Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 7645 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 195 ­ – Rice R&D 2016 Vaughan Higgins Charles Sturt University, Albury Melanie Bryant Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne W HILE it is widely recognised that there are high rates of technology adoption in the rice industry, little is known about how and why particular technologies are adopted by growers, and the challenges that growers face in making technologies workable on the farm. Research in Australia and overseas shows that social factors, ranging from farmers’ personal goals, knowledge and networks, to the broader cultural, environmental and economic context in which they make decisions, have a significant impact on why and how technologies are adopted. This research project reported in this article aimed to investigate such factors in the irrigation areas of the Murray Valley (Murray), and the Murrumbidgee (MIA) and Coleambally (CIA) irrigation areas to develop knowledge about what growers are already doing in response to market and environmental changes, and how the industry can work better with growers to maintain sustainable and competitive rice production in Australia. To investigate the social factors influencing technology adoption, 59 interviews were conducted with rice growers from each of the main rice growing areas between March and September 2015. Of the total growers interviewed, 25 were from the Murray Valley, 25 from the MIA, and nine from the CIA. Twenty interviews were also conducted with rice industry Adopting new technology to improve on-farm productivity and water efficiency is common practice amongst Australian rice growers. QUICK TAKE l  Little is known about how and why particular technologies are adopted by growers, and the challenges faced to make technologies workable on farm. l  Several factors were important in influencing growers to adopt new technologies but of most significance was the cost effectiveness of new technology. l  Growers use a range of strategies to work around the perceived risks associated with technology adoption, including informal learning from other growers and early adopters. l  Adoption by rice growers relied on information from trusted sources such as local agronomists, rice industry organisations, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and other growers. l Little is known about how and why particular technologies are adopted by growers, and the challenges that growers face in making technologies workable on farm. Photo: SUNRICE SOCIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION