Using Behavioural Science to Enhance Extension and Adoption Outcomes for the Australian Chicken Meat Industry

Summary

The chicken meat industry aims to secure 100% adoption of biosecurity and animal health and welfare practices. Despite this vision, and well-established, proven, practices that support it, adoption remains a challenge across the industry.

Adoption decisions emerge from a complex interaction of factors including personal attitudes, beliefs, social norms, and broader industry and societal context. Behavioural science is a powerful tool for understanding these factors and developing strategies to enhance the uptake of new technologies, practices, and behaviours.

Evidn has helped pioneer the use of behavioural science in Australian agriculture to improve adoption outcomes, working in partnership with other R&D providers to amplify impact of extension and adoption programs.

This proposal builds on the success of the behavioural science approach and is not designed to standalone. If successful, Evidn proposes to engage with other successful applicants and existing extension and adoption activities to (1) identify how behavioural science can further amplify their impact, and (2) develop tailored behaviour change tools and strategies to support program outcomes.

The project will:

• Define the drivers and barriers to the adoption of biosecurity, health, and welfare outcomes throughout the chicken meat industry.
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Program

Chicken Meat

Research Organisation

Evidn Pty Ltd

Objective Summary

1. Identify the factors that facilitate or hinder the adoption of biosecurity, health and animal welfare practices across the chicken meat supply chain.
2. Deliver a behavioural science training program, designed specifically for the chicken meat industry workforce, to improve their skills, technical knowledge, and internal capabilities to overcome resistance to change and support enhanced extension and adoption activities.
3. Establish and integrate a M&E framework to track and assess the attitudinal, behavioural, and social drivers of biosecurity, health, and animal welfare practice adoption throughout the industry.
4. Ensure that behavioural science insights gained through the project can be widely disseminated and integrated into programs, projects, and activities in the chicken meat industry and other AgriFutures levied industries.