Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
potential adopters will be better able to assess probable outcomes associated with
adoption. If the innovation being assessed is perceived to reduce or eliminate identi-
fied problems, then it will tend to be perceived favorably and a positive attitude will
begin to evolve.
Once a positive attitude toward a specific innovation has been developed, other
factors become operative in the adoption decision-making process. Potential adopt-
ers begin collecting information about potential consequences of adoption at this
stage of the decision-making process. If information about specific innovations sug-
gests that benefits associated with adoption exceed costs, then the innovation being
assessed will continue to be considered for adoption. If the assessment of poten-
tial outcomes suggests that the costs of adoption will be higher than the benefits,
then it is highly probable that no further consideration will be given to that specific
innovation.
Assuming the assessment of possible outcomes is favorable toward a specific inno-
vation, the diffusion model argues that the adoption process will continue into the
next stage of decision making. Factors that are most important in the determination
of the outcome of the decision-making process at this stage are factors that influence
the ability of the potential adopter to act on the attitudes and perceptions that have
been developed about specific innovations. Adoption of innovations will not occur if
the potential adopter cannot implement a decision to adopt regardless of the desire
to do so. Many factors act as barriers and/or facilitators of adoption of innovations at
this stage of the decision-making process. The types of factors that can facilitate or
impede adoption of a specific innovation vary from individual to individual and from
innovation to innovation. Adoption of some innovations requires very little in terms
of material inputs, while others require extensive allocation of economic resources
to effectively implement. The nature of the inputs required to adopt an innovation
acts as a major consideration in the adoption decision-making process. Innovations
that require the commitment of extensive economic resources to implement tend to
be less-readily adopted.
The human skill level required to implement an innovation significantly affects
the outcome of the adoption decision-making process. Some innovations require
extensive human skills to adopt, while others can be effectively employed with lit-
tle training. Innovations that require higher levels of human skills to be effectively
implemented tend to be less extensively and more slowly adopted because potential
adopters often do not possess such skills. This barrier is further compounded when
institutional structures do not exist for potential adopters to obtain the needed skills
via education and technical training.
The perceived short-term and long-term impacts of adopting a specific innovation
are very important in the adoption decision-making process. The level of risk asso-
ciated with adoption of specific innovations varies tremendously. Innovations that
have the potential to threaten the socioeconomic well-being of adopters and their
families tend to be adopted more slowly, and the duration of the evaluation stage of
the decision-making process tends to be much longer.
Adoption of some innovations can result in extremely negative consequences for
the adopter, if expected outcomes of adoption are not realized. Innovations that are
more certain to produce beneficial outcomes will tend to be more quickly and more
