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 7647 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 195 ­ – Rice R&D 2016 Table 3: Trusted information sources Information source Example from data Local agronomists  These blokes, because I know them, because I’m from here and grown up with these guys. I trust them, like the agronomist to give me an honest opinion. And also because they’ve got no interest, they don’t sell the technology, so they’re not going to give you a bias there. (MIA, Grower 20) Rice industry  The people that do our R&D in the industry, they’ve got their finger on the pulse of all those things…. You’ve got to trust the people doing the research that they’re giving us the stuff that they think is the best, and I suppose that’s us choosing the right people to do our research and whether people are competent that are doing the job. (MIA, Grower 8) NSW DPI  [I trust the] DPI because they’re the most impartial. I mean you don’t trust your neighbours because they just want to brag about how good their crop is and it’s always been like that so you don’t take any notice of your neighbours. (CIA, Grower 8) Other growers  I trust a lot of farmers actually more than I will the people that sell [technology]. Your best point of reference is someone that’s already involved in it…. Other people in the district that have got new technologies, it’s always handy to talk to those and others that have started it. You gain a lot from that because they’re hands on, they’re using it, they can see, they come up with the pitfalls and whether it works or doesn’t. (Murray, Grower 23) 3. Trusted sources influencing decisions For rice growers, the adoption process is based first and foremost on trust. If a technology is being promoted by an individual or organisation that they trust, growers will be more likely to consider using that technology. Growers identified four key trusted sources: local agronomists, the rice industry (including SunRice, RGA, RRAPL, and RIRDC Rice R&D Committee), the NSW Department of Primary Industries, and other growers (Table 3). Conclusions Our findings suggest overall that there is no single ‘driver’ or ‘barrier’ to grower uptake of technology. While growers are keen on engaging with new technology, they experience a range of constraints and challenges, many of which are outside of their direct control. Growers seek to overcome or work around these challenges in different and often innovative ways. However, their capacity to adopt and adapt is dependent on support from a range of trusted agents and institutions. Our research shows that improving technology adoption in the rice industry is more complex than trying to change individual grower practices. It requires a broader approach that works with what growers are already doing to implement technology, and works through networks of trusted agents and institutions. Specifically, such an approach should: l  use locally credible, trusted, change champions/early adopters to demonstrate the financial and agronomic benefits of new technology (especially precision agriculture technology) l  encourage the use of paddock-level learning about new technology l  emphasise the options and shortcuts for growers in adapting existing technologies and systems l  work more closely with local agronomists and farm advisors in promoting new technology and encouraging farm-level adoption. RIRDC Project PRJ-009181 Social factors influencing technology adoption in the rice industry Further information Assoc Prof Vaughan Higgins T: 02 6051 9623 E: [email protected] l Growers find the adoption of precision agriculture technologies challenging due to the lack of demonstrated and proven benefits. Photo: SUNRICE l While growers are keen on engaging with new technology, they experience a range of constraints and challenges, many of which are outside of their direct control. Photo: SUNRICE