A New Look at Adoption and Diffusion of Information Technology

Agricultural and applied communicators have long focused on distributing new production and management ideas to their agricultural clientele. The conceptual basis for their work is found in diffusion theory developed by Rogers and others in the early 1960s. Diffusion literature grew rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s as it described the path of technological innovation during a period of worldwide expansion in food production. Adoption studies presented a series of practical implications for communicators and change agents working in the agricultural sector. Despite its usefulness and widespread application, a number of criticisms have been leveled against diffusion theory over the past several decades. More recently, additional criticisms about its application to adoption of electronic information technologies – especially computers and their related networks – have arisen. Diffusion theory often treats members of large sectors the same. Infrastructure issues inherent to information technology (IT) adoption discussions are less visible and potentially more variable within such groups. More significantly, diffusion theory's inability to account for modern business practices and rates of change is a major concern in interpreting the diffusion of IT within agriculture. This is particularly relevant in examining drivers of adoption of E-Commerce practices by farmers. This paper proposes an alternative to diffusion theory that preserves strengths from opposing views of Everett Rogers and Lawrence Brown but makes diffusion more relevant to the understanding of the information environment in today's agriculture. Specific objectives are to: Ø review traditional diffusion theory against the backdrop of commerce activity driven by new information technologies Ø propose a conceptual framework for the diffusion of information technologies within the sector (we refer to this as " AgriCulture ") Ø empirically test core elements of the AgriCulture frame Ø identify research that is needed to more fully understand and apply this frame Ø present ways that applied communicators might use the outcomes Agricultural marketing and technology management literatures question whether agricultural businesses are willing and able to adopt the IT innovations needed to participate in the New Economy. This research examines factors influencing such firms' ability and willingness to apply new information technologies to commerce exchange in the context of unique infrastructure limitations. More importantly, it addresses the role of human capital variables – individuals' traditions, skills, and attitudes toward the technology – in adoption. These individual characteristics, and the physical behavioral uniqueness of this industry, form the " AgriCulture " framework for diffusion that is …