Recent research, undertaken by Scarlatti for Thriving Southland, sought to understand how selected catchment groups achieved success in their communities. This research also sought to document what is essential for enabling catchment-wide land use choices and decision making.
The research focused on four catchment group projects in Southland:
- Understanding Your Landscape’s Resilience: Beyond Regulation (Mataura Catchment Group)
- Targeted Solutions to Balfour’s Environmental Challenges (Balfour Catchment Group)
- Understanding the movement of nutrients (Edendale Catchment Group)
- Carbon Neutral Dipton (Greater Dipton Catchment Group)
The research process involved 11 interviews conducted with farmers and rural professionals involved in the four catchment group projects, and one interview with Thriving Southland staff.
How did these catchment groups achieve success?
1.) They were driven from the ground up
The research emphasised that the success of projects relied heavily on farmer engagement, however this engagement was not something that was built overnight. Time and patience were credited with being important factors in building farmer engagement. An example of the impact of patience and persistence was seen in the Balfour Catchment Group project which aimed to reduced groundwater nitrate levels in the Balfour Fan. This project achieved 100% involvement from key farms but this engagement came over a very long time. The conversation of the issue of nitrates in the Balfour Fan began nearly 20 years ago and continued with a few enthusiastic farmers pushing for progress over time. Progress was slow, however patience and persistence led to success in community engagement over time. Another key factor of this was that their project was focused on phases, which continued to build community engagement through increased understanding and bringing people on the journey over time.
The process of increasing farmer engagement is by no means straightforward, however the research emphasised that it is important to recognise progress in all forms, including increased farmer engagement.
‘To keep the momentum going, it’s essential to recognise progress in these less tangible areas. Sometimes, new catchment groups can be too eager to achieve on-the-ground change, either because of their strong social responsibility or through comparing themselves to other groups who have appeared to achieve more progress. Just as in farming, seeing actual results takes time. Start by understanding the problems first and use this time to build engagement.’The research also stressed the importance of starting with the willing, but also remembering to keep checking in and re-engaging with people, and offering opportunities for participation.
It was also emphasised that there is a need to ensure that community ownership of a project is maintained as it grows. As projects grow, more stakeholders get involved and there becomes a challenge of how to access resources without compromising the farmer-driven nature of catchment group projects. Those interviewed highlighted that industry organisations should recognise that their input has the greatest impact when it enables communities, not when trying to lead. Part of the success of the four catchment group projects in this research was that farmers were intentionally kept at the centre of the projects and encouraged to actively contribute their ideas, allowing for community to continue to take ownership of the project as it progressed.
Success of the projects in this research was also attributed to having a clear purpose. It was noted that defining what the group aims to achieve is important before seeking funding or going straight into action. Having a focus that resonates with those in the group means that there is a cause that people can rally behind. This leads to being able to keep people engaged, keep external stakeholders on task, and help reduce confusion.
2.) They were built on credible science
The research emphasised the importance of science for each of the catchment group projects, however what made the science most powerful was how it was delivered. This was through making science participatory, practical, as well as relevant to local conditions.
Grounding science in local realities was really important in order for the science to be useful. Local context, local data, and local relevance contributed to increased buy in as it gave farmers the confidence that the science was working for their benefit. Further to this, local context gave farmers the opportunity to ‘ground truth’ the science and make connections between data and their own land and systems. This did not always mean that the science confirmed what they already suspected, but it many have challenged their assumptions in a good way. Science being relevant to the local context also increased the personalised insights that farmers had across the projects. This allowed farmers to have access to more information, different ways of thinking, or allowed them to make informed decisions regarding their land and farm systems.
Another aspect of delivering the science well was that science was done with farmers, not to them. The projects involved the farmers in the process of data collection which provided opportunity for increased ownership and engagement with the project and its wider purpose. One example was the Carbon Neutral Dipton project which had farmers develop ideas for greenhouse gas modelling through brainstorming between case study and buddy farms. These ideas were then handed over to consultants to run the numbers. The research found that as more evidence emerged, there was an increase in farmer involvement with the data and the science. Other groups also found that farmers would take a more active role in the process, and that scientists or coordinators were rarely left to do the work alone.
In the context of farming, science needs to lead to practical solutions in order to have real impact. The report stresses that these actions can’t just make sense environmentally but need to make sense within the wider farm-system-context. Having science that is used to make ‘systems-aware’ solutions, that are practical in the context of farming and business is really important, and this often means that there is a need to ensure that information and discussions around costs is embedded in the process. Two of the groups recognised the importance of financial modelling in helping farms to make decisions so this was prioritised to ensure that it was understood how practice change could affect capital investment, farm working expenses and overall profitability. Focusing on the practical solutions also means that projects can be focused on what is doable. This is much more empowering and able to spark continued participation and buy in than those actions that seem too far out of reach and unworkable for farmers.
