Profile of Farm Technology Adopters

To enhance their effectiveness as change agents, practitioners must understand the unique characteristics that describe the nature of their clientele. Two decades ago, Rogers and Shoemaker suggested conducting research on adopter characteristics to enable diffusion agencies to appropriately categorize and address adopter audiences. They analyzed research publications and summarized hundreds of empirical diffusion studies that either supported or didn't support more than four dozen generalizations about technology adoption. Their findings related various independent variables to innovativeness (dependent variable) that were then grouped into three categories of generalizations: (1) socioeconomic status, (2) personality variables, and (3) communication behavior. For example, a socioeconomic generalization states that earlier adopters are no different from later adopters in age; a personality generalization states that earlier adopters have greater empathy than later adopters; and the communication behavior of an earlier adopter includes more contact with change agents than that of a later adopter. This research produced five categories of adopters based on innovativeness: laggards, late and early majority adopters, early adopters, and innovators.1

My study sought to determine which of 15 generalizations (five from each of the three categories) selected from those studied by Rogers and Shoemaker were related to Pennsylvania farm operators' perceptions of their innovativeness. Could these generalizations be used to profile the different categories of adopters? A descriptive correlational study was used to examine the nature and strength of the relationships between the variables for a population of 24,546 Pennsylvania farm operators. After three unsuccessful attempts (no answer, unavailable, or not at home) to contact farm operators by telephone, the random selection procedure was reiterated twice (400 additional names, addresses, and telephone numbers) to secure the minimum sample of 197. Two hundred of the 279 (72%) farm operators contacted responded to the telephone survey conducted in Fall 1992.

An adopter characteristics questionnaire comprised of 15 attitudinal statements derived from generalizations defined by Rogers and Shoemaker and positively correlated with innovativeness was developed. A Likert-type five-point, bipolar scale required farm operators to rate the frequency of the following variables (1 = never, 5 = all the time): business travel, control of future, empathy, use of person for information, use of printed materials, risks, social travel, use of Extension, and use of Extension personnel.

A second Likert-type, five-point, bipolar scale required farm operators to rate the following variables based on importance (1 = not important, 5 = very important): new concepts and ideas, credit, education, learning new practices, positive changes, and scientific research. Three additional questions yielded the variables: years of education, acres farmed, and age of the respondent. The 15 attitudinal items were subjected to a Cronbach's reliability test post hoc that produced an alpha coefficient of .73. This reliability level allowed a summated index called "adopter score" that measured general attitudes toward adoption of innovations.

What traits ideally and accurately characterized these individuals? In this study, 69% of the explained variability in classifying farm operators into one of the categories of adopters was accounted for by three variables from the adopter characteristics questionnaire-the importance farm operators placed on: (1) scientific research and (2) learning about new concepts and ideas, and the frequency with which they (3) used personnel from other agencies and companies other than Extension.

Change agents should continue to seek out cooperators and collaborators they perceive to be innovators or early adopters. Despite the fact the data collected represents farm operators' perceptions, aren't farm operators' perceptions of themselves reality? This study affirms practitioners should target their educational programming efforts about new technology or practices to farmers. Change agents should seek out innovators or early adopters to provide the necessary leadership to have the greatest impact in implementing new practices.

This study also validated the notion that not all potential adopters of new technology use one information source exclusively. A multitude of information sources are available for farmers to use other than Extension. Individuals adopting new technology or practices go through five identifiable steps- awareness - interest - evaluation - trial - adoption- that have preferred information sources associated with each of them.2 Innovators may provide local trials for others to see after they've read technical and research publications. Educational programs dealing with new technologies need to be specifically designed for each unique group of adopters. In other words, some programs should be designed for specific audiences to inform or provide an awareness of the technology, while others should be designed to raise interest or evaluate the technology.

Scientific laboratories, such as those often found in industrial and agricultural research parks, agribusiness and agrichemical corporations, and biotechnology agencies have become purveyors of the types of technology, services, and information that, until recently, had been almost exclusively within Extension's domain. Effective change agents can use the information from this study to target both cooperators and collaborators, as well as prospective clientele, who may not have been previously identified.

1. E. M. Rogers and F. F. Shoemaker, Communication of Innovations: A Cross-Cultural Approach (New York: The Free Press, 1971). 2. H. F. Lionberger and P. H. Gwin, Communication Strategies: A Guide for Agricultural Change Agents (Danville, Illinois: The Interstate Printers and Publishers, Inc., 1982).

Figure 1. Agents' perceptions of importance and ability ratings.