'Decent dairying' - Findings from a Change Laboratory process to reduce fatigue on New Zealand dairy farms

Abstract

New Zealand dairy farming has been contemplating adopting a ‘decent work’ model as a response to excess levels of fatigue. Fatigue at work can kill or cause serious injury or impairment of cognitive powers. Dairy workers are disadvantaged by their remoteness from the enforcement of labour standards, together with reluctantly compliant small employers. Using Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and Finnish Developmental Work Research (DWR) tools, our research addresses fatigue and stress with plans to support cultural change. Initial ethnographic fieldwork is complete and workshops to explore long term, practical solutions to the problems of overwork, fatigue and stress are underway. A farmer-led approach to establish ‘decent dairy farming’ practices, based on what a ‘decent’ dairy farm has, what a ‘decent’ dairy farm does, and what characterises a ‘decent’ dairy farm employee is promising. Precise implications of this work for farming systems extension and research are still evolving.