Understanding kiwifruit management using causal mapping

Abstract

Causal mapping was used to document how the 36 participating kiwifruit orchardists described and explained the management of their orchards. This approach asks the participants to identify the factors which are important to the management and performance of their orchards and to link these on a map. An aggregated or group map was produced from each of the individual orchardist maps. Data from the group map were used to characterise the overall orchard system as well as each of the three management systems being studied. A predominant finding is the degree of similarity in the maps of growers from across all three panels. Despite these overall findings, there were still differences operating between the three panels of growers. The overall group map reflects a production orientation and that the kiwifruit system is perceived as more of a management system rather than an environmental one. Organic orchardists produced a group map having the most distinctive qualities but they also shared a small number of distinctive characteristics with Gold orchardists. Both used more connections and more double arrows compared to Green. We conclude that the evidence supports the claim that at the aggregate level of the 36 kiwifruit orchardists the orchard system is not overly complex but at the level of each individual orchardist it is complex. Further, orchardists do not show a high level of holistic thinking about their orchard.