Sheila Cooke
Member
@Kiwi Pete have you come across Hugh Jellie at Caring Dairying? They are an accredited Savory Institute hub in New Zealand. I'd like to encourage you to connect your neighbour with Hugh, because Hugh can help him open up further to new ways of thinking.Is there a group to point them towards? @Sheila Cooke has repeatedly suggested we set up as a Savory training hub once we get settled.
I believe that what you are seeing is the most effective, if slow, way that holistic management will spread: by farmers observing their "mad" neighbours doing better than they are and asking questions.
Alan says we must make it happen much faster than that though if we are to address the climate issues in time.
Perhaps the writing IS on the wall for the bloated Ag supply and conventional "education" industry.
Caring Dairying, LTD
Email us: [email protected]
Another thought is to recommend to your neighbour to watch this video by Allan Savory. Allan told me that this video has done more to turn people on to managing holistically than any other thing he has ever done.
How to green the world's deserts and reverse climate change | Allan Savory
You give a really interesting description of the state of mind of your neighbour, which reminds me of the work my husband, Christopher, does in human change. There are six signs of readiness for change in humans:
1) Potential -- the mind is open and has the potential for more complex thinking.
-- Just by having the conversation with you, he's indicating his mind is becoming more open. Your comment, "he looks over the fence with jealousy as he can see the system working for us now, although it 'didn't really seem to make any sense' to him for a while", is indicative of a mind that is starting to open up.
2) Solutions -- problems related to current and previous life conditions are resolved.
-- His comment, "He's really searching for something different," indicates he's ready for new solutions to his existing problems.
3) Dissonance -- the inability to respond to emergent life conditions leads to dissonance and a need for change.
-- His comment, "busting a gut and not really getting anywhere", indicates a high degree of dissonance -- which is great. We often require something negative pushing us to make change. We could describe his state as, "I know something needs to change, but I'm not sure what."
4) Barriers -- the barriers to change are identified and overcome.
-- 'That which we know to be true,' is often our biggest barrier to change. This is particularly true for adult farmers who have done things the way they were taught by parents, grandparents, universities, and governments. In order for him to continue making change he is going to have to do a lot of unlearning, so that his mind can be freed up to learn something new. This is what we call, 'removing the barriers to change'.
5) Insight -- new awareness about possible root causes and potential options emerges.
-- You are providing him with new insights that something better is possible through your demonstration on your farm (this is awesome!) Once he starts to hear and see these same insights from other farmers, he will start to believe them. When we hear new ideas from at least 3 different people, we start to wonder if there is any truth in it. This is a key reason it's important to link up with Hugh.
6) Consolidation -- consolidation and support exists for the transition.
-- It's really common, once a person starts down the track of change, to revert back to old ways of thinking and doing once it's all going well. To complete the change requires continuous positive reinforcement. Having you as a neighbour will be great for him!
By the way, here's another organisation in New Zealand which I believe are managing holistically. Are you aware of them? First Light