Building the foundations for better rodent management.

01 / In development

Farmer experience study

We are developing a survey to understand rodent pressures, current practices, outcomes, and gaps in support. The intended scope includes farms of all types, wherever they are located.

The questionnaire is under review. Findings will help shape the Exchange’s priorities and future resources.

We welcome collaborators to help design the survey and partners to support its promotion and distribution among farming communities.

Farmers can also leave an email address to hear when the survey is ready.

02 / In development

Building the marketplace

The marketplace begins with a substantial data challenge. We plan to gather, connect, validate, and maintain the regulatory, agricultural, ecological, and intervention data needed to recommend rodent-management options for a particular place and setting.

What the data needs to explain

• Regulations and use contexts. What methods and products are allowed, where, and under which conditions, including restrictions, exemptions, and relevant certification requirements.
• Crops and rodent pressures. Which crops are commonly grown locally, which rodent species are present, and how different crops attract or support those rodents, including variation across seasons and farming practices.
• Local owl ecology. Which owl species occur in an area, what they eat, their habitat and nesting requirements, and the evidence for whether supporting them could contribute to rodent control in that setting.
• Methods and implementation. Evidence on effectiveness, animal welfare, ecological effects, cost, and maintenance, connected with products, specialist services, and vendors able to support implementation.

Building this foundation means making information from different sources comparable, retaining its source and date, identifying gaps and uncertainty, and keeping it current. Farmer and practitioner experience will help ground the work alongside research and authoritative records.

The aim is to turn this evidence into recommendations users can understand and act on, then connect them with suitable products, services, and recommended vendors. The data foundation and recommendation approach are in development.

03 / In development

Building a community forum

We are planning a community forum where farmers can ask questions, receive answers, share experience, and collaborate on rodent-management challenges.

The forum will connect farmers with one another and with practitioners and researchers, creating a place to learn together and find practical support.