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Papers by bruce small

Land Use Policy, 2016

In New Zealand, local governments are tasked with both sustainably managing natural resources and... more In New Zealand, local governments are tasked with both sustainably managing natural resources and supporting adoption of practices and technologies for environmental outcomes. Unfortunately, farmers in New Zealand lack trust in advice on environmental performance provided by local governments. Hence, local governments may seek to partner with others to disseminate information about environmentally friendly practices and technologies to farmers. Empirical evidence indicates that New Zealand farmers are more likely to adopt new practices after seeing them successfully demonstrated; therefore, local government would do well to partner with those who have tried the practices themselves and those with large farmer networks. In this paper, we use unique survey data to identify the characteristics of such "innovators" and "connectors". We also identify the characteristics of individuals who trust environmental information provided by local governments. We find that sex, age, education level, financial robustness, farm size, and the number of distinct land uses are correlated with both innovativeness and connectedness. However, among these characteristics, only education and financial robustness predict trust in environmental information provided by local governments.

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2015

This study provides empirical evidence of the link between outlook and practice among farmers, fo... more This study provides empirical evidence of the link between outlook and practice among farmers, foresters, and growers in New Zealand. Specifically, we use a large, nationally representative survey to assess how foci on production and environmental outcomes influence the adoption of six good management practices aimed at increasing agricultural sustainability. We then show that while environmentally oriented and production-oriented decision-makers are statistically more prepared to take risks, all rural decision-makers are more likely to adopt new technologies and good practices after seeing their relative advantages successfully demonstrated. Next, we show that social and professional networks are small, often limited to five or fewer operators, which begs the question about how the risk-averse operators become informed about good practice. Hence, we ultimately analyse trust in order to identify other credible demonstrators or informants. We find that veterinarians are the most trusted source of information and that government (at all levels) is the least. Downloaded by [Ruakura Agricultural Center], [Bruce Small] at 12:48 07 December 2015 B. Small et al. Downloaded by [Ruakura Agricultural Center], [Bruce Small] at 12:48 07 December 2015

Genetic Engineering - Basics, New Applications and Responsibilities, 2012

... species. Racehorses, domestic cattle, show dogs and the staple grains are prime examples of c... more ... species. Racehorses, domestic cattle, show dogs and the staple grains are prime examples of centuries and even millennia of breeding to slowly bend nature to the aesthetic tastes and teleological desires of humans. In the ...

International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management, Mar 20, 2015

AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Research Centre, East Street, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton, New Zealand... more AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Research Centre, East Street, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton, New Zealand and CIRAD, UR Hortsys, Boulevard de la Lironde TA B-103/PS4, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France Fax: +33 4 67 61 57 81 E-mail: claudine.basset-mens@cirad.fr * ...

Every extension strategy, like the actions of individual extension staff, reflects particular wor... more Every extension strategy, like the actions of individual extension staff, reflects particular world views about the nature of knowledge and truth. These worldviews become the (usually) hidden assumptions about why we are doing extension, and why we prefer particular methods or approaches over others. Extension has a long heritage in science, and applying objective measures of reality. This has been based upon one (usually positivist) way of viewing the world, nature, and how to address the agricultural issues that have arisen.

A recently implemented research and development program; Co-learning and Co-innovation to Achieve... more A recently implemented research and development program; Co-learning and Co-innovation to Achieve Impact in New Zealand's Biological Industries (Primary Innovation for short) aims to stimulate innovation in the New Zealand agricultural sector, which is an important contributor to the New Zealand economy, mainly through exports. The program is attempting to implement coinnovation principles, based on an Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) approach, in five Innovation Platforms (IPs), evaluate the processes and outcomes, and influence the national innovation system to enable implementation of co-innovation in practice. Three streams of work are used; an academic stream that translates between theory and practice, an application stream responsible for implementing co-innovation principles in five IPs and the Community of Practice, a stream responsible for "scaling up" i.e. influencing and stimulating change at the innovation system level. Reflexive monitors in the IPs and leadership team ensure that co-innovation principles are applied and that adaptive management occurs. The use of reflective practice in the program ensures that co-innovation principles are consistently used at all levels. This paper describes how the program was implemented and highlights the lessons learned during the first 14 months of the program against a backdrop of AIS theory, principles and practices.

Outlook on Agriculture, 2014

Our conclusion is that 'learning by doing' is essential in operationalizing coinnovation. Its pra... more Our conclusion is that 'learning by doing' is essential in operationalizing coinnovation. Its practical implications still need to be translated into institutional changes in the national R&D structures so that policies, instruments and incentives enable co-innovation. It is envisaged that the higher-level innovation platform will drive these changes.

Public Understanding of Science, 2005

An assessment was undertaken of the attitudes of individuals within the science community towards... more An assessment was undertaken of the attitudes of individuals within the science community towards a program to produce genetically modified cattle for altered milk composition, expectantly allowing for research into the treatment of multiple sclerosis in humans. The majority of respondents to an electronic survey expressed favorable attitudes to the program, thought it beneficial, respected individual freedom and was fair and just and disagreed that it was harmful. A passion for science and having a suitable lifestyle were the most important motivating factors for individuals. Finally, there were a wide range of responses to a number of cultural beliefs or myths. Science grouping significantly affected the responses. Compared with Systems and Land groups, Plant and Reproduction groups more strongly agreed with the project, thought it less harmful to interest groups, felt that genetic modification of animals was more morally acceptable, and more strongly agreed with the myth statements. These results indicate a diversity of beliefs and attitudes towards genetic modification amongst those within the science community, and highlight the importance of understanding ethics and myths in dealing with them. It is suggested that the diversity of beliefs could be better used to help shape public policy and understanding of biotechnology.

