Innovative Farming Practices and Information Sources. An Analysis of Trends in the United Kingdom’s Arable and Livestock Farming

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Abstract

The adoption and diffusion of innovations are closely related to farmers’ characteristics and to the interaction and knowledge sharing with influential agents for the adoption of innovations. This introductory paper analyses the adoption trends of innovations by 28 farmers (15 arable and 13 livestock farmers) and the role of influencers as sources of information for the adoption of eight innovations in a UK survey. The results show, on the one hand, that some of the most innovative farmers are linked to older ages, while, on the other hand, networks composed of formal and informal actors may influence a higher adoption rate of innovations. The adoption rate and speed of innovations have proven to be a useful element of analysis in combination with the average degree of network centrality, thus facilitating the interpretation of the relationship between the farmer and the influential actors.

Published

2023-01-11

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Artículos