Australian New Crops Web Site
Supported by the Rural Industries Research and
Development Corporation
The farming system exercise
New crops worthy of research and development have been
identified in the past by several approaches.
We should be aware of these, because they are not necessarily useful
now.
The three most obvious methods have been the political
method, the expert method and the serendipity method, often associated with
recreational research.
1.
The political process
Every revolutionary idea - in science, politics, art,
or whatever - evokes three stages of reaction in a hearer:
--It is completely impossible - don't waste my time.
--It is possible, but it is not worth doing.
--I said it was a good idea all along.
The political process produces new crop development
programs to satisfy a political will.
This can be the result of a particular agricultural policy, specific
agricultural funding or may be due to pressure exerted by lobby groups. Such processes have been successful in the
past in drawing attention to potential new crop industries. Unfortunately, relatively short political
time spans contrast with the long lead times required to commercialise new
crops.
2.
The expert process
An expert in any field is a person who knows enough
about what's really going on to be scared.
(P.J. Plauger)
An expert in a new crop is often not as effectively
equipped with information about the crop as crop experts working with
established crops. The learning process
needs to be a shared experience between the industry and the so-called
expert.
3.
Serendipity
Serendipity -The pleasant surprise of happening upon a
fortunate discovery when you weren't in search of it.
Henry Walpole in The Princess of Serendip (Ceylon,
1754)
Serendipity is the discovery of interesting new crops
unexpectedly or by accident. Serendipity
has played a large role in the development of new crops, often as a result of
the recreational interests of inquiring people.
Such research receives little or no direct funding but is often carried
out by recognised researchers, as well as by gifted amateurs, in their own
backyards. Much useful observation has
been done by members of semi-professional organisations.
An alternative approach has been to propose a systems
or holistic approach, whereby the commercialisation of the crop commences and
the process is closely monitored. Such a
process is described in the thirteen steps of
commercialisation.
4.
The systems approach
Whenever a system becomes completely defined, someone
discovers something which either abolishes the system or expands it beyond
recognition.
(Brooke's Law)
A system is a group of interrelated entities that
receives input which affects it in some way and produces output to achieve
needed purposes.
A system is like an iceberg: 90% of it is not visible.
To gain some insight into our current farming systems,
with a view to commencing new crop commercialisation, a systems exercise is
used for DOOR Marketing participants.
They work through the questions and thereby characterise the factors
which comprise their farming system.
The aim of this exercise is to demonstrate the
complexity of the interactions already in place in a farming system and the
difficulties in predicting how a new crop will affect the current system. The first section encourages holistic
thinking without being specific about many of the details; the second section
invites some specific details, in the context of the interacting system; the
third section tests how difficult it may be to alter any specific detail and
the fourth section invites some specific plans.
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1.1 What are our wishes or dreams? |
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1.2 How much do we really know about the dream? |
How much do we
really know? How fanciful is the
dream? How good is the
information we have? Where are we now? Where do we want to
be in ten years? |
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1.3 What is the main purpose? |
How do we make the
dream come true? |
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1.4 What is the environment like, physical and
otherwise? |
Can we take a broad
view of our own capabilities? |
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1.5 Who would we like to have interested? |
Who do we need to
help us make the dream come true? |
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1.6 What inputs would we like to have
available, including people, finance, information? |
What contributions
are likely from others? Is a cooperative
feasible? |
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1.7
What equipment would we like to have available? |
Do we have access
to all the equipment needed? |
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1.8 What outcomes would we like to see and
when? |
Can we define the
product accurately? What would we wish
the market to be? |
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2.1 What are our specific objectives? |
What is to be done? How is it to be
done? Where is it to be
done? Who will do it? |
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2.2 What are our aims? |
What is the main
purpose, what is the purpose of the purpose etc. |
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2.3 How much do we know about achieving the
purpose? |
What is the key
information? What do we need to
know? Do we have the information
we need? How good is the
information we have? |
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2.4 What is the most likely way to achieve the
main purpose? |
Have you considered
the ten points of planning? |
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2.5 What parts of the environment do we need to
have access to, in order to achieve the purpose? |
Take a specific
view of your capabilities, based on the reality of having to achieve the
purpose. What are the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats? |
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2.6 Who is available and is willing to
participate? |
Form the team. How clever are the
people available? Who is missing? |
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2.7 What are the inputs available, including
people, finance, information? |
What are the
available assets? |
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2.8 How much of the needed equipment is
available? |
Describe the
value-added chain from production to sale |
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2.9 What are the likely outcomes |
Conduct
pre-feasibility marketing analysis |
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3.1 How can the system be evaluated and
modified? |
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3.2 Do the aims need reassessment? |
What is the
solution-after-next? |
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3.3 What research information needs to be
commissioned? |
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3.4 What is the most likely way to carry out
the main purpose? |
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3.5 What is the environment like, physical and
otherwise? |
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3.6 How clever are the people available? |
Evaluate the
outcomes |
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3.7 What are the inputs available, including
people, finance, information? |
Analyse costs |
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3.8 How much of the needed equipment is
available? |
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3.9 What are the likely outcomes |
Gross margins Profit Return on
investment |
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4.1 What are our aims/future plans? |
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4.2 How good is the information? |
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4.3 What is the most likely way to carry out
the main purpose? |
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4.4 What is the environment like, physical and
otherwise? |
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4.5 How clever are the people available? |
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4.6 What are the inputs available, including
people, finance, information? |
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4.7 How much of the needed equipment is
available? |
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4.8 What are the likely outcomes |
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Once systems thinking has been practised, a brainstorming
exercise follows to consider what information will be needed for the commercialisation
of a new crop.
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Rural
Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Home Page |
All
information is included in good faith but this website does not warrant or
guarantee the accuracy of any information on these pages, nor does the website
accept responsibility for any loss arising from the use of this
information. Views and opinions are those of the authors
themselves. Every effort has been made to respect copyright owners'
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Contact:
Webmaster, Australian New Crops Website
australiannewcrops@gmail.com
Latest update 30 August 2009 by: ANCW