Survey of agricultural professionals - a report to the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science

Abstract

The Council of the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science (NZIAS), acting on the recommendation of its Membership Committee, decided in 1983 to carry out a survey of people involved in the agricultural profession. The objective of the survey was to identify the interests of agricultural professionals with regard to their need for an organisation to represent their interests and provide them with a vehicle for professional contact. Over recent years, the NZIAS has been developing its role as a representative of the professional agriculturalist. It was considered by the Council that the effectiveness of the NZIAS within the agricultural community would be enhanced if it were offering services attractive to agricultural professionals and therefore gaining increased membership. It was therefore considered essential that the NZIAS should offer the type of activities required by the potential membership. In order to identify the requirements of people within the agricultural profession, it was decided that a survey of those people should be undertaken. The survey was to concentrate on areas where the NZIAS could offer a service to members and on some of the existing activities of the NZIAS, in order to ascertain the profession's attitude to those activities. Information of this type would only be available through the results of a survey of participants in the sector. Based upon the results of the survey, the NZIAS Council would make decisions as to the future activities of the NZIAS in accordance with the preferences expressed by the participants in the agricultural sector. Through providing an improved service to those participants, it was anticipated that growth in membership would result. With increased NZIAS membership, the NZIAS would have a greater potential effectiveness in carrying out the wishes of its membership. The Membership Committee, which was comprised of Dr Harvey Smith, Mr John Hayman and Mr Ron Sheppard, undertook to carry out the required survey. The Committee was given a budget limitation of $1,000. It was recognised that the ideal survey would involve coverage of all people active in the agricultural profession. However, given the budget constraint, it was decided that a more limited sample would be necessary. The intention in choosing an appropriate sample was to obtain the widest coverage possible while at the same time keeping the cost within the budget constraint. The need for a representative result was considered an important factor.