The report highlighted that the effect of science was that it helped farmers to understand their land in new ways, build trust in the process, and most importantly gave farmers the confidence to take action.
3.) They had the right people in the right roles
The research emphasised the importance of having the right people involved in the projects. There were some key attributes that were key for important stakeholders in the project process. These were:
4.) They made space for the things that can be overlooked
Part of the strength of success of projects for the four catchment groups was a strong focus on project management and extension of project outcomes – two things which can be easily overlooked.
As community projects often rely heavily on farmer volunteers, having the ability to have a project manager/coordinator in a paid role allowed for farmers to focus on the hands-on, community facing part of the project while having the logistics managed by someone else for the benefit of the group. Two of the projects had a paid project manager which allowed for a higher level of accountability. These project managers were someone already known by the community which was found to also increase the level of trust.
A success of the Carbon Neutral Dipton project in particular was its focus on extending visibility and impact beyond the catchment itself. In order to do this the group focused on extending their influence through:
- Planned communications, such as newsletters and field days, with a communications budget incorporated into their project funding
- Personal connections to further expand the projects visibility to other farmers in the community
- Buddy farm system – a unique structure that the group trialed. This sought to extend the benefits of the project beyond the case study farms, with buddy farms of neighbours or friends with similar farm types being involved in field days, project discussions, and following the journey more closely.
- Organic opportunities such as publicity as carbon being topical at the time of the project.
5.) They were backed by the support and resources they needed
A strong part of the success of these projects, and the catchment groups, was the backing and support of Thriving Southland. Thriving Southland is a community-led group with a vision to create a prosperous Southland, healthy people, healthy environment from the mountains to the sea. Interviewees in the research spoke to how Thriving Southland helped in many different ways, particularly through establishing a network of connected and well-supported catchment initiatives. Thriving Southland helped in ways such as:
- Oversight and knowledge-sharing
- Capability building
- Logistical and administrative support
- Access to expertise
- Advocacy
Some groups also found that they had great support from other external organisations such as industry bodies and catchment groups from other areas of the country, as well as those in paid roles such as project managers.
In addition to support, having access of funding is ‘undeniably essential’ for the success of the four projects in this research. Funding allowed the ability to access resources in the form of science and expertise, paid staff, and the ability to implement solutions on the ground. The report stresses that funding alone does not lead to success but that building on the other factors for success mentioned above is important for making a project, and catchment groups, meaningful and effective.
6.) They don't shy away from tough challenges
Not shying away from the touch challenges that come with parts of the catchment group and project process was another lever for success. Challenges came in multiple forms, however commitment to continue to face them was important for these projects.
One area of challenge was regulation holding back progress with interviewees reporting that they often were held back by regulatory hurdles, particularly when it came to installing wetlands or other edge-of-field mitigations. Interviews found that nearly all interviewees mentioned the difficulties with regional and central government policies and consent processes. The impact of this was challenges with the cost and complexity of gaining consent, demotivation of people willing to act, and rules that are disconnected with local realities.
Challenging conversations were also another challenge that catchment groups face, however it was found that some of the most difficult conversations in catchment groups are social in nature, not technical or scientific. The research found that there is ‘no silver bullet’ for these types of conversations but that the foundations for these tough conversations are build off the factors for success outlined in this research.
‘To continue to make progress, i.e. keeping these conversations ongoing while not being stuck in them, groups need to continue prioritising simpler solutions, having good science, and building a strong foundation of trust.’
Another area that was identified as not shying away from is relationships with local rūnanga. Many catchment groups see value in working more closely with local rūnanga but acknowledge that this hasn’t always been easy.
‘Several interviewees shared their plans for moving forward or reflected on their wish that they have involved rūnanga earlier, especially when planning projects like wetlands, where cultural and environmental values align. Interviewees recognised that the key is to keep engaging, even if progress feels slows. Invite rūnanga representatives to events and hui, include them in committees, and offer chances to visit mitigation sites. Small, respectful steps build the trust needed for stronger collaboration over time.’
The insights and learnings from this research into the success of catchment groups are something that all catchment groups will be able to take something away from.
For more on this research you can visit https://www.thrivingsouthland.co.nz/scarlatti-insights/
For more on Carbon Neutral Dipton, you can visit here.
For more on Understanding your landscape’s resilience: Beyond Regulation, you can visit here.