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New Entrants Need Tailored Farm Advice

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  • Oksana Žabko
  • Talis Tisenkopfs

Abstract

Supporting new entrants in farming is an increasingly important political and practical issue in European agriculture. This article looks at a specific group of new entrants – career changers – who move into agriculture from other occupational and educational backgrounds. As they bridge several worlds, they are often important innovators. One of the main challenges encountered by this group is the lack of tailored advice and insufficient capacity of the existing agricultural advisory services to respond to their specific innovation needs. The article examines how career changers use the knowledge from their background and access new knowledge on agriculture. The research is based on biographical interviews with individuals who have changed their careers and in‐depth interviews with advisors in Latvia. The results suggest that the gap between knowledge needs and knowledge services is being filled through the creation of professional networks by new entrants with each other and with industry experts and customers and to a lesser degree with formal advisory services. We discuss how in this situation various actors in the EU’s agricultural knowledge and innovation system (AKIS) may better help the career changers to professionalise in farming and undertake sustainability‐oriented innovations. L’aide aux nouveaux entrants dans l'agriculture est un enjeu politique et pratique de plus en plus important dans l'agriculture européenne. Cet article se penche sur un groupe spécifique de nouveaux entrants – les personnes qui changent de carrière – qui, originaires d'autres milieux professionnels et éducatifs, se lancent dans des activités agricoles. Comme elles relient plusieurs mondes, ces personnes sont souvent des innovateurs importants. L'un des principaux défis rencontrés par ce groupe est le manque de conseils adaptés et la capacité insuffisante des services de conseil agricole existants à répondre à leurs besoins spécifiques en matière d'innovation. L'article examine comment les personnes qui changent de carrière utilisent leurs connaissances acquises et accèdent à de nouvelles connaissances sur l'agriculture. L’analyse se fonde sur des entretiens biographiques avec des personnes qui ont changé de carrière et des entretiens approfondis avec des conseillers en Lettonie. Les résultats suggèrent que pour combler l'écart entre les besoins en connaissances et les services de diffusion des connaissances, les nouveaux entrants créent des réseaux professionnels entre eux et avec des experts et clients de l'industrie et, dans une moindre mesure, avec des services de conseil formels. Nous examinons la manière dont, dans cette situation, divers acteurs du système européen de connaissances et d'innovation agricoles (AKIS) peuvent mieux aider les personnes qui changent de carrière à se professionnaliser dans l'agriculture et à entreprendre des innovations axées sur la durabilité. Die Unterstützung von Neueinsteigende in der Landwirtschaft ist ein zunehmend wichtiges politisches und praktisches Thema in der europäischen Landwirtschaft. Dieser Artikel befasst sich mit einer speziellen Gruppe der Neueinsteigenden– nämlich den Quereinsteigenden n, die aus anderen Berufs‐ und Bildungsbereichen in die Landwirtschaft wechseln. Da sie eine Brücke zwischen verschiedenen Welten schlagen, sind sie oft wichtig für Innovationen. Eine der größten Herausforderungen für diese Gruppe ist der Mangel an maßgeschneiderter Beratung und die unzureichenden Kapazitäten der bestehenden landwirtschaftlichen Beratungsdienste, um auf ihre spezifischen Innovationsbedürfnisse einzugehen. In dem Artikel wird untersucht, wie Quereinsteigende das Wissen aus ihrem Werdegang nutzen und sich neues Wissen über die Landwirtschaft erschließen. Die Untersuchung stützt sich auf biografische Interviews mit Personen, die ihren Beruf gewechselt haben, und auf ausführliche Interviews mit Beratenden in Lettland. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass die Lücke zwischen Wissensbedarf und Wissensdiensten durch die Schaffung beruflicher Netzwerke von Neueinsteigenden untereinander sowie mit Branchenfachleuten und Kunden‐ und in geringerem Maße mit formellen Beratungsdiensten ‐ geschlossen wird. Wir erörtern, wie in dieser Situation verschiedene Beteiligte des landwirtschaftlichen Wissens‐ und Innovationssystems (AKIS) der EU den Quereinsteigenden besser dabei helfen können, sich in der Landwirtschaft zu professionalisieren und nachhaltigkeitsorientierte Innovationen vorzunehmen.

Suggested Citation

  • Oksana Žabko & Talis Tisenkopfs, 2022. "New Entrants Need Tailored Farm Advice," EuroChoices, The Agricultural Economics Society, vol. 21(1), pages 63-69, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:eurcho:v:21:y:2022:i:1:p:63-69
    DOI: 10.1111/1746-692X.12349
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Claire Jack & Austen Ashfield & Adewale Henry Adenuga & Conall Mullan, 2021. "Farm Diversification: Drivers, Barriers and Future Growth Potential," EuroChoices, The Agricultural Economics Society, vol. 20(2), pages 70-75, August.
    2. Robert Skrzypczyński & Sylwia Dołzbłasz & Krzysztof Janc & Andrzej Raczyk, 2021. "Beyond Supporting Access to Land in Socio-Technical Transitions. How Polish Grassroots Initiatives Help Farmers and New Entrants in Transitioning to Sustainable Models of Agriculture," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-19, February.
    3. Pauline Lecole, 2021. "Can Small French Farms Provide an Opportunity for Employment in the Agricultural Sector?," EuroChoices, The Agricultural Economics Society, vol. 20(1), pages 48-54, April.
    4. Pauline Lécole, 2021. "Can Small French Farms Provide an Opportunity for Employment in the Agricultural Sector?," Post-Print hal-03053765, HAL.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rachel Creaney & Hannah Hasler & Lee‐Ann Sutherland, 2023. "What's in a Name? Defining New Entrants to Farming," EuroChoices, The Agricultural Economics Society, vol. 22(1), pages 58-65, April.

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