

    • Ingredient 3: Enjoyment & fun

    Fun and enjoyment within discussion groups are important, not only because members are likely to attend more frequently but because a relaxed atmosphere and easy conversation within the group is necessary for what is called social learning. Social learning – meaning farmers learning from other farmers through discussion – is the main purpose of discussion groups. Once conversation is flowing, social learning can happen. If there is a sense of enjoyment, fun and relaxation, discussion takes off. Otherwise, discussion may be constrained and stifled.

    Top tips

  • The importance of having social interaction prior to and/or after meetings can’t be underestimated. It allows people to get to know each other on a one-to-one basis, to develop a sense of ease and familiarity, and to discuss topics of individual interest.
  • Where possible, a social occasion or a field-trip away from home, should be suggested by the faciltiator and organised by the members themselves.

    • Ingredient 4: Solidarity

    Not only do members want to be successful, they want the group to be successful. If a member has a problem, they take a collective effort in providing assistance to help resolve the problem.

    Top tips

  • Other ingredients such as trust are necessary for developing a sense of solidarity in offering assistance to members when in need.
  • Pre-visits in preparation for on-farm group meetings can be a valuable opportunity for providing targeted assistance to individual members.
  • Group routine and developing shared goals.
  • Agreeing a name for the group; having a stand for the group at farming events; and a media focus on the group can help form a strong group identity.
  • Group activities such as applying for funding or entering into a competition are also powerful in building a unified group identity.

    • Ingredient 5: Facilitation & learning

    The members of the group we studied emphasised the importance of having a hunger for knowledge within the group. This is supported by the work and activities of the various sub-groups that continuously seek out new knowledge that is of particular interest to them. There are two main approaches to facilitation and advisory support that the group values.

    The first is that the facilitator actively debates new knowledge with group members. While they must be prepared to present to the group definite opinions based on science, they must also be willing to debate the knowledge with the members.

    The second characteristic valued by this group is that the knowledge provided by the facilitator is credible in terms of its quality and independence.

    Top tips

  • Different groups will value different facilitation approaches. However, the goal should be to gradually increase the extent to which the group challenges and debates with each other and the facilitator.
  • Facilitators ideally should have facilitation expertise and agricultural production expertise. Most of all, it is crucial for facilitators to have expertise in facilitation.

    • Evidence

    Interestingly, when international research on agricultural discussion groups is examined, many of the five key ingredients mentioned in this article are consistently recognised as crucial for success.

    About the authors: Dr Áine Macken-Walsh, Sociologist, Rural Economy Development Programme (REDP), Teagasc. Dr Tom O’Dwyer, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer, Teagasc. The research summarised in this article was undertaken by Teagasc as part of a larger project funded by DAFM’s Research Stimulus Fund.