Adoption drivers:

1. Adoption drivers: Understanding the adoption constraints and drivers of on-farm change • NEELS BOTHA DNZ Seminar, Newstead, Hamilton, 3 March 2011

2. Method • Reviewed NZ adoption research • Identified: • Themes • Main drivers/constraints • Report

3. Main points • On-farm change: • If what you are doing now is not working: STOP! Find a better way. • To overcome adoption constraints you need to: • Understand your customers/clients • How they think and what they do • Know the business of your customers/clients • How the business works • Know (work out) how to use 1 and 2 to encourage change

4. Starting Point • Rationality • People are rational decision-makers, so they... • seek optimal solutions • but they lack the resources and time, so they... • simplify their available choices • Decision-making • Comes before adoption • Happens at two levels: • Intuitive = “in the head” calculations/assessment. • Deliberate = use tools, do a “formal” assessment. • Motive • Reasons and excuses (invalid reasons - often based on non-critical thinking)

5. Our research shows • When deciding to adopt/reject technologies (ideas) farmers (individuals like us) consider drivers and constraints • Once they are aware of the technology/solution • If they dislike the outcome, the technology / idea gets shelved • If it fails the test (consideration) – no adoption • These considerations are very important if you want to achieve on-farm practice change

6. Areas of consideration • Individual /person • Attributes of the technology/solution under consideration • Context

7. person-related (self) considerations • Am I convinced there is a problem? • Am I responsible or can/will someone else deal with it? • Am I convinced the “solution” will actually solve the problem? (perception = reality) • Can I do this? (knowledge, skills, experience, energy) • Self-efficacy • Confidence • What happens... if I fail (...if it fails)? • Fear of failure

8. Based on personal questions / barriers • What could be done do overcome these barriers?

9. What to do? • Convince there is a problem: • Size, impact, cost, “hassle” factor... • Benchmarking and gap analysis • Responsibility • Talk to the right person / decision-maker • Make aware (animal welfare and environmental problems) • Convince that the solution will work? • Examples of success • Objective data/information • Trusted individual • Link to best practice • Foster a sense of confidence (fear of failure is linked to competence, perfectionism) • Personal (this is not too hard) • System support makes it easy • Address procrastination (impact worsens, costs, opportunity goes away...)

10. Considerations about the solution • WIIFM (“What’s In It For Me?”) • People try to figure out two things: • the value proposition • how well the solution fits their goals • Dairy farmers trade 3 things off (value proposition): “time” “work” “money”

11. Based on considerations about the solution • What can be done about this?

12. What to do? • Have answers ready about the impacts of your (the) solution on: • Time • How much time does it take? • How much time does it save? • What is the value of the time gained or lost? (family/other work/rest...) • Work • Who will be doing the work? • How long will it take (time)? • How hard is it (effort)? • How difficult is it? (complexity) • How much energy does it take (time/effort/difficulty) • Does it require extra staff? • Money • Costs • Benefits • Savings • Have examples of the interplay (T/W/$)ready • Show how solution will help achieve goals

13. context related considerations • Context has to do with: Having and Doing • ”What I have” • Infrastructure / hardware • Cows • Grass • Money • Records • “What I do - with what I have” • Activities

14. context related considerations • How well does the solution fit “What I have” (e.g. Infrastructure) • Fences • Races • Water • Shed(s) • Shelter • Housing • Vehicles • Office, computer, telecommunication... • Etc.... • How well does the solution fit “What I do with what I have” (activities) • daily? • seasonally? • Records, accounts, decision-making, family, move cows, feed animals, milkings, ......

15. Based on context related considerations • What could be done about this?

16. What to do? • Have answers ready about the impacts of the solution on: cows, grass, infrastructure.... • Have answers ready about the impacts of the solution on activities: • Daily • Seasonal • Annual

17. Main points • On-farm change: • Do you know if what you are doing is actually working? • If it is not working: STOP! Find a better way. • To overcome adoption constraints you need to: • Understand your customers/clients • How they think and what they do • Know the business of your customers/clients • How their businesses work • Know (work out) how to use 1 and 2 to encourage change

18. Things to think about • Whose behaviour do you want to change? Why? • Does a one-size-fits-all approach to on-farm practice change actually work? • Why is providing information / knowledge the most used but not always the best approach? • How to get clients from intuitive to deliberate decision making? • What is the best way to know the impact of my own efforts to get something adopted? • Why is knowing farmers’ goals so important? • Can we ever know how “a farmer” makes decisions? • What is the biggest weakness in your own mental model about on-farm practice change?