The Social Contexts of Weed Management Practices

          The agricultural sociologists have a long history of studying farmer decision-making.  Much of the early research in this field fell under the Diffusion of Innovation framework, which was focused on... [ view full abstract ]

          The agricultural sociologists have a long history of studying farmer decision-making.  Much of the early research in this field fell under the Diffusion of Innovation framework, which was focused on identifying the individual characteristics of “progressive” farmers who were early adopters of modern agricultural technologies.  Over time, this research field has evolved in various ways.  One was is a widening focus that is no longer solely concerned with the adoption of new technologies, but also includes how and why farmers adopt new farming strategies, such as sustainable agricultural practices.  Another is that researchers now also examine the social contexts that farmers find themselves within, including structural position and social networks, in order to develop a more nuanced understanding of how farmers make decisions.  The research presented herein utilizes a quantitative approach to examine the conditions that are associated with how farmers select weed management strategies for their farms.