As advisors on corporate issues management for the agriculture sector, Rivergum Communications spend time considering issues and potential problems on behalf of our clients.
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Globally, the agriculture industry is dealing with a range of "pain points" such as the vegan movement and farm protest actions, live exports, pesticides and ongoing pressure regarding genetic modification.
On many levels, issues arise from the fact consumers and decision makers are often far removed from rural areas and farming activities.
Global market pressures can have more immediate impact on local operations, regulation is increasing and new technologies are changing traditional practices.
At the same time, farmers and those who support rural industries can also be too removed in the way we prefer to communicate compared with what society is asking of us. We often tend to take a "let's just get on with it" approach rather than taking the time to address the issues and discuss solutions.
So, what does this mean for us as we try to engage, educate and inform? By deploying time and resources concentrated on where we can make the most difference, we have a better chance of ensuring the conversation is worthwhile and mutually beneficial.
We recommend focusing energy on communicating with the majority audience, those in the middle, who may not know all the ins and outs of an issue, but are not ideologically extreme on the topic. Make sure discussions are clear, consistent and comprehensive. Be inclusive, understanding and accepting of differences but also firm and knowledgeable of the facts. A purely logical response to an emotional issue often does not work.
It's been shown that as opposition to a topic increases, objective knowledge decreases, but self-perception of understanding increases.
It is important for rural industries tackling pressure from emotionally charged organisations to be clear on their facts, but deliver their arguments in an open, positive way.