Methodology on the needs analysis

Transcription

1 Methodology on the needs analysis Annex I.30 to the Pilot project: exchange programmes for young farmers Client: European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development Rotterdam, 25 September 2015

2

3 Methodology on the needs analysis Annex I.30 to the Pilot project: exchange programmes for young farmers Client: European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development Marie-Jose Zondag (Ecorys Netherlands) Carolien de Lauwere (LEI-Wageningen UR) Peter Sloot (Aequator Groen & Ruimte) Andreas Pauer (Ecorys) Rotterdam, 25 September 2015 Disclaimer: The information and views set out in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Commission. The Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this report. Neither the Commission nor any person acting on the Commission s behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.

4 About Ecorys At Ecorys we aim to deliver real benefit to society through the work we do. We offer research, consultancy and project management, specialising in economic, social and spatial development. Focusing on complex market, policy and management issues we provide our clients in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors worldwide with a unique perspective and high-value solutions. Ecorys remarkable history spans more than 85 years. Our expertise covers economy and competitiveness; regions, cities and real estate; energy and water; transport and mobility; social policy, education, health and governance. We value our independence, integrity and partnerships. Our staff comprises dedicated experts from academia and consultancy, who share best practices both within our company and with our partners internationally. Ecorys has an active CSR policy and is ISO14001 certified (the international standard for environmental management systems). Our sustainability goals translate into our company policy and practical measures for people, planet and profit, such as using a 100% green electricity tariff, purchasing carbon offsets for all our flights, incentivising staff to use public transport and printing on FSC or PEFC certified paper. Our actions have reduced our carbon footprint by an estimated 80% since ECORYS Nederland B.V. Watermanweg GG Rotterdam P.O. Box AD Rotterdam The Netherlands T +31 (0) F +31 (0) E netherlands@ecorys.com Registration no W 2 NL MJZ/OV

5 Table of contents 1 Introduction 5 2 Questionnaire about the needs of young farmers in the EU Member States 7 3 Data analysis of the survey 13 Methodology on the needs analysis 3

6

7 1 Introduction The Pilot Project: Exchange programmes for Young Farmers has been commissioned by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) to identify the needs of young farmers, get an overview of the existing exchange schemes for young farmers and develop a guide to establish or improve exchange schemes for young farmers. The study has been implemented by Ecorys in cooperation with LEI and Aequator Groen & Ruimte in This annex describes in more detail the methodology used to obtain the data of the needs analysis. During the period between December 2013 and April 2015, the following sources of data and knowledge have been consulted by the project team on the needs of young farmers: Literature study and desk research on exchange schemes; Study of publicity and communication on exchange schemes; Interviews with stakeholders throughout the EU; Survey among young farmers in 28 Member States; Focus group meetings and consultations in 28 Member States. This annex contains: The complete questionnaire which has been used for the interviews with the young farmers throughout EU-28 (chapter two); The approach used for the data analysis (chapter three). More information on the number of farmers interviewed can be found in the main report I. All reports related to the needs analysis of young farmers can be found at the DG AGRI website: Methodology on the needs analysis 5

8

9 2 Questionnaire about the needs of young farmers in the EU member states Respondent number: Country: District/ Region: 1. What is your age?. if the farmer is 40 or older, you can ask whether there is also a young farmer working on the farm who is 16 or older. If that is not the case the interview will be ended. 2. Do you (or your parents) sell most of the products to the market? Yes/ No 3. What is the main economic activity at your farm? (choose one option) Field crops (e.g. cereals, oilseeds, vegetables); Permanent crops (e.g. vineyards, olive groves, orchards); Grazing livestock (dairy cows, cattle, sheep, goats and other ruminants); Horticulture; Granivores (pigs and poultry); Mixed crops (field crops and permanent crops); Mixed livestock (grazing livestock and granivores); Mixed crops and livestock; Other (please mention). 4. Do you perform other agricultural and non agricultural activities? Forestry Permanent crops (e.g. vineyard, olive groves, orchards) Field crops (e.g. cereals, oilseeds, vegetables) Horticulture Grazing livestock (dairy cows, cattle, sheep, goats and other ruminants) Granivores (pigs and poultry) Production of local special products Agro-tourism Farm-shop Direct selling in the market (all possibilities, including milkomats) Other (non) agricultural activities (please mention) Methodology on the needs analysis 7

