Designing support to enhance co-operation between farmers and advisors in solving farm-management problems

Summary The purpose of co-operation between advisors and farmers during formulation and solving of farm-management problems is to improve the efficiency of farm-management advice and to improve the adaptation of farm management to the increasing uncertainty which presently characterises the agricultural sector. The aim of the present study was to design a tool that supports co-operation between a management advisor and a farmer when they work together on the farmer's management problems. This was performed within a management centre with a group of farmers and advisors. We describe our design approach in order to point out the discrepancies between farmers' and advisors' conceptions of the advisory relation as well as the way the group overcame these discrepancies by building up support for the advisory relation. We refer to this type of support as co-monitoring support as it is geared towards maintaining a common operative frame of reference and a periodical re-examination of the advisor's role in the problem-solving process. The support tools are under test in the management centre. We finally discuss the relevance of the design approach according to the use of the support by advisors and farmers.