Stakeholders’ perspectives on the effectiveness of agricultural advisory sources in Ontario: a Q methodology approach

Perspectivas das partes interessadas sobre a eficácia das fontes de aconselhamento agrícola em Ontário: uma abordagem de metodologia Q

In the face of various market and digital forces, agricultural extension and advisory systems have evolved into an integrated system called pluralistic extension and advisory system. This new system of extension and advisory services (EAS) is employed by many countries, including Canada. Despite growing research on the topic, there is no evidence of studies that evaluate the effectiveness of various advisory sources within a pluralistic EAS. Such an assessment is crucial as farmers have different needs; therefore, knowing what best suits them is pivotal for effective EAS. Employing Q-methodology, we administered an online survey via Qualtrics to 49 deliberately chosen participants, including producers, advisors, researchers, and personnel from policy and administration organizations. Using PQMethod software, we analyzed stakeholders’ perspectives on pluralistic agricultural extension in Ontario, obtaining important insights for understanding the role of various agricultural advisory sources. Our findings revealed that most stakeholders favored an integrated approach to accessing advisory services, utilizing diverse advisory sources (both formal and informal), including peers as well as advisory organizations (Perspective 1). This is followed by those advocating for a formal organizations-oriented approach (Perspective 2) and a peers-oriented approach (Perspective 3). The findings imply that farmers find the best advice from a combination of traditional and personal sources that bring together formal and informal connections. These sources are more interactive, with frequent face-to-face interactions. The study highlighted the need for a comprehensive advisory approach that integrates different types of sources, including formal advisory providers and experience-sharing among farmers, as the latter was noted as an important source of information. We recommended policy measures that foster collaboration among advisory actors to support more integrated, farmer-responsive extension systems.

Key words:
Farm advisory; extension pluralism; agricultural communication; perceived effectiveness