Challenging the Linear Approach: Effective and Efficient Communication of Agricultural Innovations
Keywords:
Agricultural Communications, Turfgrass Industry, Extension Professionals, Diffusion Of Innovations, Knowledge Management, Ag Communicator, Communication FrameworkAbstract
Agricultural innovation information has been traditionally communicated by Extension professionals, with dissemination practices informed by linear theories and models. However, effectively and efficiently communicating agriculture and natural resource (ANR) innovations, as well as those specific to the turfgrass industry, has not been approached in a non-linear fashion. Understanding the role of county-based and university-level Extension professionals is necessary to achieve clarity in communication efforts due to an often-seen overlap in the creation and dissemination of ANR and turfgrass information. Factors associated with the role of communicating agricultural and turfgrass innovations were analyzed using secondary data. Through the integration of multi- and interdisciplinary theories, the creation of a new communications framework one specific for effectively and efficiently disseminating and communicating turfgrass information - allows for a non-linear, holistic demarcation in, and understanding of, university-level and county-based Extension roles. Findings revealed that the role of the Ag Communicator must be considered for crafting communications to promote clarity and concise information transfer. However, additional research is needed to better understand how the Ag Communicator serves as a bridge between the information disseminator and the information creator.
References
Alavi, M. & Leidner, D. E. (2001). Knowledge management and knowledge management systems: Conceptual foundations and research issues. MIS Quarterly, 25, 107–136. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3250961
Bartunek, J. M., & Moch, M. K. (1987). First-order, second-order, and third-order change and organization development interventions: A cognitive approach. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 23(4), 483–500. https://doi.org/10.1177/002188638702300404
Charron, C., Favier, J. & Li, C. (2006). Social computing: How networks erode institutional power, and what to do about it. Forrester Research.
Chawla, S., Roshni, A., Patel, M., Patil, S., & Shah, H. (2018). Turfgrass: A billion-dollar industry. Proceedings of the National Conference on Floriculture for Rural and Urban Prosperity in the Scenario of Climate Change, 30–35.
Dobbins, C. E., Masambuka-Kanchewa, F., & Lamm, A. J. (2021). A systematic literature review of the intersection between social media and cultural identity: Implications for agricultural and environmental communication. Journal of Applied Communications, 105(2). https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2372
Doerfert, D., Evans, J., Cartmell, D., & Irani, T. (2007). Developing an international framework and agenda for agricultural communications research. Journal of Applied Communications, 91(3), 7–2. https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.1245
Evans, J. F. (2006). Roaming the changing theoretical landscape of agricultural communications. Journal of Applied Communications, 90(1), 15–32. https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.1288
Ferguson, A. E. (1994). Gendered science: A critique of agricultural development. American Anthropologist, 96(3), 540–552. https://www.jstor.org/stable/682299
Knickel, K., Brunori, G., Rand, S. & Proost, J. (2009). Towards a better conceptual framework for innovation processes in agriculture and rural development: From linear models to systemic approaches. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 15(2), 131–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/13892240902909064
Kurtzo, F., Hansen, M. J., Rucker, K. J., & Edgar, L. D. (2016). Agricultural communications: Perspectives from the experts. Journal of Applied Communications, 100(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.1019
Lamm, K. W., Borron, A., & Holt, J. (2019). Communication channel preferences: A descriptive audience segmentation evaluation. Journal of Applied Communications, 103(3), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2238
Lazer, D. M. J., Baum, M. A., Benkler, Y., Berinsky A. J., Greenhill, K. M., Menczer, F., Metzger, M. J., Nyhan, B., Pennycook, G., Rothschild, D., Schudson, M., Sloman, S. A., Sunstein, C. R., Thorson, E. A., Duncan J. Watts, D. J., & Zittrain, J. L. (2018). The science of fake news. Science, 359(6380), 1094–1096. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao2998
Li, C., & Bernoff, J. (2007). Social technographics: Mapping participation in activities forms the foundation of a social strategy. A Forrester Report.
Masambuka-Kanchewa, F., Lamm, K., Lamm, A., (2020). Beyond diffusion of improved technologies to promoting innovation creation and information sharing for increased agricultural productivity: A case study of Malawi and Kenya. Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 27(1), 79–92. https://doi.org.10.5191/jiaee.2020.27106
Militello, M., Janson, C., & Tonissen, D. (2016). InQuiry: A participatory approach for understanding stakeholder perceptions. The Foundation Review, 8(1), 88–107. https://doi.org/10.9707/1944-5660.1286
Million, A. J., Hudson-Vitale, C., & Moulaison Sandy, H. (2018). Restructuring and formalizing: Scholarly communication as a sustainable growth opportunity in information agencies. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 55(1), 377–386. https://doi.org.10.1002/pra2.2018.14505501041
National Turfgrass Federation. (2017). The turfgrass industry - Present and future. The National Turfgrass Research Initiative. https://www.turfresearch.org/pdf/Industry%20Turf%20Initiative.pdf
Nonaka, I., Borucki, C., Byosiere, P., & Konno, N. (1994). Organizational knowledge creation theory: A first comprehensive test. International Business Review, 3(4), 337–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/0969-5931(94)90027-2
Reuben, J. A. (1996). The making of the modern university: Intellectual transformation and the marginalization of morality. University of Chicago Press.
Rivera, W.M., Qamar, M.K. & Mwandemere, H.K., 2005. Enhancing coordination among AKIS/RD actors: An analytical and comparative review of country studies on agricultural knowledge and information systems for rural development (AKIS/RD). FAO. http://www.fao.org/sd/dim_kn3/kn3_050901_en.htm
Santos, P. L. F. D., & Castilho, R. M. M. D. (2018). Substrates in the development of a sports turfgrass “Tifton 419.” Ornamental Horticulture, 24, 138–144.
Stufflebeam, D. L. (2001). The meta-evaluation imperative. American Journal of Evaluation, 22(2), 183–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/109821400102200204
Tietze, S. & Dick, P. (2013). The victorious English language: Hegemonic practice in the management academy. Journal of Management Inquiry, 22(1), 122–134. https://doi.org/10.1177/105649261244316
Wright, B. D. (2012). Grand missions of agricultural innovation. Research Policy, 41(10), 1716 1728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2012.04.021
Worley, B., Peake, J., & Fuhrman, N. (2021). A quantitative approach to identifying turfgrass key players. Advancements in Agricultural Development, 2(1), 83–95. https://doi.org/10.37433/aad.v2i1.85
Worley, B., Peake, J., & Fuhrman, N. (2022). Perceptions of agricultural extension and communication professionals regarding current, preferred, and emerging communication channels: A qualitative study. Journal of Agricultural Education, 63(4), 22–38. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2022.04022
Worley, B., Peake, J. & Fuhrman, N. (2023). Identifying the behavioral intent to use social media through the application of UTAUT in ANR and turfgrass Extension. Journal of Applied Communications, 107(3), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.2469
