Technology Adoption by Women in Agriculture

Title of Project

Technology Adoption by Women in Agriculture

Name of Advisor/s

Rachel Hay

College

College of Business, Law & Governance

Summary of Project

The adoption of rural technology is critical to increasing agricultural production. Graziers, both men and women, need to be supported in their efforts to work smarter not harder.  Commonly graziers make decisions via direct observation of cattle management parameters  (e.g. water levels, rainfall, and distance to bores, National Livestock Identification Systems (NLIS) data recording), as well as visual cues from stock. Adopting rural technologies can help reduce time and costs associated with direct observation and hands on farming. Understanding user acceptance of rural technologies is critical because it will provide points of interest, which can be used to create favourable perceptions and thus foster user acceptance and usage.  Access to technology also allows the rural community to remain in contact with each other, whether by social media, email or through other smart technology, making farming less isolating and more enjoyable.  The social position of isolated rural women and men, who rely on technology for communication, business management and productivity related tasks, shapes the understanding of problems associated with innovation and the adoption of rural technology amongst beef producers in Queensland.

The research aims to further establish women’s role in the diffusion of digital technology to beef production and changes in technology adoption over time. In addition, the research aims to explore and expand the notion that women using technology can reduce isolation within the farming partnership, particularly for men, reducing isolations effect on the well- being of the men, the women and the farming family and to explore the attractiveness of technological properties and technologies effect on staff retention and succession.

Keywords

Technology Adoption, Agriculture, Women in Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing, Human Dimensions, Cattle Grazing, Northern Australia

Would suit an applicant who

Has an interest in agriculture, human dimensions and technology adoption and who has an interest/skills in qualitative and quantitative data analysis skills