Research Method and Safeguards

Status:	Draft roadmap; primary research not commenced
Source file:	01 Scoping/06-primary-research-plan.md
Sensitivity review:	Completed
Purpose:	This page sets out the method and safeguards for later Phase 3 primary research. It replaces the earlier method page with a broader research governance and publication-control summary. No primary research findings are available because Phase 3 has not commenced.

Research Principles

• Use semi-structured interviews, forms or workshops only after approval.
• Record stakeholder category, geography and assessment perspective for every contact.
• Distinguish fact, estimate, experience and opinion.
• Treat interview comments as leads unless corroborated.
• Include dissenting views, failed cases, non-adopters and reasons not to proceed.
• Avoid leading questions, promotional framing and assumptions that hemp is viable or beneficial.

Safeguards

Safeguard	Requirement
Consent	Participants should understand the purpose of the research, how information may be used and what will not be published without permission.
Privacy	Names, contact details, raw notes and identifying details must remain outside the publishing layer.
Commercial sensitivity	Prices, volumes, contract terms, margins, buyer requirements and processor capacity should be published only in aggregated or permissioned form.
Evidence classification	Findings should identify source type, geography, product pathway, perspective, confidence and follow-up required.
Neutrality	Research and education outputs must present risks, uncertainty, no-adoption logic and unresolved gaps.
Review before publication	Any primary-research-derived content must be reviewed for privacy, commercial sensitivity and reputational risk before entering docs/.

Interview Streams

Stream	Objectives	Evidence sought
Producer interviews	Understand farm-gate economics, agronomy, risk and adoption barriers.	Gross margins, input needs, labour, machinery, compliance, buyer access and failure points.
Supply-chain interviews	Verify demand, prices, specifications, processing, logistics and market depth.	Price ranges, specifications, capacity, terms, freight and processing costs.
Technical, regulatory and political interviews	Verify agronomy, regulation, policy settings, program fit and evidence transferability.	Trial interpretation, crop management, compliance burden, policy constraints, funding/program alignment, soil, water and environmental indicators.
Comparator interviews	Test opportunity costs against existing land uses.	Alternative enterprise economics, labour, risk, water use and environmental baselines.
Landcare and community engagement	Assess strategic fit, member value, communications risk and GBLC role options.	Role options, concerns, education needs, partner appetite and social licence issues.

Publication Rule

Primary research can be published only as reviewed, anonymised and consent-appropriate summaries. The publishing layer must not include raw contact sheets, raw interview notes, personal details, private comments or commercially sensitive information.