The UK horticulture industry is heavily reliant on the development and dissemination of new science to maintain productivity. Research is important to help farmers combat pest and disease, reduce pesticide use and generally increase the profitability of their enterprise while limiting its environmental impact. While it is important to invest in research the knowledge generated has no value unless it reaches and can be used by those who need it. In 2002 the Spedding Report identified issues in mobilising knowledge from publically funded bodies to the grower base of the English horticulture industry. The report stated that there was a disconnect between scientists and growers which was preventing knowledge flowing between them, the report did not however identify or characterise this problem further. The aim of this thesis was to identify whether the problem identified by Spedding still exists; what characterises it and what implications it has for the mobilisation of government funded knowledge from within scientific based organisations to the wider horticultural community. A case study based multi-method, multi-phase data gathering approach was adopted, including non-participant observation and interviews. Cases were chosen using a purposive intensity sampling technique and representative of the general organisational types within both the science based and grower based (salad, brassica and allium) sector of horticulture in England. Thematicanalysis was adopted as the data analysis method and the five steps for qualitative data analysis proposed by Taylor-Powell (2003) served as a useful guide. A literature review was conducted which four types of driver for agricultural extension were identified, and the main actors involved in the extension activities were described.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:636814 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Park, Caroline |
| Publisher | Glasgow Caledonian University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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