Abstract
AbstractThe exponential rise of information available means we can now, in theory, access knowledge on almost any question we ask. However, as the amount of unverified information increases, so too does the challenge in deciding which information to trust. Farmers, when learning about agricultural innovations, have historically relied on in-person advice from traditional ‘experts’, such as agricultural advisers, to inform farm management. As more farmers go online for information, it is not clear whether they are now using digital information to corroborate in-person advice from traditional ‘experts’, or if they are foregoing ‘expert’ advice in preference for peer-generated information. To fill this knowledge gap, we sought to understand how farmers in two contrasting European countries (Hungary and the UK) learnt about sustainable soil innovations and who influenced them to innovate. Through interviews with 82 respondents, we found farmers in both countries regularly used online sources to access soil information; some were prompted to change their soil management by farmer social media ‘influencers’. However, online information and interactions were not usually the main factor influencing farmers to change their practices. Farmers placed most trust in other farmers to learn about new soil practices and were less trusting of traditional ‘experts’, particularly agricultural researchers from academic and government institutions, who they believed were not empathetic towards farmers’ needs. We suggest that some farmers may indeed have had enough of traditional ‘experts’, instead relying more on their own peer networks to learn and innovate. We discuss ways to improve trustworthy knowledge exchange between agricultural stakeholders to increase uptake of sustainable soil management practices, while acknowledging the value of peer influence and online interactions for innovation and trust building.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Pollution,Ecology,Global and Planetary Change
Reference106 articles.
1. Alskaf K, Sparkes DL, Mooney SJ, Sjögersten S, Wilson P (2020) The Uptake of Different Tillage Practices in England. Soil Use Manag 36(1):27–44
2. Alston J (2008) Research Lags Revisited: Concepts and Evidence from U.S. Agriculture. Economic History Association meeting. The Engines of Growth: Innovation, Creative Destruction, and Human Capital Accumulation, New Haven CT, September 12–14, 2008
3. Angell B, Francis J, Chalmers A, Flint C (1997) Agriculture and the rural economy: information and advice need. ADAS report for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Land Use and Rural Economy Division, London
4. Arbuckle JG, Roesch-McNally G (2015) Cover crop adoption in Iowa: the role of perceived practice characteristics. J Soil Water Conserv 70(6):418–429
5. Badgley C, Perfecto I (2007) Can organic agriculture feed the world? Renew Agric Food Syst 22(2):80–86
Cited by
70 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献