Using farmer’s information seeking behaviour to inform the design of extension

Dairy farmers in the Central Goulburn Irrigation District used information seeking behaviour to collect a range of information from a number of sources when they were considering adopting centre pivot irrigation (CPI). The information that was sought depended on where the farmers were in the decision making process. General information on CPI function, price, performance and site requirements was collected from a range of sources early in the decision-making process. As the farmers sought to determine how CPI would perform in their unique farm environment their search for information became increasingly specific. The final stage of the information search was very specific and related to price, features, technical specifications, finance and permit conditions. The findings of this small, preliminary study suggest there was a common pattern to the farmers’ information seeking behaviour in regard to the type of information sought and the sources of information used. This knowledge can be used to design extension that will enable the farmers to obtain the information they need from fewer sources. This will save the farmers time and effort, and potentially hasten the adoption process. An example of a web-based extension program that has been designed using these concepts is provided.