4

Data Collection Approach

INTRODUCTION

Previous chapters discussed the native seed supply chain and the information gaps identified by the committee. This chapter describes the committee’s data collection plans, based on the information already gathered and on the committee’s deliberations to date.

The committee expects to use a variety of mechanisms to collect the needed information, fitting each approach to the specific type, projected use, and availability of that information. Some information currently exists, and we will attempt to access it directly. Other types of information may not have been collected before but could be gathered with standardized questionnaires. Some information may be more appropriately obtained through qualitative data collection such as focus groups or individual interviews.

The main components of the committee’s data collection plan are listed below and are described in additional detail in the remainder of this chapter. They are:

• Obtain existing data that could inform the study;
• Collect data from seed suppliers, likely relying primarily on a standardized questionnaire
• Collect data from seed buyers, likely relying primarily on a standardized questionnaire; and
• Gather information about other parts of the supply chain, primarily in the form of interviews, focus groups, or presentations to the committee.

OBTAIN EXISTING DATA

To learn as much as possible about the native seed supply chain, the committee will attempt to obtain data that already exist in the form of administrative records at various agencies and other entities that are part of the supply chain. The committee is not aware of any existing data source that could provide a comprehensive picture of either the native seed supply or demand in the United States, but accessing this type of existing information can provide a granular view of some segments of the supply chain and enrich the committee’s understanding of a few specific market players.

The main sources of existing data identified to date by the committee are the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) consolidated seed buy records and potentially information about seed purchases from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Additional data sources may be added as the committee learns more about what is available.

COLLECT DATA FROM SEED SUPPLIERS

This section discusses both the type of information that the committee plans to collect from seed suppliers and the process for collecting this information.

Questions for Seed Suppliers

Below is a preliminary list of key topic areas identified for the data collection from seed suppliers on the basis of the committee’s deliberations to-date. These topic areas and the specific questions will continue to be refined by the committee over the course of the next few months and will be finalized in consultation with the data collection contractor selected to carry out the data collection. The final list will need to be determined (and very likely shortened) based on the appropriate questionnaire length to obtain maximum response rates and address any budget considerations. The key topic areas identified to date are:

• Operation type and demographic characteristics
• Species of native plants collected or cultivated
• Information about seed quantities sold, the inventories of unsold stock, and how long seed is held in inventory
• Information about the capacity for collecting seed
• Information about the capacity for growing seed
• Information about the capacity for storing seed
• Information about the capacity for cleaning seed
• Types of buyers, intended uses, and geographical area of use
• Types of contracting arrangements used
• Anticipating demand
• Factors considered in production decisions
• Other questions about challenges and potential solutions

Data Collection Approach

The committee will refine the data collection process based on additional research describing the population of seed suppliers and the feasibility of contacting them in a systematic way. This refining will be accomplished through the following steps.

Step 1: As described in previous chapters, there are multiple types of entities that are involved in supplying native seed in the United States. An important initial step will be to understand what types of entities are most relevant for the purposes of this study.

Step 2: It is unlikely that it will be possible to conduct a survey based on a sampling frame that accurately and completely represents the entire population of native seed suppliers in the United States. However, lists of subsets of this population exist and can be used to define target subpopulations. As part of this step, the committee will assess the availability, coverage, and overall quality of the available lists of seed suppliers with the goal of conducting a census of these populations—in other words, sending a questionnaire to everyone on the lists.

Some examples of sources with lists of seed suppliers that appear to meet the criteria of providing a reasonably accurate and complete representation of a specific subpopulation (even if not the entire population) appear below. The committee will continue to seek out and evaluate

additional lists of sources as it proceeds. Given that some suppliers will appear on more than one list, duplicates will be removed from the lists as much as possible before use. The potential sources of lists of seed suppliers include:

• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nursery and Seed Directory (Native Plants Journal list)
• BLM seed vendor lists
• USFS seed vendor list
• American Seed Trade Association’s Environmental and Conservation Seed Committee
• Native Seed Network

Step 3: Based on the findings from steps 1 and 2, the committee will assess the need to create additional lists of seed suppliers or to enhance existing lists. These efforts will likely focus on obtaining adequate contact information for names on lists from existing sources.

Step 4: The committee will consider a variety of mechanisms to collect data from seed suppliers and will identify the most suitable approaches. If it is determined that it is possible to develop reasonably comprehensive lists that meet the committee’s needs, the primary data collection method for this population will likely be a census. The potential quantitative data collection may be supplemented with qualitative data collection methods, such as individual interviews or focus groups, or qualitative methods might be used instead of the census if a list of acceptable quality cannot be developed.

