17 min
Vaughan Higgins and Farmers adopting technologies What's Sociology Got to do with it?
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- Social Sciences
Ever thought about how your food makes it way to your plate?
In his work as a sociologist, Vaughan Higgins studies the local, national and international forces that impact on farmers. That’s a fancy way of saying that he looks at why or why not farmers adopt certain technologies or change practices. But to Vaughan, this work cannot be done without thinking of the realities facing farmers. Adopting new technologies goes beyond simply knowing the technology exists, he argues--the farmers must know how it will benefit them and their farms and believe in its potential.
Without this understanding and optimism about new technologies, according to Vaughan, farmers will continue doing things the way they always have, not interested in any alternatives. And so, this is how Australia ends up with the stereotype of the old man farmer, the guy not interested in anything sustainable or renewable--just because it’s new, he’ll reject it. In this episode of What’s Sociology Got To Do With It?, Vaughan calls on Australians to move beyond this stereotype and consider why farmers may not be able or willing to adopt new technologies--and the role researchers and scientists play in this.
If you want to contact Vaughan, he can be reached through the University of Tasmania, where he is an Associate Professor of Sociology. His e-mail is vaughan.higgins@utas.edu.au. Vaughan’s work can also be found through his ResearchGate profile.
Ever thought about how your food makes it way to your plate?
In his work as a sociologist, Vaughan Higgins studies the local, national and international forces that impact on farmers. That’s a fancy way of saying that he looks at why or why not farmers adopt certain technologies or change practices. But to Vaughan, this work cannot be done without thinking of the realities facing farmers. Adopting new technologies goes beyond simply knowing the technology exists, he argues--the farmers must know how it will benefit them and their farms and believe in its potential.
Without this understanding and optimism about new technologies, according to Vaughan, farmers will continue doing things the way they always have, not interested in any alternatives. And so, this is how Australia ends up with the stereotype of the old man farmer, the guy not interested in anything sustainable or renewable--just because it’s new, he’ll reject it. In this episode of What’s Sociology Got To Do With It?, Vaughan calls on Australians to move beyond this stereotype and consider why farmers may not be able or willing to adopt new technologies--and the role researchers and scientists play in this.
If you want to contact Vaughan, he can be reached through the University of Tasmania, where he is an Associate Professor of Sociology. His e-mail is vaughan.higgins@utas.edu.au. Vaughan’s work can also be found through his ResearchGate profile.
17 min