Balance commerce / knowledge

Since the "kick-off" 1st of May I have been thinking on how to proceed with the dairy network. I had it all neatly planned and thought out: if no-one would volunteer to co-develop the network I would phone some "allies" to invite them to help me think out the ´design´ and organise a first meeting. But I didn´t.

Writing the last post helped me discover why I couldn´t bring myself to actually do so. I feel that even "allies" have not discovered the potential of this network and the ICT possibilities. Consequently, I would probably still be putting in most thinking. There are very few, if any, who ever get work done by email, so design and organization work would imply travel. So probably it will cost less energy to try and get going with the whole group than to work in two stages, first the allies and than the rest.

But how to get going? I considered the tips and advice from knowledgeable sources: to try and get participants to email more lightheartedly by introducing games, like emails of only three words. Or to introduce subjects they would engage in more easily, like the upcoming soccer World Cup. But then, that would reconfirm the prejudice of some that email is only for babble.

Instead, I did something capricious. I noticed that a company for cow nutrition from Belgium is organizing a meeting on the 30th this month for their clients. Our email group at present holds 40 farms (many more than their clients) but is definitely of interest to them as potential clients. I had once, briefly, met the nutritionist and he struck me as quite knowledgeable and not the typical vendor type. So I phoned him and asked him to act as a guest in our email group. My idea is to introduce him on the blog/site, and then to initiate dialog between him and the group on the emailgroup.

Now why does it feel capricious? I want the dairy network to be a CoP, not just a commercial platform and certainly not an easy entrance for companies to sell more. I want farmers to be demanding, to be ´on the wheel´, not companies. I want the network to be self-financing and independent: a way to transform information into knowledge. Companies, if given access at all, should be genuinly interested to jointly develop knowledge.

An alternative option (not preferred by me, although the possibilities for financial rewards seem much shinier) is to be a commercial platform, a broker for (commercial) contacts. In that case, both farm members and supplying companies should pay to be given access to the network.

For either option I could be going the wrong direction: I am giving the network away to commerce before it even exist, and what´s worse, for free!

I haven´t decided yet whether or not to combine our meetings. There is a certain need for us to have a meeting, to keep up any momentum gained on the kick-off. Timing, location, the subject of the presentation and the lunch planned: the company´s meeting seems perfectly planned. Piggy-back or not? 

Why the dairy network might fail…

The reactions to my initiative to start a dairy farmers network are still very few and lukewarm. I see several reasons:

• Intended participants are dutch emigrants who decided to leave behind everything that was familiar to them in order to expand their individual farm. The first years have been a lonely struggle for most: both by nature and nurture these people are individualists, used to taking care of their problems by themselves.
• For most, easier times have arrived by now. There is no pressing common problem or need to address. Many may not perceive any added value of a network.
• Intended participants are not comfortable with expressing themselves by writing.
• Although most have an email connection, it seems to be used mostly by the younger parts of the families, and only for informal contact. Emailing is not yet integrated in business and therefor perceived as hobby.
• The dutch farming community is small and reigned by ´reputations´. Appearantly no-one feels the need to change the status-quo established….
• Earlier efforts to have a more traditional studygroup have quickly stranded.

Dairy CoP kick off

After having sent most of the potential members a number of informative emails, the 1st of May was the first "life" event for the network of dutch dairy farmers I am initiating. We made use of the yearly "Dia de Agricultura" which the embassy organises for the Dutch community in Portugal engaged in agriculture. Willem van Weperen came from the Netherlands to speak about his experience with networks in the dairy sector. He listed the advantages of networks: an efficient way of learning, a way to create financial value… he made extensive use of examples and pictures from his work with 11 groups of dairy farmers from Drente, who were federated in a network. He also gave tips for starting networks: to be patient as it takes time to become efficient…

Afterwards I briefly described the idea for a dairy network in Portugal. The highlights:

Objective of the network: improved company results, by jointly -getting access to information, -learning, and -innovation. Some elements of the network:

• network: to give and to get, active participation required
• as distances are large the website and email group are substantial part of contact and content
• gatherings probably 4 times a year
• group is self-steering: interest and initiative determine agenda

I also asked for email adresses of other potential members and for volunteers to develop this initiave into a concrete first meeting.

It was the first face-to-face opportunity for reactions. I had received not a single reaction on the emails and blog-posts. Reactions varied widely: tame, positive, reserved, welcoming, "not-for-me", expecting, cynical, positive. Hardly anyone was outright enthusiastic. A majority was reservedly positive.

I made a very clear point of not wanting to "pull the cart alone" but have not received any volunteers sending me more email adresses, let alone committee members.

Of course, this sends me to reconsider my ideas. However, I am convinced a network of dairy farmers has a great potential, for the following reasons:

• the community exists already, being a group of around 50 dutch dairy farmers in (southern) Portugal
• "blue ocean" surroundings: due to the fact that the area is not traditionally a dairy region, and large-scale modern dairy farming is quite new in Portugal, many services, which in the Netherlands are being provided by a multitude of other agents, are still lacking. A network could take up (or articulate the need for) these services. (e.g. price information, brokering, publishing, lobbying, integration in other systems).
• the Netherlands continues to be a dairy country with the traditionally strong knowledge system still working, but with a shrinking number of farmers: a huge "offer" of expertise, information, tools, project outputs, is available and only needs to be tapped to flow to Portugal. A network would facilitate this flow and enable the adjustments that maybe needed to apply this knowledge in different circumstances.
• Most portugese dairy farmers are somehow part of a "associação", and I know at least some of these to be flourishing.

Tomorrow I will try to list the reasons why it might NOT work.