Step 5: In preparation for fielding the data collection, the committee will: (1) develop a data collection instrument (questionnaire or interview guide), (2) develop formal data collection and analysis specifications for the data collection, and (3) identify a subcontractor to carry out the data collection. Work on some of these tasks (e.g., identifying a data collection contractor) will likely begin in parallel with the prior steps. The committee will decide which specific tasks will be delegated to the data collection contractor, but it will maintain oversight of all activities, including: instrument design, pretesting, and basic analyses.

COLLECT DATA FROM SEED BUYERS

This section discusses both the type of information the committee plans to collect from seed buyers and the process for collecting this information.

Questions for Seed Buyers

Below is a preliminary list of key topic areas for the data collection from seed buyers, as identified by the committee’s deliberations to date. These topic areas and the specific questions will continue to be refined by the committee over the course of the next few months and will be finalized in consultation with the data collection contractor selected to carry out the data collection. As was the case for the seed supplier questions above, the final topics and questions are expected to be determined (and likely shortened) based on the appropriate questionnaire length to obtain maximum response rates and address budget considerations.

The key information to be collected from seed buyers includes:

• Buyer type and characteristics
• Frequency and volume of native seed purchases
• Purposes of native seed purchases
• Types of native seed purchased (species, whether source was identified, etc.)
• Decision-making criteria for what species or type to buy
• Availability of the types and quality of seed sought
• Sources of information about native seed availability
• Planning horizon; ways of communicating longer-term needs to potential suppliers
• Buyer’s capacity for storing seed
• Buyer’s capacity for cleaning seed
• Decision making in restoration project planning
• Types of contracting mechanisms used
• Institutional barriers to expanding the list of seeds purchased
• Other questions about challenges and potential solutions

Data Collection Approach

The committee will refine the data collection process based on additional research describing the population of seed buyers and the feasibility of contacting them in a systematic way. This will be accomplished by following the same steps as described for the seed suppliers above.

The buyer side of the native seed supply chain is dominated by a few large agencies that are relatively easy to identify as buyers, and they are joined by numerous smaller buyers of different types. To the extent that lists can be constructed for different categories of buyers, it may be possible to conduct a census and gather information from the buyers using a standardized questionnaire. For the large agencies it will be necessary to understand their organizational structures in order to know at which administrative and geographic levels (probably multiple levels) decisions regarding native seed buys are made and whether the data collection will need to be customized to capture differences in operations.

Below are some of the types of larger buyers that are likely to be included in the data collection:

• Federal agencies, including BLM, USFS, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Defense
• State public agencies such as state departments of transportation, state forest agencies, and state wildlife and conservation agencies such as the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
• Tribes controlling large acreage of tribal lands such as the Navajo, Tohono O’odham, White Mountain Apache, San Carlos Apache, Hualapai, Mescalaro, Pine Ridge, Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, Fort Peck, Crow, Blackfeet, Flathead, Osage, Nez Pierce, Colville, Yakima, and Uintah/Ouray nations

Among the smaller buyers for which it will likely be difficult to construct lists, the committee identified city governments, energy development and utility companies and their contractors, farmers and ranchers enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program,

nongovernmental organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and wildlife advocacy organizations, and land trusts. For some smaller buyers, qualitative data collection methods (such as individual interviews or focus groups) might be used.

GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER PARTS OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN

As discussed in prior chapters, the seed supply chain includes other key players, such as permit issuers, seed developers, seed collectors (such as Seeds of Success), seed cleaners and extractories, seed certifiers (for example, individual state certification agencies that are members of the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies), seed analysts, seed banks, seed warehouses, seed consolidators and vendors, and procurement and contract agents. Additional information will be needed from those entities as well as from the agencies that make regulatory policy, provide technical advice or funding for restoration, and conduct or support research. Input from these entities can further inform the committee’s understanding of the seed supply chain and its limitations. Due to the large variation in the missions, activities, and characteristics of these entities, the committee’s approach to gathering this input will be in the form of individual interviews, focus groups, case studies, and other forms of qualitative information gathering to be customized over the coming months. The committee will also attempt to collect existing administrative data relevant to these parts of the supply chain, as described above.

Other Public Input

Because it will not be possible to design a data collection process that will include everyone who might want to provide input, a call for comments will be posted to the study page on the National Academies website, and the link to the input form will be circulated on relevant mailing lists. This will enable any interested party to submit comments to the committee before it completes its final report.