10 A. General needs of young farmers 5. How easy/ difficult is it for you to obtain the following resources? Difficult Neutral Easy Don t know/ n.a. Land to buy Land to rent Commercial credit EU subsidies (like direct payments) Direct payments Machinery Qualified labour Seasonal workers Advice of extension services Advice of private consultants Access to new and useful knowledge Other (please mention) B: Knowledge needs of young farmers 6. Would you like to improve the following skills in the coming five years? Disagree Neutral Agree Don t know/ n.a. Marketing skills Economic skills Communication skills Networking skills Develop a farm strategy Obtain specific technological knowledge necessary for the farm Entrepreneurial skills (such as analysing, pursuing and openness) Improve farm performance Other (please mention) 7. How likely is it that you are going to develop the following skills through trainings, courses, workshops, study groups or participation in an exchange scheme*? Unlikely Neutral Likely Don t know/ n.a. Marketing skills Economic skills Communication skills Networking skills Develop a farm strategy Obtain specific technological knowledge necessary for the farm Entrepreneurial skills (such as analysing, pursuing and openness) Improve farm performance Other (please mention) * Exchange schemes are initiatives to mobilise farmers to spend a certain amount of time on another farm in order to improve his/her knowledge and/or to get acquainted with different technologies, methods, machinery, processes, etc. and for which an implementation structure is set up. 8 Methodology on the needs analysis

11 C. Needs of young farmers with regard to learning and communication 8. How do you like to obtain knowledge? Individual advise of advisor (e.g. feed adviser, accountant, bank, veterinarian etc.) Disagree Neutral Agree Don t know/ n.a. Farmers journal Reading and looking for information on the internet Working with tools or participating in discussions on the internet Participating in workshops (once with a group of other farmers) Joining a study group or network (more than once with the same group of farmers) Participation in an exchange scheme* (Agricultural) training or course Field days / excursion / fair Social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or similar) Online training/ e-learning through the internet Other (please mention) * Exchange schemes are initiatives to mobilise farmers to spend a certain amount of time on another farm in order to improve his/her knowledge and/or to get acquainted with different technologies, methods, machinery, processes, etc. and for which an implementation structure is set up. 9. How important are the following persons or institutions to receiving information on agricultural topics for you? Not important Neutral Important Don t know/ n.a. Farmers associations Political parties or party organizations Agricultural consultants and advisors Local government (e.g. municipality, regional assemblies) National government (e.g. ministries) Veterinarian Input supplier (feed, fertiliser) Other farmers Buyer/ customer Educational institutes, schools Research Accountants Banks Other (please mention) Methodology on the needs analysis 9

12 10. What hinders you in obtaining information? Not true Neutral True Don t know/ n.a. Interest Time (e.g. don t have time to search for information ) Technical aspects (e.g. missing or bad internet connection) Costs (e.g. too expensive subscription fees) Language (e.g. interesting sources are not translated into your language) Other (please mention) D: Suitability of exchange schemes to address the knowledge needs and farmers interest in participating to these. (Exchange schemes are initiatives to mobilise farmers to spend a certain amount of time on another farm in order to improve his/her knowledge and/or to get acquainted with different technologies, methods, machinery, processes, etc. and for which an implementation structure is set up.) 11. Did you participate in exchange schemes and other trainings, workshops and courses before (other than your regular education) Exchange scheme(s)? If yes, which exchange scheme(s)? (open question)... Did you improve your skills after participation in an exchange scheme? Yes/ no Did you learn by the exchange scheme what you wanted to learn Yes/ no 12. Participation in an exchange scheme abroad is for me Unrealistic Neutral Realistic Don t know/ n.a. Useless Neutral Useful Don t know/ n.a. 13. Participation in an exchange scheme in my own country is for me Unrealistic Neutral Realistic Don t know/ n.a. Useless Neutral Useful Don t know/ n.a. 14. Within five years... Disagree Neutral Agree Don t know/ n.a. I will join an exchange scheme abroad I have the intention of joining an exchange scheme abroad I will join an exchange scheme in my own country I have the intention of joining an exchange scheme in my own country 10 Methodology on the needs analysis

