[Anne-Christine Lefort]

What is a farmer coaching ? Which methodology is used for this ?

[Heleen Prinsen]

Structural joint consultations with farmer, veterinarian and feed consultant are still far from a given in every sector. While good communication, proper coordination, making agreements and sharing common interests form the basis for optimal management and achieving results.

In the coaching process, an external coach joins the management team on the farm. The basis of this team is the farmer, veterinarian and feed advisor, possibly supplemented by employees and/or other farm workers. The aim of the coaching process is to strengthen the triangle on the farm and to start working in a structured way on the set objective.
Using the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology, the management team will set goals and execute actions under the coach’s guidance. In subsequent meetings, the actions are evaluated and adjusted if necessary.

E-learning: Get started with your Multi-Actor Farm Health Team

[Heleen Prinsen]

Metholody of behaviour models:

We always work with the ‘triangle’ but there are very different behaviour models that are used in veterinarian science.

The starting point is an integral behavioural model that captures both intrinsic drivers (of farmers, veterinarians, feed suppliers and other actors involved) to work on biosecurity or antimicrobial use or other ‘problems’ and external conditions that help determine whether an intended behaviour can actually be implemented. Intrinsic drivers include attitudes towards for example reducing antibiotic use, sensitivity to social pressure, perceived behavioural control and capacity (will I keep animal health under control if I no longer use antibiotics for my animals?) and risk attitudes and perceptions. External conditions are ‘outside’ characteristics beyond the person’s control such as, for example, laws and regulations, external markets and available knowledge. Also veterinarians or feed suppliers or other farmyard providers can be understood as ‘external factors’ because their attitudes and advice on antibiotic use can influence the decisions the livestock farmer makes about this.

[Anne-Christine Lefort]

Thanks Helen,
I think that the feed advisor stands when the farmer can choose him self his feed company (like in Belgium). In France for example, this is not the case, the farmer belongs to a production organisation that provides the feed. But in that case, the technician of the organisation visiting the farm regularly may be the 3rd person fo the “triangle”, right ?

[Heleen Prinsen]

it is good to make a stakeholder and influence mapping of a certain farm, and every farm has his/her own stakeholders mapping. From that perspective it is important to decide who has influence on what. And it is the role of the coach to have insights in these processes and is able to reflect and influence the process.
And in Belgium and France it is indeed necessary to have the technician of the organisation that visits the farm regularly, join the ‘triangle’. Because it is most of the time more than 3 persons I speak of the managementteam.

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