Orkney farmers urged to volunteer for goose management study

Farmers in Orkney are being encouraged to participate in a new study, being undertaken by the University of Stirling, designed to identify new and potentially beneficial land and goose management strategies.

Researchers from the university have developed a pioneering method – known as the ‘Goose Game’ – to help understand farmers’ preferences and decisions when it comes to managing their land.

The approach sees groups of four farmers use tablet computers to manage their own digital farming landscapes. Each farmer makes decisions, which, in turn, affect farm yields and goose populations in subsequent rounds of the game.

The team arrived in Orkney in February to develop and trial the ‘Goose Game’ with members of the Scottish Government’s Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate (SGRPID) and the Local Goose Management Group.

Experts from Stirling’s Faculty of Natural Sciences believe the innovative approach will help to identify new and potentially beneficial management strategies for farmers in the Orkneys – and are now appealing for more farmers to get involved.

Dr Sarobidy Rakotonarivo, Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Biological and Environmental Sciences, led the development of the game. She said: “After a successful pilot, we are now excited to come back to work with farmers in Orkney over the coming months.

“Understanding farmers’ decisions and preferences is key to implementing evidence-informed policies and practices that will ultimately be much more effective and acceptable to farmers.”

The team need to run between 40 and 50 games, involving around 200 local farmers. The researchers will make their first trip to the isles between May 29 and June 6 – before further visits take place later in the year.

Dr Isabel Jones, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, added: “We have been overwhelmed with the help and positive feedback that we have received for this project so far. We are very thankful to everybody who has participated.

“We want to work with as many farmers in Orkney as possible; as this is the only way we will generate enough data to understand the potential strategies.”

Anyone who wishes to participate, or to find out more about the study is asked to contact: sarobidy.rakotonarivo@stir.ac.uk, i.l.jones@stir.ac.uk, or call 07803 766 146.