13 15. What is your opinion about exchange schemes? Unlikely Neutral Likely Don t know/ n.a. Joining an exchange scheme will improve my farm results cost me a lot of money improve my entrepreneurial skills improve my family income cost me a lot of time be a valuable experience for me improve my networking skills improve my marketing skills Other (please mention). 16. Would the following hinder you in participating in an exchange scheme? Not true Neutral True Don t know/ n.a Lack of skills Lack of knowledge Lack of money Lack of time No replacement on my farm Language barrier E: Farmer s features 17. How can you best describe your situation in relation to the farm? [choose one option] I work on the farm with my parents as an employee but I am not the owner yet; I have a partnership with my parents (we own the farm together); I am the owner of the farm; I work on a farm as an employee (not my own farm or my parents farm); Other (please mention) 18. What is the highest general education that you have finished? [choose one option] No schooling completed; Basic education (primary school); Secondary education; Vocational Education and Training (VET); Higher (college, university); Don t want to say. 19. Do you have an agricultural or veterinary education or an education in forestry? Yes, I have an agricultural education; Yes, I have a veterinary education; Yes, I have an education in forestry; No. Methodology on the needs analysis 11

14 20. Area of the farm Number Total ha of utilised agricultural land (UAA) owned by you Total ha of utilised agricultural land (UAA) rented by you Total ha of forestry owned by you Total ha of forestry rented by you 21. Do you have a certified organic farm? Yes; No 22. The area in which my farm is located, can be classified as [choose one option]flat/favourable; Less favourable ; Hilly or mountainous / highly unfavourable ; NATURA 2000 / Nature Parks/National and regional parks; Don t know. 23. Do you know another young farmer (aged under 40) in your surrounding who we can interview? If yes, can you give us his or her phone number? The European Commission wishes to have an overview of farmers contacted for verification reasons, do you have objections to providing the European Commission with your name and phone number? (your answers will only be presented in aggregated form, so no individual answers will be shown to the client). Yes; No 12 Methodology on the needs analysis

15 3 Data analysis of the survey The survey data on the needs of young farmers in the EU Member States has been analysed in seven steps: 1. First, the crosstabs procedure of SPSS 20.0 is used with Pearson s Chi 2 tests to check whether the answers of the farmers are affected by country, EU region, moment of accession to the EU, agricultural sector, education level, farm situation, type of area, type of farm and the distribution method of the survey; 2. In step 2 of the analysis, the qualitative answers to the questions were recoded into quantitative answers by giving the positive answers a score of 2, the neutral answers a score of 1 and the negative answers a score of 0 and by changing the no answer category into a missing value. This was necessary to enable further analysis of the data; 3. Subsequently a factor analysis with principal components and a varimax rotation was carried out to reduce the number of variables; 4. After that, a reliability analysis was carried out to check whether the constructs generated from the factor analysis were valid and had a Cronbach alpha a measurement of the validity of a scale of 0.60 or higher (Reynaldo and Santos, 1999; Colémont and van den Broucke, 2008) 1. These procedures made it possible to combine 10 questions about general needs in 4 constructs (combination of variables) (land, labour, knowledge and legal issues), 10 questions about knowledge needs in 2 constructs (entrepreneurial skills and technical and managerial skills), 9 questions about knowledge sources in 2 constructs (internet and interactive knowledge sources) and 6 questions about information sources in 2 constructs (knowledge institutes and external experts). Besides this, 6 questions about the expectations of exchange schemes could be combined in 1 construct regarding the positive aspects of exchange schemes, 4 questions could be combined in a construct regarding attitude about exchange schemes and 4 questions could be combined in a construct regarding the intention to join a(n) (inter)national exchange scheme. The underlying table gives an overview of the constructs, the variables on which they are based and the Cronbach alphas. Variables which could not be combined in a construct were kept as separate variables in the further analyses. 1 Colémont, A., Van den Broucke, S., Measuring determinants of occupational health related behavior in Flemish farmers: an application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Journal of Safety Research 39, 55-64; Reynaldo, J. and Santos, A., Cronbach s Alpha: A tool for assessing the reliability of scales. Journal of Extension 37 (2). Methodology on the needs analysis 13

