There's more than one type of farmer: Acknowledging farmers diversity - An Australian perspective

Abstract

Farmers are heterogeneous, but policy makers are often accused of treating them as ahomogenous group. Very different factors influence their decision making and their responses to new policy instruments. The re-allocation of water among competing uses has becomeincreasingly necessary. Demands are now being placed on the irrigation sector to providewater for urban, recreational, and environmental purposes, making it more important to ensure effective communication between policymakers and irrigators. The shortcoming of thecurrent one-size-fits-all approach to water management and planning is that it can only really be effective for some. This creates the potential for avoidable conflicts between users, sub-optimal outcomes and significant social and community impacts. Irrigators in Australia's Lower Murray Reclaimed Irrigation Area are facing significant reductions in waterallocation due to government rehabilitation and restructuring program as well as drought.An assumption behind the government policy is that irrigators are a homogenous group who will respond to these reductions in an economically rational fashion. Irrigators, however, have indicated that they do not intend to behave in this way. This research explores the non-economic factors influencing farmers' decision-making and behaviors and determines whether they can be classified into a typology. Our findings suggest three groups - Custodians, Investors & Lifestyler, with farmers' positions being determined by their values, attitudes and goals concerning family, land, water, profit and community. Benefits ofthisresearch are that policy makers and service providers will be better placed to communicate with farmers by employing more targeted and better informed approaches. Consequently, the management responses of irrigators are more likely to be in line with policy expectations minimizing the economic, social, environmental, and political impacts of the water reforms. Show more