McLaughlin, Martin M. (author / Senior Fellow, Overseas Development Council, Washington, D.C.) and Senior Fellow, Overseas Development Council, Washington, D.C.
Format:
Conference paper
Publication Date:
1978
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 34 Document Number: B03652
Notes:
James F. Evans Collection; Burton Swanson Collection, In: Proceedings of Special International Conference on Agricultural Technology for Developing Nations : farm mechanization alternatives for 1-10 hectare farms; 1978 may 23-24; University of Illinois, Urbana, IL. 1978.
7 pages., As the information revolution sweeps through the agricultural sector, extension professionals may be lagging behind their clients in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) such as social media, which could be a valuable tool for outreach and education. We surveyed sustainable agriculture stakeholders in California - extension professionals, county agricultural commissioners, and members of farm bureaus and producer groups - to measure their ICT behavior and attitudes. Drawing on diffusion of innovation theory, we characterized the innovation attributes of ICT that may influence the adoption and use of new technology among extension professionals. We also studied their demographic characteristics to establish whether there was a connection with ICT use. The main perceived benefit of ICT was that it can quickly reach larger, more diverse and more distant audiences. The perceived challenges included lack of professional support, the potential for misinformation on social media platforms, and the time requirements and technical complexity of technology use. Extension professionals experienced these challenges more than other sustainable agriculture stakeholders, creating a technology gap between extension professionals and their clientele. An ICT community of practice and clear organizational guidelines for measuring and reporting performance relating to ICT might help extension professionals dose the gap.
Byrnes, Francis C. (author / Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, cali, Columbia, S.A.) and Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, cali, Columbia, S.A.
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
1968
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 46 Document Number: B05605
Notes:
Francis C. Byrnes Collection, Excepted from "Some Missing variables in Diffusion Research and Innovation Starategy," The Agricultural Development Council, Inc., March 1968, 1-11.
