Micro-level clusters in the Australian dairy industry: The case of collaboration in the Central Murray region
Stephanie Miller
Senior Lecturer, School of Management, Victoria University, Melbourne VIC
PP: 451 - 462
Abstract
Discussion groups in the dairy industry are a vital forum for knowledge transfer amongst dairy farmers. Discussion groups are made up of people engaged in the business of dairy farming and they can be classified as micro-level clusters. Micro-level clusters are collaborative networks of individual firms (Boekholt & Thuriaux 2000). In these clusters dairy farmers absorb and disseminate knowledge from professional agronomists, veterinarians, government advisers and research institutions.
This paper explores the practice of small dairy farmers working in clusters to share knowledge and know-how. The study was conducted in the Central Murray dairy region of Victoria, Australia.
Keywords
micro-cluster; Australian dairy industry; dairy discussion groups; knowledge transfer; skills transfer; public policy; collaborative networks
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