"Soft" measures in England and Wales

Dwyer, Janet C ORCID: 0000-0002-2332-9832 and Reed, Matt ORCID: 0000-0003-1105-9625 (2015) "Soft" measures in England and Wales. In: Fostering Green Growth in Agriculture: The Role of Training, Advisory Services and Extension Initiatives,. OECD Green Growth Studies . OECD Publishing, Paris, pp. 73-79. ISBN 9789264232198

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Abstract

Investing in knowledge to support the adoption of environmentally-friendly farm practices is commonly perceived as a key driver behind innovation processes in agriculture. Yet changes at the national and global levels have led to dramatic changes in the orientation of advisory services, how these are organised, and their methods of intervention. This report examines the role, performance and impact of farm advisory services, as well as the training and extension initiatives undertaken in the OECD area to foster green growth in agriculture. The merits of the different types of providers are also discussed and the experience of selected OECD countries presented. Assessing the impact of agricultural advisory services, training and extension measures on green growth involves a range of methodological issues, but for which evaluations of outcomes and assessment of their overall cost-effectiveness is scarce. Nevertheless, a key conclusion of this report is that there is no one-size-fits-all evaluation methodology and that any evaluation of the impact of these measures should take into account all actors that provide agricultural advisory services, training, and extension measures as they are part of a wider agricultural knowledge and innovation system in which multiple stakeholders interact. This report contributes to OECD work on green growth which emphasises the importance of research, development, innovation, education, extension services and information to increase productivity in a sustainable way. This report was prepared by the OECD’s Trade and Agriculture Directorate and was declassified by the OECD Joint Working Party on Agriculture and the Environment in January 2015. Dimitris Diakosavvas was project leader and is the principal author of this report. Chapter 5 draws on background papers prepared by consultants for the five case studies: Bruce Kefford and Clive Noble (Australia); Rivellie Tschuisseu and Pierre Labarthe (Canada), Janet Dwyer and Matt Reed (England and Wales), Dimitris Damianos (Greece) and Brian Bell and Michael Yap (New Zealand). A further paper prepared by Clunie Keenleyside also contributed to the present report. Comments and review from OECD colleagues are also appreciated and acknowledged, including Nathalie Girouard, Justine Garrett and Annabelle Mourougane. Françoise Bénicourt and Theresa Poincet provided invaluable secretarial assistance throughout the production process. The report was prepared for publication by Michèle Patterson, who also co-ordinated its production.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	"Soft" measures in England and Wales is included in Chapter 5. Investing in knowledge to support environmentally-friendly practices: Lessons learned from selected case studies
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > Countryside and Community Research Institute
Research Priority Areas:	Place, Environment and Community
Depositing User:	Anne Pengelly
Date Deposited:	17 Feb 2016 12:31
Last Modified:	04 Feb 2022 08:32
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/3102

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