Communication Science, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
J Dairy Sci. 2010 Mar;93(3):1296-306. doi: 10.3168/jds.2009-2794.
Worldwide, programs to control mastitis are implemented using different strategies to reach farmers. Even though education materials and best practices may be technically optimal, they need to be used to be successful. Thus, effective communication with farmers is essential in order to change their behavior and to improve their farm management. During a Dutch national mastitis control program, a substantial number of farmers seemed to be hard to reach with information on udder health. Consequently, this study was designed to provide insight into the attitude and motivation of such farmers. In the period of October 2007 to July 2008, 24 in-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with farmers whose veterinarians considered to be difficult to approach with advice on udder health management (8 practices, 3 farmers from each practice). The interviews included questions about the farms and the farmers, their attitude and behavior regarding mastitis, and their information sources and social environment. The results show that so-called hard-to-reach farmers were not always badly informed about udder health and did not always experience problems with mastitis. These ostensibly unreachable farmers were not a homogeneous group, but rather could be divided into 4 categories based on their trust in external information sources regarding mastitis and their orientation toward the outside world: proactivists, do-it-yourselfers, wait-and-see-ers, and reclusive traditionalists. There are ample opportunities to reach hard-to-reach farmers, provided that the communication strategies are tailored to their specific needs. There is especially much to gain in communication with do-it-yourselfers and wait-and-see-ers, but this demands a more proactive role on the part of veterinarians and extension specialists. Different types of farmers need to be approached in different ways and through different channels with information on udder health. Consequently, this study can contribute to the optimization of future programs designed to control and prevent diseases.
全球范围内，控制乳腺炎的项目都在使用不同的策略来与农民接触。即使教育材料和最佳实践在技术上可能是最优的，但它们需要被使用才能取得成功。因此，与农民进行有效的沟通对于改变他们的行为和改善他们的农场管理至关重要。在荷兰国家乳腺炎控制项目中，大量农民似乎很难接受有关乳房健康的信息。因此，这项研究旨在深入了解这些农民的态度和动机。在 2007 年 10 月至 2008 年 7 月期间，对 24 名农民进行了深入的半结构化访谈，这些农民的兽医认为他们很难接受有关乳房健康管理的建议（每个实践 8 个农场，每个实践 3 名农民）。访谈包括有关农场和农民的问题，他们对乳腺炎的态度和行为，以及他们的信息来源和社会环境。结果表明，所谓的难以接触的农民并不总是对乳房健康知之甚少，也并不总是有乳腺炎问题。这些表面上无法接触的农民并不是一个同质的群体，而是可以根据他们对乳腺炎外部信息来源的信任程度和对外部世界的取向，分为 4 类：积极主动者、自己动手者、观望者和孤立传统主义者。只要沟通策略符合他们的特定需求，就有很多机会接触到难以接触的农民。与自己动手者和观望者沟通尤其有很多好处，但这需要兽医和推广专家更积极主动的角色。不同类型的农民需要通过不同的渠道和方式，以不同的方式来获得有关乳房健康的信息。因此，这项研究可以为优化未来旨在控制和预防疾病的项目做出贡献。