16 Constructs (combined variables) on the basis of the factor- and reliability analysis, the variables on which they are based and their Cronbach Alphas* Construct No. of items Variables on which construct is based Cronbach Alpha General needs Land 2 Land to buy or rent 0.76 Labour 2 Qualified labour, seasonal workers 0.68 Knowledge 4 Extension services, private consultants, knowledge, 0.70 useful trainings Legal issues 2 National inheritance law, other legal issues 0.71 Knowledge needs Entrepreneurial skills 4 Marketing, financial, networking and communication skills 0.76 Technical and managerial skills 6 Skills related to development of farm strategy, skills to obtain technological knowledge, skills to improve animal welfare, environmental skills, skills to apply for subsidies, management skills 0.74 Sources to obtain knowledge Internet 3 Participation in discussions on the internet, online 0.64 training/ e-learning, social media Interactive sources 6 Workshops, study groups/ networks, agricultural training, 0.71 field days/ excursions, exchange schemes Information sources Knowledge institutes 2 Research institutes, schools 0.63 External experts 4 Agricultural consultants, veterinarian, accountants, banks 0.60 Expectations of exchange schemes Positive aspects of exchange schemes 6 Improve farm results, management skills, family income, networking and marketing skills, valuable experience 0.78 *variables which did not fit in a construct are included separately in the analysis. 5. The next step in the analysis was to perform a two-step cluster analysis on the basis of the young farmers intention to join a(n) (inter)national exchange scheme. The analysis revealed that two intention levels could be distinguished. The silhouette measure of cohesion and separation as shown by SPSS appeared to be good (SPSS 20.0). On the basis of the two-step cluster analysis, a k-means cluster analysis was performed in each country in which the number of clusters was set to two. The cluster scores were saved. These were related to young farmers who had a relatively high intention to join a (n) (inter)national exchange scheme and young farmers who had a relatively low intention to do so. They are referred to as high and low Intenders; 6. Subsequently, data were analysed by means of a univariate ANOVA analysis to find out whether the farmers scores on the general needs, knowledge needs, knowledge sources, information sources, hindrances to obtain information or to join an exchange scheme, attitude about exchange schemes and perceived positive and negative aspects of exchange schemes differed between high and low intenders; 7. Finally, Pearson s Chi 2 -tests were performed to test whether relationships existed between intention level and EU region, moment of accession to the EU, education level, farm situation, type of area and type of farm. 14 Methodology on the needs analysis

17

18 P.O. Box AD Rotterdam The Netherlands Watermanweg GG Rotterdam The Netherlands T +31 (0) F +31 (0) E netherlands@ecorys.com W Sound analysis, inspiring ideas BELGIUM BULGARIA CROATIA - HUNGARY INDIA THE NETHERLANDS POLAND RUSSIAN FEDERATION SPAIN TURKEY UNITED KINGDOM