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2005

... How consumers form attitudes, and how these affect purchase intentions, is a complex and ... ... more ... How consumers form attitudes, and how these affect purchase intentions, is a complex and ... Religious affiliation was: Christian 54.8%; Buddhist 1.4%; Hindu 1.4%; Muslim 0.4%; Other 5.1%; and No ... The Purchase Intention scale had a mean of 13.79 ± 5.73 (P <0.001, d = 0.57). ...

Proceedings of the Technologies, Publics and …, 2004

Cross-species genetic engineering is considered in order to examine the rights and responsibiliti... more Cross-species genetic engineering is considered in order to examine the rights and responsibilities of science in society. A distinction is drawn between two principle types of argument that dominate the debate; intrinsic and extrinsic arguments. The paper focuses primarily on intrinsic ...

Land-use in New Zealand poses risks to water quality in streams and lakes, yet there have previou... more Land-use in New Zealand poses risks to water quality in streams and lakes, yet there have previously been few tools used in New Zealand to predict the effects of land-use change at catchment to national scale. The CLUES spatial decision support system has been developed recently to assist with the assessment of land-use change on water quality, farm economics, and employment. The system incorporates a number of existing models from several research providers, ranging from models of leaching at the farm scale to national regression-based models. An early application of the model is the identification of catchments where the receiving surface waterbodies are at risk from nitrate sources. Several extensions of the system are underway to improve the usefulness for local decision-making. These include making the spatial resolution of land-use finer, adding mitigation and land management options, and increasing the number of environmental measures provided by the model, and linking these measures to a values framework. This will improve the utility of the model for integrated catchment management.

Social sustainability is a component of the sustainability construct. We discuss the nature of so... more Social sustainability is a component of the sustainability construct. We discuss the nature of social sustainability of new technologies considering what this might mean for emerging, controversial technologies. Next, to consider the social sustainability of a new GM rye grass, we compare the results of a series of surveys, conducted in each of the following years, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2013. These surveys examined public moral values towards, the use of GM technology for food and medicine, GM rye grass, feeding GM forage to food animals, and the consumption of milk and meat products derived from animals fed on GM rye grass (with and without consumer health benefits). Although demonstrating slight volatility, NZ public moral values have not changed substantively over the period of the surveys. While the public’s general moral values towards GM medicines are quite accepting (moral support is greater than opposition), their general moral values regarding GM food are wariness and slight repugnance (moral opposition is greater than support). Nonetheless, the majority are prepared to accept GM food under some circumstances (e.g., GMOs with specific useful attributes). They are less apprehensive about GM forage, but moral opposition is still greater than support, and moral concern about environmental impacts is evident. The public are more accepting of GM forage if human health benefits occur from consuming products derived from animals fed on GM forage or if there are environmental benefits from the cultivation of GM forages. Perceived positive consequences of the technology help mitigate general moral concerns.

... e-mail: bruce.small@agresearch.co.nz Andrea Murphy-McIntosh AgResearch, Private Bag 3123, Ham... more ... e-mail: bruce.small@agresearch.co.nz Andrea Murphy-McIntosh AgResearch, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton New Zealand Warwick Waters ... STRATEGIES Bruce Small, AndreaMurphy-McIntosh, Warwick Waters, Ian Tarbotton, and Neels Botha. ...

Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 2002

Criterion-related validities and inter-rater reliabilities for structured employment interview st... more Criterion-related validities and inter-rater reliabilities for structured employment interview studies using situational questions (e.g. ''Assume that you were faced with the following situation . . . what would you do?'') were compared meta-analytically with studies using past behaviour questions (e.g. ''Can you think of a time when . . . what did you do?''). Validities and reliabilities were further analysed in terms of whether descriptively-anchored rating scales were used to judge interviewees' answers, and validities for each question type were also assessed across three levels of job complexity.

New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2010

The exploratory study aimed to understand the range of community responses to three pest eradicat... more The exploratory study aimed to understand the range of community responses to three pest eradication technologies proposed for use in New Zealand and to examine community perceptions of past incursion responses, with the aim of improving future responses. Qualitative techniques were used to elicit information from a small group of people selected from the general public, the Department of Conservation and three government councils. Participants were fairly trusting of the basic information provided to them about the three technologies, and as a result were generally accepting of aerial spraying of pheromones and sterile insect technology. However, the use of aerial sprays presented some concerns. More in-depth information, the manner in which it was presented, and how the community was be included in the decision-making process were likely to be the significant influences in predicting the public response to eradication attempts in the future. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

In considering social, economic and ecological impacts of new technologies it is essential to sta... more In considering social, economic and ecological impacts of new technologies it is essential to start from an understanding of human nature. This paper explores this issue drawing out some implications for ecological and neoclassical economics.

Sustainability models are analysed and the ontological relationship between the dimensions of sus... more Sustainability models are analysed and the ontological relationship between the dimensions of sustainability are discussed. A sustainable values framework generated from some New Zealand research is presented. The focus is then narrowed predominantly to social sustainability and technological development. It may be argued that in democratic societies the science community and the government have a duty to take into account the attitudes, values and beliefs of the public, regarding development of Promethean technologies. However, attitudes, values and beliefs about technologies evolve and change across time, place and culture. Different stakeholder groups may contest sustainable development of a new technology in at least two different ways: firstly, facts regarding the effects of the technology may be disputed (i.e. the science is contested) and; secondly, normative values regarding the technology and its applications may also be contested.