The Rural Voice, 2019-01, Page 18 It was the last place I would have
imagined turning for answers.
A few years ago, my brother,
sister-in-law and I developed a
summer investment strategy. We
bought day-old turkeys from the local
co-op and fed them table scraps for
months.
But as the turkeys grew, questions
arose. Could turkeys eat watermelon?
Did turkeys need to be moved inside
during a thunderstorm? Were racoons
a threat to turkeys?
For answers, we turned to a
network of people who had embarked
on small-scale turkey ventures
before. They provided insight on the
best way they thought turkeys could
thrive. Still, some of our precise
questions couldn’t be answered by
those wisened by experience.
When we were left wanting more
information, there was the Internet,
of course, to search for answers. Yet,
often the search results were
overwhelming and it was hard to tell
which sources were reliable.
Our little quest for answers was
often abandoned and we were left to
trial and error.
The way farmers search for
information has driven dozens of
researchers around the world for the
last three decades.
Over the past few months, I’ve
read many of their studies. I’m
embarking on a Master’s degree in
Library and Information Science and
reading research studies that identify
the way farmers look for information
and the barriers they face when they
pursue it.
Often, demographic and
geographic context plays a huge role.
For instance, a study in
southwestern Ontario in the 1990s
looked specifically at the way female
farmers gathered agricultural
information. After interviewing 42
female farm owners, University of
Western Ontario researcher Gloria
Leckie found that women often faced
social stigma when trying to get
agricultural information in person.
Male farmers had fewer problems
when approaching fellow farmers or
farm advisors for information or
advice, Leckie stated. Women, on the
other hand, were often met with
raised eyebrows when seeking
information in-person. Study
participants reported their legitimacy
as a farmer was often questioned as
they were performing a non-
traditional gender role. In order to
avoid the social stigma, several
female farmers relied on family
members who were also farmers or a
veterinarian, who was non-
threatening and nonjudgemental, to
provide in person information. When
those sources couldn’t provide the
information required, female farmers
often read books, magazines or other
print sources in an attempt to get new
agricultural information. Sometimes,
they, too, were simply left to trial and
error.
Of course, Leckie’s study was
conducted before the widespread use
of the Internet and I imagine if it
were conducted again, she would
find something similar to what Julia
Laforge of Lakehead University and
Stephan McLachlan from the
University of Manitoba found.
Laforge and McLachlan’s 2018
study looked at how new organic and
ecological farmers in Manitoba and
Ontario gained information. This
group of farmers embracing
“permaculture, organic, biodynamic,
ecological and holistic management”
farming often lacked readily -
available information and were
spread far apart. Laforge and
McLachlan discovered that social
media often enabled these farmers to
form groups online to share
information and experiences, ask
questions, learn from one another and
build a digital community of support.
However, Laforge and MacLachlan
highlighted that often answers
weren’t available within social media
14 The Rural Voice
Can turkeys eat
watermelon?
Mark Nonkes is
a former Huron
County writer
who works with
aid organiz-
ations across
the world.
Viewpoint
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